The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-02-15

good ones-what tens of thousands
of outcast little girls, born as the
babes of sin, brought into life in a
bedlam of crime, drifting upon the
Shiny stream of hades itself, whose
milk to drink and air to breathe, were
heavy with the foulest plaques of sin
how many tens of thousands of
such, through the angelic power of
this one blessed woman, were plucked
away and washed and saved changed
into women fit for society, for homes,
for decency and virtue and thrift,
and the Astounding joys of right liv-
ing.
AS to rewards in heaven, what are
Elizabeth Fry's rewards compared
with the most of ours-ours, who live
at our poor selfish and dying rates;
ours who do not soil our skirts in
hut, who are afraid with fear and
trembling that we shall be caught
in something or somewhere that is
not popular and of first class respec-
tabilitya The only popularity which
Christian has right to seek, is the
popularity of doing good to some
body that needs it; to something
that is weak and needs our help; to
something that is bad and needs our
virtue.
We have recently celebrated our
Christmas season. tits in memory of
the most popular man who ever
walked on the planet. Kings and
mobiles and empires apd republics
have bowed beneath his sway and de-
lighted to honor his cross. He is the
friend of poor and rich, old and
young, the strong and the feeble
alike. Queens and princesses, noble
ladies and humble servants, the free
and the bond, the saint and the
transgressor, the white-hearted mo-
theirs and the magazines, all, all de-
light to do him honor, and be called
by his name.
And what is the secret of this I'M
precedented, this universal, this long
continued and undated, enthusiastic
popularity 1t is not far to seek.
He was the friend of those who had
the least friends, the friend of those
who most needed friends, the friend
of those who were cast out as un-
worthy of all friends. sinners and
prodigals and publicans and harlots
such never approached him to be
repulsed, but to be instructed and
pardoned and blessed. In befriend-
ing these our Lord made friends of
all mankind for himself, a friend of
God, and of all good angels forever
On these principles Elizabeth Fry
made friends. And such is the way
to make enduring friends, to become
popular in high and Christian
sense. The philosophy is as plain as
daylight. To attach ourselves to
something, or to affiliate with some
body who is above needing our aid
except, perhaps, as an appendage to
pride, is conspicuous example of our
own seltishness. And selfshness is
so hateful that it is abhorred by the
selfish even as liar always hates
liars. And so we are dropped out of
esteem in counting the wrong kind of
esteem.
Hence our Lords way is the best
way. Seek to do good for the sake of
doing good. Then everybody will
come to love you for your work s sake,
because your works show the true
gold of unselfshness.
AS to the evolution of punishment,
we see now how it remained for wo-
man to reach the highest point of ex-
cellence as to methods of prison re-
form. AS by an inspiration she
preached, by precept and example,
the highest philosophy of reform be-
cause it was a true Christian philos-
ophy. The prisoners were treated as
a family, treated as if belonging to
the human family, erring members,
it is true, but still members. They
were persuaded to become industri-
GUS, to obtain knowledge, to restrain
their passions, to become moral, in
some cases religious, to respect the
rights of others, to do good to other
unfortunates, to respect their own
womanhood. Reformation and re-
generation took the place of decapita-
ton, of punishment and transporta-
ton, of criminal slavery, of physical
torture, of solitary confinement and
starvation and the horrible diseases
of neglected prisoners. GA woman
that feareth the Lord, she shall be
praised" And among all women of
modern times who deserve to be
crowned with this text, first and SUI