The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-12

-~>'. <AoNiDS1l IL. preached
Yesterday morning upon Bearing
Others Burdens" He drew the lesson
Oh the sermon from the story OF Simon
OF Cyrene. Simon was coming up from
the country to Jerusalem at the tina
Oh the passover to observe the feast
pay his fittings, see the crowd and
make his annual purchases. He was
intent on his own plans Every minute
was precious to him. But just outside
the gate he was met by q crowd on
their way to Calvary to execute three
men who had been condemned to be
crucltned under the law Simon was
forthwith impressed and compelled to
give up his own plans for the time.
lace about and carry the cross of one
Oh the prisoners. 1t must have seemed
TO him cruel and veXatious.
rms story represents q phase of uni
yersal life. 1t is common experience
10 nave our plans thwarted. our, pur-
poses set aside, and our course in life
reversed by the necessity of carrying
some other persons burden. Not only
the mlSfortunes, but the sins OF others
are continually thrusting upon our
shoulders burdens which do not belong
10 US, and which often interrupt our
cherished aims and plans Here is an
ambitious boy who wants to get a col
lege education. But his fathers death
compels him to become a bread-winner.
for the family. So his hope of scholarly
pursuits fades from him like a dream.
Here is young lady whose dearest
| WISH IS to cultivate her artistic gifts
But a nervous invalid mother or a
| father broken down by dissipation.
claims her care; and she becomes a
nurse. Such instances are common, but
none the less tragic. They seem to us
hard and cruel mystery
So it seemed. no doubt. to Simon of
| Cyrene. All his own plans were sud-
! denly set at naught, and he was forced
/ 10 carry the cross of a man he didn't
Know, a stranger and a criminal But
! later on that cross which he had car
RED became the conCuering symbol of
the Christian world. Even in his own
lifetime it had become the cherished
emblem of thousands of followers of
| the loving Nazarene. Then with what
JOY he must have looked back upon the
hour in which he toiled, impatient and
complaining. under the heavy cross,
! up the long hill of Calvary No other
| hour IN all his life could have been so
| hlled with proud significance, as that
| in which he bore the masters cross.
This part of Simon's experience is
also common. The ambitious boy, in
helping to support his widowed
mother develops strength and
manlinesS which he could not have
gained from the learning of the schools.
The faithful daughter in the sick room
finds something more precious and OF
greater worth than technical training
in her art. There is a subtle law of
compensation in bearing others bur-
dens. 1t often happens that the very
burdens we are forced to bear bring us
the greatest good. What seemed to be
great misfortune proves in the end
priceless blessing. The law may not
! always work itself out in dimes and
dollars; but it comes in strengthened
characters and nobler lives
Mr.. Hudson followed the subject into
the field of public charity, and dis
cussed the attitude of the 'laissez
faire" critics. These complain about
the waste TO society which results from
placing upon the shoulders of the
thrifty and Industrious classes the bur
den Of supporting the idle and IMPROVE
dent. They would follow natures law
of evolution, whereby only the f1ttest
types survive, While the unfit die
He admitted that there was much
force in their criticism when applied TO
indiscriminate charity. For this pro-
notes idleness instead of industry.
Such charity Injuries those who give
and those who take. But the duty to
support the weak, who cannot live
without such help, must always be
recognized in any enlightened civiliza-
ton. From q purely materialistic
standpoint society might gain by let
ting the unfit die; but the loss would
be incalculable in the moral fibre of
those who survive. Sucn policy
would be step backward into barbar-
ism. Altruism is the highest product
of social evolution. And this has been
evolved by progressing steadily from
the lower plane Of the mere struggle
for life onto the higher one of the
struggle for the life of others. The
savage mother was compelled to feed
and to protect her offspring. The saw
age father learned to guard his off
spring and his mate. Families formed
themselves into clans. These grew to
nations. 1t is thus that love of home
and country took it's rise. Now, through
the ningling of the nations we are
beginning to learn the larger law of
common brotherhood. All the I'M
selfish impulses of our advancing civil
ization have grown from the need of
taking thought for others. 1t is
through the very necessity of bearing
others burdens that society evolves it's
nobleSt ideals Of Womanhood and man
hood
He then spoke of the burden of sup
porting churches Wherever this is
voluntary the burden always falls upon
the few. True, the benefits are general.
Churches are the real supporters of the
law For they foster moral sentiment;
and without this. laws would be in
operative Churches are the conserva-
tors of property. For without moral
sentiment enforcing law the only rule
of property would be that he shall
take who has the power and he shall
keep who can" Churches are the
promoters of social order and advance
ment For they cultivate the higher
ideals which inspire the growth. Never
theleSS the large majority of those who
are directly or indirectly benefited by
the work of churches, are quite .indif-
ferent to their support, and let the
burden rest upon the few.
1t is not strange if these few some-
times ask whether it is worth while to
bear the unequal burden. But here
again the same law must prevail The
burden bearers are those whose lives
grow strong, symmetrical, and true,
helpful to human life and allied to the
divine The great reward of burden
bearing is that it brings the bearer
into active sympathy with the Christ
spirit among men. The weight of
every burden that we bear for others
draws upon the lever of divine love. It
overcomes the power of sin and self
ishness and degradation. 1t raises US
above the clogs of our own weak self
conferred lives 1t lifts US up to God.
First Presbyterian.
Rev. James K. Milligan, pastor of
the First Presbyterian church of
Boise City, spoke at the First Presby-