The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-05-22

| eAnOTIdJlOnS TO Sucn as LneSe TO 10
good will, for the time, perhaps, fall
upon deaf ears, but their very exist
ence creates the opportunity and the
necessity for other people to do good.
| (2) The second class is composed
| Of those tCbo may Uery fairly be called
the indifferent ones. They are not
actively opposed to the right, but
they don't do much at it. In truth,
nominally they believe in doing good
that is, they believe that other peo-
| pie should do right. And in general
their lives are not vicious; but you
never find them enthusiastic about
promoting the right. These people
believe mildly in temperance, but
want somebody else to be its advo-
cates-and even believe that virtuous
people like themselves should have
the privilege of taking drop now
and then if they desire to do SO. They
believe in the Church-for other peo-
ple-and may even come in them
selves, upon occasion, but never really
work for its interests-never help to
support it. And yet if aroused by
an exigency they would regard it as
a calamity to have churches abol-
ished; they want them to live and
perform their regular functions-pro-
vided someone else will do the work
and pay the bills. But no church
could ever live upon their aid or their
interest, for they are too Indifferent
to make a single sacrifice. They be-
| lieve in schools for their own and
other peoples children, but would
like to have someone else pay the
taxes. They believe in an enlight-
ened system of public education, but
someone else must plan and support
the system. They will boast, how
ever. They will beat the drums and
tell the world, with flying colors,
what splendid system of free schools
we have = schools, however, that
might go into everlasting destruction
if they depend upon the active inter-
est and cooperation of such as they.
They believe in clean, well-governed
city, or say they do, but they never
attend caucus and would not make
a real sacrifice to vote on election day.
Nominally, such people are on the
side of right; practically, you never
know where they are. But besides
these we have, thank God, another
class:
g. Those aUho mag fairly be called
the pltilantliropists; those who make
the interests of humanity their own
interests; those who think and feel
and work for others. They are never
vicious, never Indifferent, but always
actively good. They are the men
and women of large hearts and gener-
GUS impulses, whose souls are too
large to be selfish, whose hearts are
too warm to be Indifferent. They
live in the larger life of humanity:
they rejoice in the prosperity of the
race. Whatever their belief may be,
they have caught the spirit of Christ;
whatever their circumstances may be,
rich or poor, they are living for the
general blessing. Indeed, they are
literally obeying the injunction of
Paul. AS opportunity offers, they
are doing good unto all. These are
the men and women who are redeem
ing the world. Rob the world of their
influence, and temporarily, at least,
the wheels of progress would turn
backward.
III. But hoao about the opportu,ai-
tiesa Most people are willing to
grant the wisdom of Paul's exhorta-
ton, but, they repeat, show about
the opportunity We can really see
but little opportunity for doing
good" They have come to believe
that doing good-perhaps because
they are not very much used to it
requires some unusual opportunity.
Let us then stop long enough to study
this question of opportunities for a
moment. We find that they may all
fall under two classes:
a. There are the general, euery-
dag opportunities. And SO far as
our opportunities relate to moral eff
fort they may all be summed up in
three words: preventive, reformatory
and educational. That is, they are
all embraced under the prevention OF
vice, the reformation of the vicious
and the education of all. Now this
surely will help to simplify matters
good deal, for under these three
heads every man whose heart is en-
listed will find very broad field for
doing good, and we shall be com
PEELED to believe that he who cannot
find some place in this broad field
for doing good hasn't very much
genius for work. Can we not see