Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-24
Left Ont of the Game.

(In0 ODSerVduOUS VI 1S~Nf
Friend Of Ours)
"Parus sum: nullus sum: nee spero' rec
spero altum."-Lord Bacon.
'Tll be a candle-holder, and look on
Romeo.
When our eyes and ears and thoughts
are very much occupied with the distin-
guished of tho day, or Of the past, II is
hard to avoid feeling the extreme pain
of insignifcance, OF being less than
nothing, minus quantities. Sometimes
this feeling generates the corroding
poison Of envy. Sometimes 1t impels
men to desperate endeavor or arrant and
outrageous follies to escape from the dark
dungeon Of nonentity into the celestial
air that displays us as something, and
assures us that we are being counted in-'
In this way a man will eat 100 hard
boiled eggs, burn the temple OF Diana,
or play clown. We can hardly endure
being nothing to nobody; would rather
be hung spectacularly. We must be
something to somebody; impress our
selves on something.
1t is hard to quench self-love. 1t is
hard to be satisfied to be entirely left
out And yet how large a portion OF
mankind feel just that way? 1t was the
tenderest consideration for this great,
familiar fact that made the first utter
ance Of the Redeemer OF Mankind:
blessed are the poor In spirit" 1t was
to the hopeless multitude that He uttered
these gracious words, not to the rich and
great and distinguished. And His an
nouncement was a great comfort; that,
after all, It was far from being a bad
thing to be convinced that we are nothing
at all. 1t was a very bad thing to be
selfish and self-asserting, to be "serpents
and a generation of vipers." and candi-
dates for "the wrath to come" and 1.-THE
damnation of hell" That way lay dis
honor and misery. But to be patient,
| submissive and amiable. meek and low
| ~ in heart" was to be sharers OF the
Divine mind and on the way to Heaven;
| In tune with universal harmony and real
| advance.
The magnanimty. generosity, klndli-
ness, and unflinching devotion of Jesus
of Nazareth gave the keynote Of noble
ness to the world, and His infinite self
sacrifice, when in the form of man, es-
| tablshed and sealed humanity as divine.
But He was left out of the game. His
| herald, John the Baptist, was counted
out altogether He had not the dignity
of a public execution. The cutting OF
| Of his head was a mere incident, accom-
| plished by a subordinate out OF time, to
| please a young ballet dancer, TO save the
| honor of british tyrant and crafty the
hatred of a royal she devil. All that
| was done about the crucifxion was meant
| to cover the Divine victim with shame
and ignominy, that His name might be
utterly obliterated from the worlds his
| tory, and be made a mockery and a
| shame. How wonderfully otherwise has
| II beeni
The great multitudes Of "huffed and
cuffed and disrespected' have not only
| the comfort Of great many in the same
| fix, but in that many a great deal of
| excellent good-fellowship and real enjoy
able goodness. Grandeur is not a plea
SAINT element OF human character. Am
bition is a miserable faint; gives very
bad flavor, smacks of the lower regions,
is very disagreeable.
1t Is one of the most interesting
features of all history, that while the
progress OF civilization has been iden-
tilted with Abraham and his seed, pro-
fame history has lightly regarded them,
| and left them, as far as 1t could. out OF
the great game. The glorious company
Of the Apostles, the goodly fellowship OF
the prophets, the noble army OF
martyrs, were unknown, almost utterly
| ignored by Thucydides and Herodotus,
and Tacitus and Livy: while they stood
for the coming kingdom and were kept
in the hollow of the hand Of the AL
mighty Those whom now we call saints
were then largely known as wanderers
jewellers In dens and caves OF the earth
left out OF history, left out of society
left out of the newspapers-left out OF
| everything-and finally left out of life
itself. 1t is a consolation to those who
| are left out of the game-can't find any
thing to do-and are oppressed with their
| nothingness-that they are, nevertheless,
human beings: and that all the privileges
and joys of life are not shut up to those
that are in the game.
"What. though like commoners Of air,
| We wander out. we know not where.
But either house or hall:
Yet Natures charms. the hills and
woods.
The fertile fields and foaming floods.
Are free alike to ALL"
It was the wanderers and crowds that
were as sheep without shepherd that
had the tenderest care of the Saviour
whose business was to seek and save
that which was lost
The greatest privileges OF the world
hardly seem to be confined to the rich
and great and celebrated-who are In the
game. 1t may be privilege to be left
out. The great game Of honor and riches
and pleasure and grandeur and pomp
and br!lliancy and luxury Is not for the
lowly devotees to truth, to ideal man
hood TO the worship of the Infinite.
Divine manhood chose deliberately to be
left out Of the worlds old game OF pomp
and lust and vanity and vexation.
Though Of the nature and dignity OF the
most High. HE made Himself OF no
reputation" and took on Him the form
of servant: by His lowliness and gen
tleness became the ready, confding friend
OF the poorest and most despised, OF all
who feel that they are left out OF the
game. 1t Is enough for the Disciple 10
be as his master, and the servant as his
Lord.