Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-09-12
PERILS OF PRIVILEGE.
| Position, Family and Wealth All
| Mean Added Responsibility for
| Those Exceptionally Favored.

Christ taught proportionate re-
spOnsibility, says the Boston COngre-
gationalist ITO whosoever much is
given, of him much shall be required;
and to whom they commit much, Of
him will they ask the more" Great gifts
and privileges, therefore, carry with
them corresponding danger. This
is SO with personal gifts, it is doubly
SO with our relation to corporate bod
les in which we hold membership.
The strong man likes to use his
strength. He may use it for evil, but
he is not likely to let it lie unused.
In the parable it is not the one who
has ten talents who hides them away
unused The great danger is more
frequently with the weak, who rest
upon the attainment of others, and
fail to exert and improve what
strength they have. The perils aris-
ing from privileges are most frequent
ly the perils CT the weak and the few
talented.
One such peril is that of narrowness
OF view. Prosperity is, on the whole,
exceptional, but the thoughtless mem
berS Of a successful church or COM
pany are apt to fall out of sympathy
with the unsuccessful members. Mem
bers of strong churches hear with
some Impotence the call for help in
mission fields. They are used to
strength, their imagination is too feeble
to enable them to sympathize with
the struggle and hardship in which
all great work begins. The personal
ly prosperous, especially the prosper
Gus through Inheritance, have little
patience with poverty or misfortune,
which too often seem like crimes. But
to be unsympathetic is to be dead to
the fellowship of believers, to whom
Christ prophesied that they must suf-
fer tribulation.
In the same way, pride of family is
often treated as if it were virtue
which the owner had himself ac-
quired, instead of a responsibility
which God has laid upon him. This
view of good descent as a ground of
personal merit is as common as it is
amusing, but it easily becomes a peril
to the soul. The same is often true
OF national pride, which also is Gods
call to great responsibilities To be
an American is only matter of choice
to those who are not born Americans
To be good American is a RESPONSE
bility and an opportunity. The dan
ger is that we may think that because
America is SO strong we can afford to
be weak or careless citizens To be
an American is little. Three assas-
sins of three presidents have been
Americans by birth or choice. But
to be the right sort of an American is
much.
The church is made up of men who
lift, and men who lean, of men who
are feeders Of strength, and men who
are parasites. The world is in need
| OF whole-souled, unanimous, growing
and Christ-like church. 1t is peril
of privilege if any disciple believes
that this need does not include his
own enthusiasm and growth toward
strength. The strong can never help
the weak as they might do, until every
church has all the working force at
its disposal which God has given. The
| bracing atmosphere of struggle may be
far better for the soul than confidence
in the attainments and the strength
of which we are part, but to which
we contribute nothing.