The record-union., 1899-10-25

weak-the unwilling sacrifce-for the
sake of the strong.
Our sociology and political economy
as we have it to-day, was not then
born, but, so far as it did exist 1t
might have been summed up III the
adage: Every man for himself-and q
the devil take the hindmost. Ana
when, because those things were TOO
high for US, some of us went into the
sanctuary, we were very apt to De
taught there the same thing: That IL
was the chief end of man to endeayor'
in a perfectly selfish way, to try to
escape the miseries and wretchedness
that were to come upon his fellows.
Now, if those things be true ana
self-interest be the first law OF Ife we
may as we'll give it up and die, ana
try to discover the first law OF deatn.
But, oh, what a marvellous cnange!
No one teaches that moral philosophy
now 1 do not know of an institution,
religious or irreligious in it's professions,
that would dare to allow a man to sit
in a chair and teach that self-intereSt
is the first law of life. ] do not know
of one! 1t is a change of the last twenty
years. The old books on ethics are not
fit to kindle fires with nowadays. We
are changing our teaching in science.
We are coming to learn, as Professor
Drummond so beautifully suggested to
us, that it is a passion Of sacrifice, like
the sacrifice of mother for her child,
and that it is the mother that ought to
typify to US the great, loving heart of
God that is at the very essence, the
very center of all things.
We are changing our economics until
we are impatient, one after another, Of
those who used to teach US fallacies
concerning the constitution Of the race.
and we viii not have them to teach US
economics. So that. even in such in
stitutions as Chicago University and
Harvard University, supposed to be ex-
ceedingly conservative in their views
of economic questions, there are men
occupying the chairs of political econ
omy and sociology that actually be-
liave in humanity and occasionally ex-
press it for the benefit of their fellow
men. And as to the churches, it does
not make much difference whether you
go to a Catholic church, or a Congre-
gational or a Methodist, or a Uni
tartan church, or what not-they are
all being thrilled with this new impulse,
looking at the world and telling us, as
Josiah Strong says, that Christ came
not to save men out Of the ruined
wreck, but to save the wreck and
giving us the idea that the mission OF
religion is not to deliver people from
the present evils of existence, but 70
J, vrhQ
ought TO be- This is the message Of
this pulpit and every pulpit, whether
it be liberal or orthodox, Catholic, or
what not, that has any power with the
people to-day. All our societies of the
people. young or old, that bear the
name of religion, are being thrilled
with 1.-THE great conception Of max
ing the world full Of love, and coming
not to be ministered unto, but to min
lister.
But when we come to love in action
the progress of humanity-oh, how
marvellous it has been! I am aware
of some hospitals and eleemosynary
institutions that have been but con-
fessions Of our failures, and yet, in 9TH
er ways, they are magnificent testt-
monials to our humanity. We do not
expose our infants TO die; we do no;
torture our insane as though they had
demons. as our Christian fathers did
only a hundred years ago. Why, it Is
only a little over 300 years ago since
the feudal Barons of Europe, bearing
the name of Christ, used to have what
they call the laws of humanity" II
was a good thing to have laws; and
n lac
of it was better than not having any
humanity or any law. But what was
the first '1aw of humanity as drawn
up by the feudal Barons of Europe? Il
was this: That if a nobleman should be-
come very cold while out hunting on g
very wintry day, he must not kill mor5
than three of his serfs at any one day
in order to warm his feet by cutting
open his unfortunate servanti
That was the ''law Of humanity
the first law of humanity Of Christen
dom, only three or four hundred year:
ago; and it has only been a little ovel
a hundred years since the French
Court coming in from hunting, tn,
most Christian monarch" (as he wa!
called with his courtiers used to amus'
themselves in the streets of Paris by
shooting plumbers and timers and car
penters. and what not at work upo1
buildings. in order that they nigh
have the pleasure of seeing them rol
down. wounded, dying or dead, intC
the gutter! And that most Christian
monarch" night after night, used tc
kneef down unrebuked by the side 0
the courtesans that he had in place o.
his wife. while he said his prayers de