Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-07-27

we spend our lives in narrow cOntem-
plation of ourselves and our interests.
1t Is not enough that we devote all
our energies to the furtherance of our
own affairs and take only mild in
terest in our fellow men. 1t is of the
supremest Importance that we consider
them equally much as ourselves, that
We widen our view beyond our own
little selves and take in our neighbors
as we'll. Then, and only then, will
we begin to have the right conception
of life.
Who then is our neighbor? Is it he
who lives next door to US, in the next
block, ia the next town, county or
state? Turn to the parable of the
good Samaritan and see. You will
find no better definition of the term
than that.
No other earthly influence has such
a direct effect upon our lives as that
exerted by our fellow men, for with
them we share our Joy and sorrows,
transact our business and live our
lives. 1t has been we'll said that
"you show me who your associates
are, and l will tell you what you are. -
1t il plain that we tend to become like
those with whom we associate, that
we consciously or unconsciously imi.
tate those with whom we come in con-
tact, while they in like manner tend to
grow more and more like US. How
great therefore is not our duty! How
necessary is it not all the time to be
so on our guard that We do nothing
or say nothing which will in any way
lead our neighbors astray; for we see
in our own case how much easier it is
to initiate that which is bad than that
which is good. This is due to our
natural weakness plus our habit of
always looking for the bad and not
the good qualities of our neighbors.
How much better would it not be If we
looked for the good in every person.
But some may say, "you cannot find
the good where it is not.'' Such q
case, where there ia no good, can not
be found; for no matter how low a
person may seem to be, there is still
4 spark of good hidden in the recess
es of his heart. Ruskin says, "Do
not think OF your own faults, still less
OF others faults. In every person
who comes near you, look for what ia
good and strong. Honor that; re-
joice in it, and as you can, try to
initiate it,
In addition to looking for the bad
in every person, we have q tendency
to talk to one neighbor about another.
1t has been said that men range them.
selves into three classes of intelli-
gence. You may know those who be.
long in the lowest class by their
habit Of talking about persons; the
next, by the fact that their habit is
always to converse about things; the
highest, by their preference for the
discussion of ideas. To what class
do we belong? Do we talk about per.
sous, things or ideas? II we talk
about persons, what do we say? That
is a question We hardly need to ask,
for we all know too we'll our constant
habit OF trying to expose our neigh
boris faults instead OF trying to keep
our own hidden, or better still, OF
getting rid OF our own. "Judge not
the workings of another's brain and
of his heart thou canst not see. What
seems to thy dull eyes . stain, In
GODS pure sight may only be scar
brought from some we'll known field,
where thou wouldst only faint and
yield" =. s. HI Il. II s. q Ii. / q. j.
A line which was in the colonial
period but family drawn and which
IS the nation has advanced, has
grown more marked and which tends
70 become still more pronounced Il
the line between the rich snd tho poor.