St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-14
INDIVIDUALISM.
The Theme OF an Interesting Ser
mon by Rev Wilkinson.

mon by Rev. Wilkinson.
Preaching yesterday morning in ST.
Andrews church, the rector, Rev. Will
lam Wilkinson, said: [ want this
morning to speak strongly and plainly
about our individual duties. In this day
it is sought to sink the man in the
masses, the unit in the race, the solitary
in the body polite, or social, or relig-
iouS. This is as it ought not to be. 1t
is sign of the times full of evil. 1t
moves responsibility and gives man a
chance to do as whole what not
one man alone would think of
doing. So clearly pronounced is
this fact that it has passed into
proYerb-that committees have no
souls-and that public bodies are prod
igal Of that which is not their own.
The pulpit can never err in insisting
upon the God-given duty of every man
to make the very best of himself on his
own lines, in his own way, land for those
ends which are useful, wise and true.
Custom, fashion, precedent have much
to answer for in making men conven-
tiOnal. Independent thought and
action, original method are rare, be-
cause men live, move and have their
very being in artificial, not natural coll
ditionS. What world this would be if
We could each be made to understand
that every man has not alone an iden-
tity all and peculiarly his own, but that
he has his own place to fill, his own
work to do, his own being to perfect,
and so come to a position of honor
through service. There is nothing in
the New Testament to show that Christ
ever lost sight of this great truth-a
truth which many socialists lose sight
of entirely.
ut is not very easy to tell just what
they do believe, for no two of them APP
pear to agree. When we think we have
found a mighty teacher. who will
construct all things new, who will be
able to set the wrong right, and make
that which is hidden come at once out
into the clearest light, we find that some
other eminent teacher comes up and
assures US that the light we think we
have is darkness. Prof, Huxley derides
Frederick Harrison as the high priest of
positivsm, and is replied to Ill tren-
chant way, which tells us that whatever
Mr.. Huxley knows about biology he is
dismal failure in the ethical school of
George Combe and Harrison. No two
of these modern instructors, who seek
to unity men, with comfy of goods, or
to take possession of private property
in the public name agree.
I'm all lands it is just the same. The
French regenerators, the English re-
formers, men like Earnest Jones. Joseph
Barker, Thomas Cooper, Oh. Brad
laugh, Mrs. Besant and Herbert Spencer
have all failed to lay down plan to
which the others would say, Yes, that
is perfect Carl Marx canrot get his
book Capital the Bible of social SITS,
praised Internationally. The truth is
any system which does not give
true value to things as they are
must fail. The ever present
self-interest will prevent the realization
its embodiment in public law. 1t is not
in set rules or enforced conditions. which
puts every man upon his honor, which
will translate an ideal theory into no.
BILE life. Honor as motive in conduct
sounds well in speech. 1t looks we'll in
print, but 1t has ever been found in
sufficient to keep men to the right.
sit is not in new schemes which are
to alter all the present conditions of
life, to make the foolish wise, and the
INDECENT industrious, which shall make
want give way TO plenty at some magic
word, that relief from the woes which
so sorely atfiict us, is to be found. 1t is
rather in the wise, if slow. perfecting
of the individual man III all his parts,
mental, moral. religious and physical
so that all the. powers of his manhood
shall be in their highest perfection.
Not for his own profit or good. but so he
may remember that he is part of one
great whole and socialism such as
hard law could not do glowing love
will accomplish, and thus the reign of
man be at hand. This is the lndivId-
uallsm which Jesus Christ came to
teach, and it has its roots, as the bishop
of Manchester told the assembled
bishops from all parts of the world, in
Lambeth, deep in the heart of Cod"