Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-24
A UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.

II we would realize what the world
owes to the regencrating influence OF
tho teachings OF Jesus, we must re-
member the general tendencies that
were checked by the proclamation OF
the gospel OF universal brotherhood.
! At that time mankind was divided and
each section separated from the others
| by what seemed to be insuperable
| barriers. TO the Jews every human
| being not of The chosen race was IN
clean To the proud Roman citizen
every foreigner was a Barbarian. A
stranger had no rights. A consid-
cradle part OF mankind were slaves,
even In free" states. and between
tho slave and the master there could
be no eompanionship. Woman was
not the equal OF man, but his servant
In countries where caste still Is
maintained, we find an illustration OF
some of the fearful evils against which
Christianity offers the remedy. In In
dla, for instance, men are divided from
one another by separating walls, not
less strong because existing only In
Imagination. Every trade has its
place In the scale OF degradation, and
no one can rise above the level on
which birth has placed him. The men
who labor with their hands are low
down in this scale Above them are
the tradesmen and shopkeepers, also
with subdivisions into classes above
the tradesmen Is the useles warrior
class, aud above the warriors is the
Brahman or priestly class.
There Is no escape from an "ur- |
clean caste. or class. Children born |
in an ''unclean" caste remain "un-
clean;r children born in an Inferior |
caste remain as their fathers were. |
Nothing that they can do can in the |
slightest degree change their situa-
ton. They were born "unclean;'
their ancestors were "unclean,' their
descendants viii be "unclean" TIL the
end OF the chapter. If a woman falls
in love with man In a caste below
her, she Is lost She may as well seek
death. In town In india a widow
lost caste in this way. and as loss Of
caste by one member OF the family
degrades the others also. her eldest
son Immediately swallowed poison and
died, and his remaining brethren fed
the country. A husband shares wife's
degradation. wife goes down the
steps with husband, For more than
one hundred years a Brahman family
Is said to have been outcasts because
one member fell In love with the
daughter of shoemaker.
These are but some illustrations of
the evil tendencies to the power of
which mankind was subjected at the
time when our Savior came and de-
clared that infinite love which extends
to all the children OF the eternal Faith
er and places them on plane Of
equality before God.
The lessons taught by the Redeem
er have but slowly found their way
into practical life, owing to the evil
influences, but the time for a full
realization Of those teachings is draw
ing near II has been fastened by
the restoration Of the Church Of Christ
In this age, through the instrumental.
lily OF the Prophet Joseph.
Philosophers are already speaking
OF a federation OF the world" That
would be q GRAND realization OF the
Christian ideal. And why not? We
have an Gnter- parliamentary Union
and a Society Of International Law
There is am International Institute Of
Agriculture. What would prevent the
adoption Of uniform medium Of ex-
change throughout the world, the es-
adjustment OF common standard OF
weights and measures. and the adop-
ton Of an official" language for busi-
ness and diplomatic purposes? These
would be preliminary steps to the for-
nation OF federation Of the world,
which would mean a tremendous step
toward the anal goal--a universal
brotherhood.