The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-06
SERMON.
RELIGIOUS COOPERATE ON

.HIS was very soon after 'ne
death of Christ; and it ought to
be no matter of surprise that the
Christians stuck pretty close together
in those days. They had inoeea
nothing to lose, but they bad every,
thing to gain. They were niieo
with a new hope, and very precious
things we're before them. But their
faith, how eccentric; their Dress no"
peculiar; their manners, their thought
how different from their fellow Jews
Tn their loneliness and isolation now
thew need all the comfort they can
oct. From their unchristian neign-
bors there is to be gotten no sympa-
tbv, Yet they must sing, they must
nrav thew must talk with somebody
Of their great hopes. We may well
believe that the twelve apostles ana
the few disciples stuck pretty close
together in those days. They had
annie need of each other. And this,
no doubt. is the simple thought OF
our text-they stood near to one an
other. But | would like to use this
instinct for association which brought
tho early Christians together as the
SUGGESTION for yet larger thought
+ It seems to be pretty we'll au-
thenticated that the more Intelligent
men become the more they act to-
pether. The further back you go TO-
ward the savage state in any land
the less you will see OF co-operatlon.
You will indeed find crude anu
limited form of it in the family ana
in the tribal relation. But seioonl
has any considerable tribal co-opera-
tion been successful. Hence the saw
ages have ever been easily driven from
frontier to frontier by people VINO
had learned the art of combination
AS the general intelligence has risen
from century to century, nothing Is
more remarkable than the steady ana
certain power of men to make am a.,
ances for definite ends. would ike
YOU to notice few of these;
a. The growth of nations Inc
national idea is comparatively mod
ern, vet from the earliest times the
tendency has ever been in the dlrec-
ton of its development. But large
stable, permanent governments have
come only in proportion to the growth
of intelligence. We need not De
surprised, therefore, to ind ma
tions larger and more powerful to.
day than ever before. The world
was ready for them as it never was
before. suppose that the weakest
member of the Triple Alliance IN
Europe is stronger than Rome was
in her palmiest days. If you would
see the power of modern comblna-
ton look for a moment at three or
four of the great powers of the earth,
such as Russia, the United States,
Great Britain with her colonies
France and Germany. Not only have
we these great powers-greater alone
than they have ever been before-put
il has now become comparatively
easy for any two or three or four OF
them to make yet larger temporary
alliance for definite end; as witness
the late alliance of Russia, Germany
and France in favor of China to say
nothing of the permanent Triple Al
lance between Germany, Austria
and Italy and the counter alliance
between France and Russia.
ca But notice, again, how easy 1t
ia for vast numbers of men in any
country to make combination for
nolitical ends. Sometimes it seems
almost easier than it ought to be.
For the sake of an idea nearly half
will swing promptly into one line;
the other half into an opposing line.
But on some new issue these lines
will be crossed, new ones will be
formed and another combination
made. So the breaking of old ranks
and the forming of new ones goes on
every year. And with every new for
nation the power of men to combine
becomes more and more marvellous.
(31 Yet another exhibition of this
wonderful faculty for organization is
entirely modern-namely, combina-
ton for great business enterprise. A
hundred years ago the widest
dreamer would never have conceived
of the possibility of one of our great
railroad combinations, and to speak
of other well-known examples here in
our own country, we have the great
Western Union Telegraph Co., the
Bell Telephone Co., the great Stand
ard Oil Trust and numberless others
only less conspicuous, which does
but illustrate that on the very low
plane of self-interest it has become a
perfec city simple thing for men to get
together, agree upon an object and