The Newtown bee., 1905-01-06
SOCIAL TOPICS.
THE SPIRIT OF GIvING-BY O.. O.
 WRIGHT

The Christian philosophy of life is very simple, but 1t is all-em braclng; and it will at last solve all the prob lens of the world, in this age, or in any other age. The diviue standpoint alone can give Jus right views of the real relations of things. All belongs to God. Men are not absolute owners. but only stewards. Capacities, powers and means of usefulness are all given in trust, not for the individual alone, put for the common good of society as d whole. Life itself is a trust. There fore the significance of life lies in the uses we make of it. Love to God and love to man is the cardinal principle of conduct out of which all else springs
 Christian socialism recognizes the fact that some men are called to be rich, ana that the other men are and will be poor. And it also makes the former, in some measure at least, the guardians of the latter. "The poor ye have always with you." It is not so pad to be poor if you have the right kind of rich neighborS and friends.
 Rich and poor are relative terms, and excepting that degree of poverty which suffers for lack of the bare ne- cessities of living, the poor are often as we'll off, and as happy as the Iich, ol even more so.
 Not all can be rich for there is not wealth for all Not all could be rich for many have neither the capac ty nor the inclination to win riches. A man may as truly be called of God to devel- op the wealth of the world as another is called to teach science, or to preach the Gospel. But the man who is call ed to be rich is also called tD use his wealth for the benefit of the world. and especially for the care of the poor and ignorant. No man has any right to possess and withhold from others the good things of this life, neither to waste nor abuse them.
 Any theory of society which aims to make people Independent of each oth- CT is essentially wrong. Men are not, neither can they be Independent in any good sense. Men are brethren, and members one of another. The mem bers of society have different gifts and occupy different stations; and possess various talents, and diversity of uses all of which are necessary and honor able in their proper places. The per lection and happiness of society re- quires the faithful kindly use of all the powers of all men, and therefore all being mutually dependent each ShOu d put honor upon every Other-even up on the most humble uses of life. A servant ought to be just as honorable as master or mistress; the employee should be as responsible in his place as the employer in his. The poor man should never be ashamed to be poor, nor the rich man proud that he has S' much. There are few in the world who would not be rich if they could | they would sooner use money thar keep it, Bishop Butler said: ISbuulC be ashamed to leave ten thousanC pounds behind me " Service not pos session is the highest test of character
 It may not be wrong in itself to be rich; but to be rich at the expense of the pUOr is sin and shame. The man who holds wealth for the good o1 others is benefactOr: but he who hoards money wrung from the necesSi
 ties of the poor who are oppressed ought to suffer as a criminal. Ant those who simply get all they can, anc
 keep all they get refusing, or neglect
 ing to contribute to the general wei
 fare and happiness of the cCmmunit,
 deserve to have their SOrdid treaSure'
 divided for them.
 Real wealth gives people the goo'
 uses of the good things of life whicl
 they could not have without it. Blu
 there is orly about so much of theS
 good things, and if one person holds
 and wastes, or abuses what ought t
 be distributed among ten, then min of them must go without. It may no be wise for any one man to possess millions: but the most important Ques r tiOn is, whether he has million, nor