Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1905-05-04
THE GREAT PARADOX.

When the diplomats at the capita,
get into IA squabble over precedence.
and feelings are hurt and social wars
~engcndered, the occurrence is counted
news and widely reported. When
the cars brother, at Queen Nictoria's
funeral, was given "A lower place than
he thought was his du he straightway
was summoned home and the Russian
court went, in gala dress, to Il bail. in
order to show its resentment of what
il considered IN affront. This, too, Was
spicy news"
AS n matter of fact, there is nothing
new about this sort of thing. 1t has
been going on ever since Cain slew
Abel for surprising him. 1t is the
spirit of the world. "Self-interest is the
first law of life" a pernicious proverb
has it. Even the little company of men
who had been in training to Jesus
We're not above the spirit of Cain and
of the latest society dame. eagle-eyed
to detect AN affront n to secure her
rights The scan1alous truth is not
concealed or CLOSED over by the in
spired book. that there was a most un-
seemly scramble for place ever at he
solemn last supper which marked the
closing night of the Lords earthly min
istry. Jarring though the fact is to
our sensibilities. it must be admitted
that the apostles had so little sense of
The fitness of things, so little respect
for their Leaders ordeal, which He had
been trying. with breaking heart, to
show unto them, and so consuming a
regard for their own petty claims to
greatness priority. that they in
truded their childish quarrel into that
hottest hour of their own lives, and of
the life of Jesus. Even after His re-
buke. they sullenly refused to perform
fnI. nna nhnfInr tt,n ~, rta
of foot-waa. ing. on this fact is based
the incident If the present lesson. and
thrist's great enunciation of Christian
ity's paradox.
The Two World Forces.
That night an ssue was sharply
joined. which has been raging ever
since. Against the hoary selfishness of
the ages was pitted the example and
teaching of Jesus with respect to hum
BILE self-surrender. These two princi-
pies are at war. and it is the greatest
conflict of time-the world-spirit of self
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and the christ-spirit
of self-abnegation.
The power of the first is ever present
before our eyes. The magazines of late
have be- replete with articles depict
ing the luxurious self-indulgence and
the nitiless business methods of the
very rich. What is this but s~elfishness,
Trunk with power? So generally nc
cepted Is the Look out for No. T.
rule of conduct, that it has come
to be embodied in the shorter phrase,
It's business" This cold and selfish
commercialism. which is found as AN
evil leaven I'm all walks of life, has be-
tten n spirit of suspicion in mems
minds, SO that they question one an
others motives and assign to mercen-
airy causes the most generous actions.
What is he after? How much is in 1t
far, him ~ ~0 tk>
many a man i'm all his dealings with his
fellows. So universal is his master
motive of self-interest that one is
really scared as he beholds it's relent-
less - shameless exhibition in the
life of the times. Good reason had
Jes"- to liken this to a wolf-world.
Yet this world-force of se%lfishness is
cult to accept such good news, and
within ones own purview the battle
may appear to be going the other way.
Nevertheless. i'm this eternal war be-
tween darknes n light. light is con-
uuering. Recent dispatches from New
York told of the engagement of Il
young millionaire settlement worker to
4 Jewess, poor in this worlds goods but
rich In the spirit of philanthrophy: and
the deeper significance of the news lay
In the statement that This young man
was but one of several representatives
of a wealthy. honored and famous fam
lily who, in the spirit of ''noblesse OBJ
lige." are devoting their time for
tunes to human service. What the
Stokeses are doing in New York city,
hundreds of other choice spirits are do
ing In all parts of the earth-pouring
out their lives in sccrifice and surren-
der for their fellows. One has but to re-
call the names of Grenfell. Stage,
Hodge. HOtchkiss. Taylor and a dozen
other recent examples of the true blood
royal. to perceive how the richest tai
ents are being freely offered up on the
worlds mission field.
The ~conquering spirit of Christly self
surrender Is nightly abroad in the
earth today. ] recently asked a tai
ented young Quaker of fine parts what
he would choose for himself as the ideal
life, were he free from the bread-and-
butter obligation. II would at once
move with my family down into the
most crowded part of Philadelphia and
spend all my time in trying to help the
people there" That was not the i'm
pulsive remark of a youthful dreamer,
but the mature conviction of a man
who has looked deeply into life. And
his number ia legion. for 1t is by such
as he that the Son of God is winning
his Il
The Setting Of the Scene.
1t was under peculiarly dra-
matte conditions that Jesus most
fully exempliied and taught the
f1shness. His followers had denied to
another the necessary courtesy Of
feet washing. which the oriental Gus
tom Of sandal wearing made general.
They a disputed. with flushed faces
and angry speech, about the order Of
their precedence. Then the Master him
self taught them the great lesson.
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