Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-06-20
The Value of ones Own Life.

Mr. Atkins said in part: l have taken
the liberty OF changing somewhat the
topic which has been announced. and of
making il a bit more inclusive. l want
to bound for you. If l may. the greatest
realm in the world. a realm which in
deed. upon good authority. is of more ac-
count than all the rest of the world put
together ! mean the realm of the value
of life: ones own life a single individ-
ual life. All that we can do together
here tonight Is just TO bound it. 1t is
far too large for our exploration. and no
account of its wealth and variety could
possibly be made. But We can think for
a little about some phrases of it; some
aspects of the value of life. And I
want to say to begin with that we are
very much more likely to underestimate
than TO oVerestimate our own value
We are likely to overestimate our i'm
portance, the work which we can do. and
the wage which we ought to get. and
the honor which ought to come. to us:
but we are not likely to overestimate the
essential worth of our own lives. Each
ones life ought, for one thing to he
worth very great deal to himself We
have right to be rich in our own lives
Every one Of US has the right of emf
nent domain in himself. and we ought
constantly to be striving to make our
lives fun and strong and rich, lust for
the sake of the content and satisfaction
we get out of them for ourselves.
one thing which adds to the goodness
of ones own life is the large relation
ship OF It, The more things we know
the more things We touch, the more things
which lie about the circle of our lives
the richer our lives are. Helen Keller
had to begin with but one door through
which she might go into elationship with
this wonderful world and all the wonder
tul things which it holds. That was
the door of touch. She was born into
silence. into dumb darkness. and in silence
and dumb darkness she lives stll: and vet
through that one door has come knowl-
edge and love and their interpreta ton
in their fun divine possibility. Can one
possibly conceive how much richer her
llfe Is to herself because she knows all
these things, and how much more IL
would mean II the windows were opened
and her hearing unstopped and her speech
unloosed. Education does all this for us.
II opens the doors and windows of life.
IL brings us into a thousand unknown
and undreamed of relationships. II en-
riches us with the vast possibility of
knowledge and revelation.
And then ones life is enriched for
oneself by ones own power; just the pow
er to do things to be master ofo ones body.
and to be master of ones mind, and to be
master or ones powers. and to dwell in
their centre in conscious lIingship An
inns makes immensely for the worth of
ME And then our lives are good to us
because they are whole. Integrity is a
priceless asset Health is integrity of
body, and sanity is integrity of mind.
and righteousness is integrity of soul.
And all these are worth so much we can
pay anything to get them. No matter
what we get in exchange, we are poor If
We have lost them.
And then the value of life is bounded
by its value to others We have a right
TO get very great deal out of our own
lives but we have no right to keen them
Tor ourselves. They are to be enriched
and then used. And our value to others
depends, / think, upon two things-the at
tractiVe service of life, and the redemp-
tive service of life We all work to-
gether trying to make this better world.
trying to add positively to it, to build
II up, To this work of upbullding every
one OF us must bring some contribution.
by our daily work, by our civic service. and
by our essential helpfulnes to bring the
fabric of this old world a little nearer
the divine and eternal. And then. because
mistakes are being made, and because men
are selfish and wrong and foolish. each
one OF us has work of atonement which
is Just the work of Fighting things which
nave been done wrong to begin with, and
cleansing things which have already been
stained. And this we have to do lust "a