Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-01-08
TALKED TO ELKs.
Text of Sermon Delivered at she
Episcopal Church Yesterday.

Epiecopai Snufcn feetcFodJs
The Rev. Geo. selby. Of the Eplsto
pal church. preached the annual ser
mon yesterday morning to the local
order of Elks. who attended the ser.
vices in a body. The large audience
listened with interest to his discus
sion Of the subject. True Brother
hood and all must have appreciated
the rector's earnestness. as he en-
larged upon the beauty Of practical
Christianity as opposed to merely
technical religion. His text was: "A
friend loveth at all times. and broth
er is born for adversity." Prov. 17>s7.
The substance of his address was as
follows: When the herdsmen Of
Abraham and Lot quarreled about
pasturage for their herds. Abraham
said to Lot: Let there be no strife
l pray thee, between me and thee,
and between my herdsmen and thy
herdsmen, for we be brethren" An
tiquity sometimes affords us glorious
examples pearls scattered freely in
the history Of past ages. Abraham
said LET there be no strife" st.
Joseph said, 1--WE ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren" All pro
fessions are brotherhoods. The
church, literature. trade are ruling the
world. Nations, whose symbol is the
flag, are becoming more and more
great brotherhoods. The brother
hood of the churches is founded upon
the pathos of human life, and like a
golden thread this bond runs through
all religion
Discordant notes do not destroy the
divine harmony.
The voice OF God within our hearts
calls for love, brotherhood. self sacrl.
flee. We must obey that voice and
leave metaphysics to take care of it,
self. Under the power of this voice
democracy is stepping forward for the
conquest of the world. Mans work
in life is to turn himself from the
raw product into a work OF fine art
To improve man we must begin on the
ground floor. The underground sys-
tenn of the human being has to be
first set right Religion is the inter-
nal energy that will reform the
world. 1t means love, justice, broth.
erhood. We must ring out the old,
ring in the new" Liberty, working
under the law of love will surely de
velop newer, and higher, types of.
man and woman. The top stones will
take care of themselves.
We are concerned in the plain
man, homo. Homo knows his rights
and he has the ballot box to secure
them. Religion wishes to make
him useful and contented, and not
dangerous. Religion and brotherhood
mean righteousness, justice, cnarIEy,
proper relations between God and
man, between man and his fellow
man. here are plenty of plague spots
at the commencement of new cen
tury. We have disease. vice and
crime; we have thrift and the dews
of the sweater We have also power
ty in world of plenty. The entire
population of North America and
South America could be placed in a
portion of our mesa not more than ten
miles square, and yet in these album
dantly rich continents thousands are
literally starving. We are hard and
Indifferent toward our brother A
beautiful girl was burned to death.
Her companions first heard of it In a
ball room. Poor Constance" they
said, and then gaily resumed the gid
dy dance! 0, this is not the brother
hood or the sisterhood that will save
the world. Rich and poor, alike, have
their duties. We cannot all be
rich, and we need not all be poor.
The true ideal of America is right
eousness. Do not mistake this. Also
the brotherhood that raises the high
est standard of benevolence is the
best, and will live the longest. Prac-
tical benevolence is the need Of the
age. 1t will always win. Churches
and brotherhoods can alleviate most
of the sufferings of humanity If they
all work together. Bear We, one an
others burdens" says Christ Tho
there may be diversity of form, let
us preserve this unity of spirit. II
we do this we cannot be far from the
kingdom of heaven.
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