The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-02-09
bring It's largest result is the broaden
ing and blessing OF your lives.
What Is Lie?

Wmut - LlIeg
We 80 out on clear night and look
up at the stars so far above us,--won'
drous in what they are and In what
they suggest to US. An astronomer,
loosing into one part of the heavens,
zee through his telescope new plan
ntt y san just forming, In another part
he sees world farther along In Its
ma SIng, enclrcled with great rings, by
ana by those rings will break up into
satellites and there will be another
world with Its moon. SO We read the
story OF our own earth as II is written
In the heavens. The great Creator, God
is at work. In the brightness of the
day we cote the mountains around US
In their great sweeping curves, giving
such grand, rugged outline TO the
scenery. We know the bills and val.
leys to be nourishipg life which will
soon show itself after the storms and
cold OF winter have passed. We are 10
a world of life.
But what Is your present personal
possession Of a life? II Is Gods gin
to you. To you, the greatest Of his
creations, he has given n life 10 de.
We on and broaden. More than that,
lie has stamped His own image upon
each life. You think His thoughts
when you think about the world rnd
! its life. To you He has given the pow
err to follow His thoughts, 10 handle
some OF the great forces Of nature, TO
use the resources OF coal and mineral,
which He stored up for you, long ago.
Up through your humanity your life
Is reaching Godward aud will not be
satisfied until God is found. Then
again your life is not for co or so
years merely. When the stars have
grown cold your life will be going on
because II Is eternal.
What Is your llfe2
A gin OF Goo, akin TO God-ster.
nal.
When you know all this II makes q
big difference about what you will do
With your life
This worla Is for you with its treas.
ures and Its resources. II Is none too
great nor too large for you to grow
your life In. In II you are to broaden
out toward your fellow men, you are
10 learn with and through them, the
lessons OF unselhshness, OF good will.
OF perseverance,. Some OF you will
have many battles to eight both with
the forces outside OF your own bodies
and with the forces aud passions with.
10. For this you will need TO deepen
your lives until you dnd your kinshlp
TO God.
This service would he incomplete
without reference 90 o certain Incident
and, save for that incident, you would
never have given this House the beau
tifnl pane that II now bears.
The Incident happened long ago.
There was n great Teacher upon earth
and one day u man asked him, "What
shall do 10 Inherit eternal llfey''
The Teacher 10 turn asked him, since
he was a lawyer, What the law said.
The man answered rightly quoting the
law which commanded that he should
love God and erdlne--"Thou shall
love Thy neighbor as thy self" 1hl,
he was told 20 do aud he should hav,
what he sought. The man evidsntl,
didn't feel that he had lived mp 70
such a standard so he asked:
"And who Is my neighbour" YoI
know the rcst.-the man beaten b!
robbers aud lying hali.dead by III
roadside. Two men,-one aiter tn
other ministers 10 the temple, cam
along that way, saw the wounded ma
and left him uncared for, u stranger \
them 80 narrow was their human love
Then came a certain man OF anothel
nation, n good thrifty business ma
apparently aud wlihal q man Wit
large sympathies aud a gesile hear
who by service and sympathy prove
himself a real neighbour.
From that time the word Neiehbo
: has meant not merely living 10 hou,
ooKt 10 a person, but treating all pee
pie In the spirit of brotherhood.
any living person can really be helpe
' by you aud you help hin
| then you are worthy Of that good nan
"Neighbor." This house has had a
ready prepared for IL u sign bearIn
the inscription NeIghborhood Hous'
:. To you who live here and 10 Us, VII
may see IL swinging In front OF thl
!, house, may II ever be 40 incentive
live up 10 that meaning Of the wor
Neighbor which the Grea, Teach'
gave u.
Al rttfa sgpEn m A IN "a nays