The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-04-25
THE BALLENTINE HOME
Concluded from First Page.)

which makes nothing of the man and
everything of the mass This would take
away the spring to EFFORT that comes
from tho consciousness OF Individual
worth and grade down the character OF
every man to the average Of the whole.
Not only this. but 1t would destroy the
| righs of personal ownership in property
and Distribute wealth by law. taking from
the thrifty the right to dispose of the
products ofttheir own industry. Personal
virtue would disappear and instead of
The concentration of bower as we now
see 1t In those who. with high resolve
!neet and overcome the difficulties which
bsset their pathway to success, we would
nave nerveless things feeble in effort .ac-
complshing .nOthing, thu sickly glim-
| mer of the sheet lightning on the sum
/ mer evening cloud, as compared with the
| fierce bolt that drives fast and straight
| to its work.
But by the Gospel we have the good in
both these conserved and the evil elm
mated. Each man is given his work
and taught his high responsibility He
is individualized and responsible to Him
who made and endowed him. and he
goes 10 his labor to improve the talents
committed to him, not rocking what
others may say or do, but taking oc-
count only of Him from whom he has
received. and to whom he must answer
at last. For what he does he shall him
self have credit. If he is faithful and
returns the pound originally committed
TO him increased ten-fold or nve-fold
he receives reward accordingly; while
lif he Is slothful and adds nothing to
what was given him to improve he will
receive the punishment due TO his ne
glect; and the diligence OF the one will
not be discounted by the doctrine OF
averages nor the slothfulness of the
other concealed.
And yet the facts of social life not
Ignored. The first great commandment
} gets the individual I'm right and personal
relations to the Ruler of all; and the
second. that of love to our neighbor,
gives the true law of social life. We are
r not alone. There is Il MENUS that binds
lus all together. Each man owes some
(, thing to every other man. Our best is
not attainablc unless others are helped
: TO attain their best: and the good that
comes 10 each is enhanced in volume and
q lvalue by sharing ii with others
1t is this philosophy of human life,
Q individual and social. that has made
the Christian world what it is. 1t has
- never yet in any age or any place found
= full expression for itself, but as we APP
proach towards it we approach the
ideal conditions under which men find
b fullest development. and society grows
towards the realization of universal and
: helpful brotherhood. But let il not be
: supposed that this condition is to be
reached by philosophic reasoning on
personal duty and sociological laws.
| Philosophy Is Il result and not a cause
n Facts existed before either philosophy or
science could be. What is philosophy
but observation of facts, and their or
DERBY arrangement and the discovery
of the order of their movements which
we call laws? The phenomena OF ma
turc are not the consequences of phil
y losophy, but philosophy is a sequence
a deduction from them The powers by
(which nature exists and works its
n changes in progressive movements were
at work long before any philosophy OF
them existed. Philosophy Is II thing
of mind. Facts are things of movement
of action. Men lived in society be-
fore they thought of science of socio-
ogy. SO the philosophy of the Gospel
springs from its facts has its source in
the life of Him who said. II am the way.
: the truth and the life" The simple
fishermen of Galilee. who by contact
with Him had caught His spirit. had
felt His power in their lives, and went
forth To give expression to it in their
work for their fellow-men, dreamed
: not of n system of truth, but they had
a life. and they lived il. and the truth
blossomcd in their lives and influence
1.-THE trees which are now budding and
blossoming in this spring time. pre-
lparing TO fruit in summer and pour
Their richness into the laps of men for
sustenance and delight. know nothing
of the laws of growth, hut they grow
and fruit nevertheless. They have life
in them. and that life expresses itself in
the facts of leaf and fruit. And so IL
Is when men have caught the spirit of
c Him who fought out in His own life
the battles of which we have To fight
!, with temptation and sin of every kind
II and being made perfect through suffer-
/, ing gave that life in all its rich per-
!, lection for the redemption and saliva
u ton Of others-when mcn have caught
D." His spirit they live in their measure
:. His life. not by labored effort, not by
ioutward rule. but by the working of the
: life-power from within outward impart.
ed and sustained in constant activity
by faith in Him.
And here before MS to-day stands a
monument to the Man of Cialilce No
lone. perhaps. will be reader TO question
Q this statement than he by whose gen
= crosby this Home has been erected
Il Scarcely would he dare to say that it
It was piety in him which moved him to
}, undertake the work and push il TO COM
u plction. But is not the statement true?
!" Reduced to it's last analysis. what mo-
D, tive lies at the root of all this? Is IL
IS desire 10 purchase Heaven by the gift
= of gains unjustly got? Is this hush
a the thought! Back in the days gone by
ID beside the hearthstone. when husband
and wife sat beside each other and
asked how they should discharge the
= responsibility of the stewardship com