The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-21
THE GREATEST THING
IN THE WORLD
international Sunday School Lesson
for Feb. 22-"christian Love-" |.
Corinthians xiii, 1-13.

CnaDC6r
Paups first letter to the church at
Corinth Yet the little book is more
fascinating than a novel and has been
read and re-read by hundreds of thou
sands Of persons in all parts of the
world. It should be perused afresh by
all who are to study this assigned por-
ton of the Scripture If the reader
does not possess revised version of
the Bible, he should go over this thir-
teenth chapter of Corinthians with pen
In hand, and change the old and mis-
leading word. charity to Glove"
which is the only correct translation.
The "Summum Bonum."
AS Prof. Drummond so beautifully
sets forth, the inspired apostle reach
ed the summit of his teaching when
he penned this passage. For love is
the highest good. 1t is the perfection
OF all law and of all duty. 1t is truly
panacea for every one of the ills of
society and of the human heart 1t
was needed by the Corinthian disci-
pies fresh from heathendom, and it
Is needed equally by American CHS
tians, who are heirs to centuries of
Christian experience and instruction
The whole Bible Is a Zine upon-line"
effort to teach men to love; it's laws
were summed up by the Son of God in
the words, Thou shalt love-" and,
even more clearly in His own life,
which from first to last was love ex-
empltfied. In it's simplest form, the
gospel Is only love; when we grasp
II In Its greatest majesty we see that
still 1t is love. Such, indeed, is the
real Interpretation of life itself AS
Browning says:
For life, with all it's yields of joy or
And hope or fear,
Is just our chance O. the prize of learn
How love might be, hath been, indeed,
and Is.
What Is Lover
Love is more easily understood than
defined. We may name some of it's
elements, and even tell what it is not.
Its limitations like all good things,
it has n1any-are apparent. Passion
Is one of them; the fraud that oftenesr
tricks men and women into believing
that it Is love, when it is loves worst
enemy Self-seeking Is another vice
that often masquerades in loves
raiment. Sentimentality is another.
Pride is another. But these are not
love, as may be seen by applying the
fundamental test, which is unselfsh-
ness. For Love seeketh not her own"
Silly women lose their heads over the
romantic loves in trashy books, which
breathe unreality in every line, while
all about them are real men and won-
en- who are manifesting genuine loves
sublime herOiSm. If any person who
reads these lines will but look with
open eyes at the people among whom
he lives, he will see true loves hero
ism exemplified. Love is unselfishness
In expression. 1t is a holy desire to
serve the object of it's affection. It is
the divine spark in the human breast.
1t is an all-an1mating impulse, born Of
God, to lead men back to God. For
was there ever true love between two
human beings that did not turn their
thoughts to God, who is love?
A Prize for Every Day.
Love does not subsist on flowers and
candy and compliments, although it
should always have these, or what
these represent. But love thrives best
in the everyday atmosphere of COM
monplace service, clarifying all that it
touches To show how love is a virtue
for the ordinary days, Prof. Drummond
resolves it into it's elements, which he
calls the spectrum of love. Here are
the nine constituents of love, as given
in this lesson by Paul:
Kindness-'And is kind"
GenerOSity-"LoVe envieth not"
Humility-"Love vaunteth not itself, is
not puffed up.
COurteSy-'DOth not behave itself I'M
seemly."
Unselfishness-"Se eketh not its own"
Good Temper-'Is not provoked
evil
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. not in unrighte-
BUSINESS, butt rejoiceth with the TRUTH
You will observe" continues Prof
Drummond, that all these are in re-
latiOn to men, in relation to life in re-
lation to the known today and to the
near tomorrow, and not to the I'M
known eternity. We make much of
love to God; Christ spoke much of
love to man."
The Goal Most Worth While.
Take a square look at life; listen
to it's Wisest teachers; heed the words
of the men who have experienced it
most widely and deeply, and what do
you learn? Is it not that only love
is worth while? In spite of a deal of
foolish talk IN these latter days, the
highest success is to know the sweet
ness of loving and being loved. The
man who has won love has won sue
cess, even If he never puts a dollar
into the bank. The deep and deepen
ing, broad and broadening, lofty and
uplifting power of love is what makes
life on this earth supremely desirable.
In it's train all other blessings and
virtues follow. The man who loves
will be truest to duty: love will give
him courage; love will teach him
self-restraint; love will make him
good brother to all mankind. In love
is comprehended everything else that
is worth while.
What Makes Love Best?
Many waters cannot quench love-"
wrote the wise king; and again, Love
is strong as DEATH" In Paups words,
Love never faileth." That is the
great excellence and reward of love
it lasts. Other things do not. Trav-
ell grows wearisome. Wealth and lux
ury breed mOnotony and ennui. Pow
er becomes burden and a VeXing
care. Ease brings little. but discon-
tent and atrophied powers. Position
provokes jealousies and heartburn
ings Fame never yet satisfied any
body, but, on the contrary, even a lit
tie of it robs a man of his peace.
Even work causes WEAKNESS or is
completed. Wisdom simply reveals
ignorance. So we run down the
whole list of the rewards that men
commonly seek, and none Of them is
comparable with love. The man who
has learned to love has drawn the
sting from life, and has found the best
treasure that earth or heaven can
yield. After all things else have
passed away, it still will be true that
''Love never faileth.'
Everybody's Possible Possession.
That IS too narrow a conception Of