The Brandon news., 1903-03-12

see 1T In the faces of the lowly as they lis
ten to a Chrysostum or Moody.
Disguise it as we may, deny it if we will,
the soul of poverty has been the one at
tuned to catch the messages sent from
heaven out of the heart of God. Wealth
can do no more than furnish the material
for an Angelo; it can only create tho OPP
portunity for a Savonarola; it can but pro-
vide Jesus with the stage for His sublime
activity
Again, is it not apparent that poverty
tends to the development of the power OF
receptivity? Rightly understood poverty
is wonderful aid to clear vision, enabling
man to distinguish between the essential
and the unnecessary. 1t enables it's posses
sor tnot it's victim) to develop self rather
than to collect things" It enables him
to see the difference between "having' and
poverty whispers Il 1na anu Povertv erty' comes ues
to know that only spiritual appropriation
gives real ownership. This is one Of ,he
messages of the old Eden story of Genesis,
for God placed Adam in the garden as a
poor worker. He was to till and to keep
the place and only to enjoy so much of it
as ne made his own. The supreme Joy of
able to look upon God and the good and
make them his own. In his sin he filled
his heart with substitutes for God, and
thus shut Him out of his soul. The return
to Eden is the return to simplicity and re-
captivity. 1t is the becoming sensitive
once more to the good and the taking in cf
truth, beauty, holiness.
1t is false theory which assumes that
the activity of poverty is due to reckless
ness, that the poor may choose any course
of action, disregard any existing order. be-
cause they have nothing to lose" Even
for the poor it is true that "life is more
than meat and the body than raiment" The
true cause for the activity of poverty is
found in the rugged strength developed by
adversely. in the constant need for adapta-
ton to the demands of the passing days.
and, finally, in the updving belief cherished
that there is "a good time coming" in the
golden future.
It is the tendency of wealth to be sat-
isfied with things as they are, industrially,
socially, morally. Truths cartoon. AN
English Board Meeting" is startlinglv sug-
gestive when applied to morals, as we'll as
when applied to money. "Why," the aged
and wealthy directors of the great railway
are made to ask, "why must the public in
terfere with our business? WHY must in
ventors suggest new devices? What's the
good OF these innovations?"
The great labor saving ideas of The age
have come into the minds of the Door; they
have been developed amid suffering and
stress, and thev have been forced upon
reluctant world by men who cared nore
for progress than for ease. So it is with
the men and women who, hungering and
thirsting after righteousness, have become
possessed of great moral ideas. The grasp
of these ideas upon their own souls rem
ders them unrestingly eager to see them
enthroned in the heart of the race. They
are willing to fight seemingly hopeless bat
ties, to champion despised principles, to
advocate unwelcome truths. They know
what they have believed, and their knowl-
edge gives them willingness to utilize their
hard earned strength for the education and
advancement of mankind. and these cham
pions or the principles of piety have been
from the DAYS of Jesus and from the apos-
tolic times the sons of poverty. When in
the days of primitive Christianity the gos-
pel spread from Jerusalem, it was carried
by the poor; when it laid siege to hostile
lands. poverty fought for it; when it grew
corrupt through the Vaccinations OF a
wicked priesthood, poor men purified it,
when in these last DAYS 1t has become
ready for world conquest. humble servants
of the King have been called to carry it.
But we have said that piety has as one
of its important elements the recognition
of love as the great aninating and sustain
ing principle: this recognition poverty glad
lv accords. When we are told in the text
that the poor had the gospel! preached to
them. we have, as has beenssaid. more than
a mere statement of fact that Jesus de-
livered sermons to multitudes of the
needy: we have the implied declaration of
a condition of understanding of sympathy,
between His soul and theirs. Men who
were dominated by selfish principles did
not understand Him. for they were incapa-
tive of soul. Action, for them, was al
ways dictated hv policy. and they suspected
hidden motive behind the activity of
Jesus
The Master declared that for rich man
to enter the kingdom is difficult What
did He mean? He doubtless considered the
increasing danger of basing action upon
ency of wealth to render action mechani-
cal, careless. and. too frequently. heartess,
that the rich man may give his gold to
charity" while his heart is as flint; that
he NAV support the gospel with his money
while his heart feels no JOY in its message.
But he knew that poverty rightly con-
ceived tends to keep the life normal and
knew that the poor who heard Him when
they gave their mites gave them because
of love, for no other power could cause
that to be sacrificed which represented
bread, shelter, life. He knew that they
were familiar with the ministry of
poverty to poverty, and that they
were able to grasp the significance
OF ministry DaSou upon Slmple. un-
selfish love. So He preached to them,
unfolding His conception Of the approach
ing Kingdom of God, the kingdom of love.
Calmly He revealed to them a life which
needed for its realization neither might
nor money. Sweetly He discoursed to them
of the inward nature of the kingdom. of
the hunger. the thirst. the meekness, the
poverty necessary in order that men might
possess it, and they understood.
Serenity Of Character.
Who does not love tranquil heart, a
sweet-tempered, balanced life? 1t does not
matter whether it rains or shines, or what