Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-11-19
THE UNSELFlSH life
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

For ] COME not TO be ministeTed uu-
To but 10 minister"
These were the words Of a great
Teacher. q great Master. who came
to earth nineteen hundred years ago,
and left a track OF splendor behind
Him, a Path OF Light, which leads out
into lnfinity.
The teaching of this Master was
simple. as Love Is simple. always. II
has been called Christianity. and has
grown most complicated with the man
ipulations Of translators and the forms
and ceremonies Of churches.
There are great Institutions Of Re.
ligion which teaehe Christianity to the
world, and many of the leaders Of
these institutions and many Of the
followers of their teachings are most
pompous individuals.
There are some famous clergymen
In the land who surround themselves
with all the formalities which envir-
on common kings Of earth. The Great
Master, the Master so great that all
kings seem like atoms Of dust com
pared TO Him. did o exalt Himself
while on earth.
He was no respecter Of persons.
and He was simple and a~pproachable.
He said of the common people: BE
hold my brethren. behold my mother"
There In no verse, no sentence in the
Bible, save the simple command, Love
one another" which impresses me
more than the words placed at the
beginning of this article.
It Is perhaps because I opened to
them one day, when I was a bit ia
tigued and overtaxed with duties |
had performed for others. It seemed
to me these duties had not been ap-
preciated, and then ] INDUCED In one
of those selfIpitying moods. which
most of us enjoy at times-moods
where We think over all our good quail
tiles and forget all our faults; where
We magnify our troubles and minify
our blessings; where We recall the
benefits We have bestowed upon the
unworthy and take no heed OF the
times our good actions have been re-
paid a hundred fold.
So, when I had succeeded In making
myself believe that l was an utterly
misused and u~nappreciated person, de-
serving much better treatment than
Fate had accorded me. | opened my
Bible to see what word of sympathy
might be offered me.
And then I read those words:
For I came not to be ministere
unto, but to minister"
And Immediately | perceived what
a petty and ridiculous and wicked per-
son I was making myself.
Surely, when the worlds great
Master, (who, having passed through
all His earthly incarnations was no"
ready to become n with God, as we
al, will become in time). effaced him
self bv saving, Il came not to be min
istered unto. but to minister" 1t be-
hooves those who in any way oei'e'e
they are living an unselfish life TO
abstain from self-piety.
Every time we indulge in the mood
of sorrowing ove our hard lot In iiie
we commit a sin, as we'll as a FOLLY.
Every time we regard ourselves as
separate creatures set apart TO DC
ministeed unto by others, we are
guilty of colossal egotism. an egotism
which will prove a formidable bioes
in our eventual progress.
Thousands of women today imagine
themselves good Christians while they
are making fathers. husbands, emil
dren and their own lives wretched by
complaining over their lot in life. =
They want more leisure, more pleas
ure. more attendants, more attention
They feel that, unlike the Master. they
came to earth to be ministered un'
to, not to minister.
And yet they would be Indignant
we're they told they had no right tc
be called Christians.
The men and women of earth, whe
are continually lost in sympathy fol-
themselves, who are always thinking
of the pleasures and blessings and
benefits denied them, are not Christ
ians.
If this applies to you, take it home
II you cannot echo from your hear
the words of the Master, do not call
yourself a Christian.
And of one thing be sure: