The Washington times., 1894-09-03
Only BY Striving After the Highest
Ideals 1t Can Be Obtained.
PRINCIPLE OF SERVING OTHERS
1t Is Not Carried Out By Administering to
Selfish Pleasures, but By Meeting Such
Real Needs of Our Fellow-men as Will
Lead Them on to True Manhood.

northwest. the Rev. Alexander Kent preached
at II a. m. yesterday to good-sized audience.
His subject was "The Christ thought Of
greatness" He delivered his address with
his usual vigor and was attentiyely listened to.
| He began with a searching exposition Of the
| New Testament incident. in which James and
John, disciples and brothers, send their
mother to Jesus to secure for them the chief
| places in the kingdom which they thought he
was to establish on earth. He compared them
with the average Office seeker, log-rolIing and
| wire-pulling for private gain rather than
| planning to be of public use. But their Mas
| ters idea was different He said: "Ye know
that the rulers Of the Gentiles lord it over
| them, and their great ones exercise authority
over them. Not so shall it be among you;
but whosoeyer would become great you shall
| be your servant, and whosoever will be first
among you shall be your bond servent, i. e..
! servant in the fullest degree, even as the Son
| OF Man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister and to give his life for the uplift-
| ing OF the world"
| This is the Christ idea Of greatness. Is it
| founded on a just estimate of human natUre2
! Can society accept such a'thOught practically
! and live? This idea is 50 central in Christian
! ethics 50 fundamental in all its spiritual
! teachings that to treat it as false is to reject
| the system. If its purpose and spirit are not
| practical Christianity IS not practical. It's
/ one object Is to make men realize their true
| nature as children of the Highest and 10 bring
! them into loving and helpful and happy rela-
| tiOnS with each other. Jesus says the way 70
| do this IS to love and serve each other IN
| selfishly and wholly; to make the business Of
| life real ministry TO mankind.
WHAT IT MEANS ITO SERVE"
| Let US observe closely what ii is to serve.
| In the common thought it is to be subject 10
the will of others, to obey their commands
| Such thought Of service is degrading Jesus
! never contemplated anything Of the sort. To
/ serve another is TO meet some real need OF
| that others being: to help him in some meas
ure toward the manhood which he ought TO
| win. 1t is great source of happiness among
! friends TO crafty the wishes of each other in
| the ordinary affairs OF life. Your friend NAV
| be just as able 70 wait on himself as you wait
| on him, but it is qualification 10 serve him.
| But suppose your friend has selfish pleasure
! in being waited on. Then all your pleasure
| vanishes. You are made 70 feel you do not
| render a service. To be a bond servant OF
| YOUR fellows il the Christian sense is TO hold
| yourself in duty bound TO disregard their
| wants, whenever this is requisite, that you may
/ meet their needs.
Many, think, fail TO comprehend this dis
| elimination, and feel that they are doing
Christian duty when carrying burdens that
they have no right 10 bear Self-sacriice to
laziness is not only wrong to self, but greater
wrong 70 those for whom such sacrifice is
made We can be helpers of them only as
we make them helpers OF others. Many
wife and mother makes her greatest mistake
at this point. She becomes the drudge OF
husband and children. She does for them
70 aNr,1T h.
selves. or have left undone. It is often in
deed great deal easier TO do things our
selves than to teach others to do them. But
the trouble is that if others are not taught
we have 20 continue to do, and those for
whom they are done are greatly injured
thereby.
SERVICE IN BUSINESS.
But the difficulties of carrying this princi-
pie of service into business are much more
formidable than those which meet US in the
home. Members OF the true family have a
community of interest and Of goods. This is
the Christian way, ard is especially exem-
plifled at Christmas. when we drop all thought
OF self and devote ourselves wholly 10 the
comfort and weli-being OF others. No mem
Der of well-regulated family plans for his
own Christmas presents. He plans for others.
He knows others will plan for him, and does
not even allow himself to think Of what he
shall get.
But in business this loving cooperation is
forgotten, and in competition self comes 70
the front. This stimulates effort. thought
invention. and pushes forward great enter
prises. But these great gains are purchased
at too great cost of suffering and misery
and degradation on the part OF those WHO are
worsted: at too great a loss of manly char
acter and brotheriy sympathy on the part of
! those who win. Every thoughtful person
sees and ieplores this; comparatively few see
any practicable remedy. We believe that the
evil is working its own cure. The selfshness
that led TO individual competition is now i'm
Delling 10 combination. Men are coming 10
see that.
But this co-opeistion is on the part of the
classes in exploiting the masses. IL IS eX-
tending rapidly, and the time cannot be far
distant when We shall ind all business is IN
the hands of a few great trusts. and the era
of individual competition, with its Opportu-
mites for individual advancement. thing OF
the past Then. if not before. we may hope
the people will profit by the lesson and take
all these industries into their own hands. This
may not be practicable now; it will be when
the Royal law is practicable.
WHEN COOPERATIVE GOVERNMENT WILL COME.
government can be permanently estab-
lished over people when its principles are
established in their minds and hearts. We
shall have cooperative government when
Christ's principles have obtained dominion
over men hearts
To hate wrong is easy for the virtuous; we
want men who ate 1t for its inherent ugi-
ness It's injury to the common veal Those
who fight the evils OF competition simply be-
cause they themselves suffer cannot safely be
trusted with control. They would destroy
the present order with dynamite and fire,
: wipe out the millionaires, but never estab-
lish better condition
He reads history poorly who does not see
progress from selfish. animal control of affairs
to the higher order implied in the Masters
law. One of the surest tokens is the homage
men pay 10 ideals, as when the candidate al
ways processes 10 desire TO serve the public
not himself. None could be elected without
paying this tribute to the peoples ideal. But
Congressman is no more really engaged il
public service than railroad managers, OF
} bankers. or any who follows q legitimate vo-
cation; and the time approaches when these
too, though they set their pay as best they
can, will acknowledge allegiance to the same
} ideal, that public service is the only warrant
! for existence.
KILLED oud Throyxr Into n Ditch