Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-02-08

the stress of the market, it's adapta-
bility to your activities as well as
your meditatiOnS.
Religion is built for business. The
only creed that is worth a moments
thought is working creed, that is,
one that gets into action. Religion is
not the mere acceptance of a specula-
tive philosophy of this and other
worlds. 1t consists in principles, ideals,
and motives which dominate conduct.
1t is more concerned with the kind of
a world you are making here than with
the conceptions you may have Of a
world beyond.
Religion is more than an institution
it is a course of life. 1t has to do with
the church only in so far us the church
serves it's purpose. 1t is more con-
cerned with what a man pays his en-
ployes than with what he puts Into
the plate at the collection. The man
who can put all his piety into the pray
er meeting and the services of the
church never has enough seriously to
embarrass him under any circum-
stances.
If for your religion you have adopted
principles of high living; if you have
set the worth of the soul above all
other things; if you have determined
to frame your life according to the
golden rule of the great teacher, and,
with him as hero and ideal, are seek
ing to do good to others and make this
world a better place for us all, with
less Of sin and sorrow and more of
JOY and love, you will make your bust
ness as we'll as your praying the ser
want of these ends.
But if you have said that you wish
to do these things. that you wish to
live the pure and beneficent life while
in your heart your sole desire is to get
riches, to gain fame, to secure power,
then there is bound to be conflict be.
tween the religion you profess and the
business that possesses you. The truth
is that fortunately there always will
be conflict between a passion for the
gains of business and a pretense of
religion.
Everything depends on the purposes
of living, on the things q man really
and deep within himself sets first in
his life; he will follow those things no
matter what other professions he may
make Business as a servant deserves
our allegiance and devotion; business
as a master is the most evil and soul
devastating thing in this universe.
There is the most perfect harmony
there is relatively easy settlement of
problems and difficulties if but this
principle be adopted; that you have
taken as your chief business in life
the ends OF true religion, the develop
ment Of character and TIE service of
humanity, and, with this purpose, the
daily toll, the opportunities and engi
merry of your trade or profession shall
be made to serve these higher ends
Religion then becomes the motive In
business and business the manifesto
ton of religion. A man serves the
Most High in his Office with the same
devotion and elevation of spirit as a
nrjest at the altar. He is doing a
great work, because the spirit is great
In questions of conscience he can af-
ford to lose everything except the great
end; he will not sacrifice the lesser to
the greater.
When our work all is done and our
business weighed in the balances our
work is to be judged and our satisfac-
tor insured not by having been sharp
OF shrewd or successful according to
passing standards, but by having made
the world richer, lives lighter, hearts
happier. and whether we have found
for ourselves those riches of which
death and the grave ran never despoil
US