Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-06-21
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THE GREATEST OF THESE.
By Henry F. Cope.


And now abideth faith, hope, love,
these three; but the greatest Of these
Is love.-I. Cor. xiii, 13.
A mans character is the best COM
mentary on his philosophy. If you re-
member that the one who rises to the
sublime heights of this song Of love was
not singer Of sweet, sentimental dit
ties, but a great, impetuous soul, who
through years of perilous toll spent
himself in service for humanity, you
begin to see what he meant by love.
Love is not an emotion; it is not in
itself passion. 1t Is a principle,
law of life and service which bears
fruit in emotion, which becomes domi-
nant passion. 1t consists not In the
way we feel toward others, but in the
relation we determine on maintaining
toward them. 1t is not a matter Of.
your sentiment for men, but Of your
service for them.
The love that bllndly follows the
emotions and the passions may be so
essentially selfish as to sweep one on
10 degradation the love that definitely,
perhaps in apparent coldness, deter
mines upon the service of others, the
gift of the life to others, lifts the soul
to the fact and the heart to the like
ness Of the Most High.
This love is self-giving. The great
Teacher could call on men to love one
another, even as he loved them, be-
cause the one great and significant fact
of his love was that he was ever under
the moral and spiritual impulse of the
conviction that he was giving his life
to the world. There remain to us no
emotional love phrases from his lips;
there remains the picture of love In
action, going about ever dong good.
Out of the principle Of love, the adop-
tion Of this philosophy which regards
life as one grand opportunity to be of
service, regards every other being as
an opportunity to help or cheer, grows
the real Joy Of living, springs emotions
divine and heaven born. You cannot
love in this way without becoming love
ly.
Eyes of love transfigure all the crea-
ton. Only the selfish become cynical.
1t Is greed, the philosophy of getting
and gaining, that makes the world seem
empty, cheerless, a tomb of blasted
ambitions. But to those who seek the
good of others, the flowers of Joy and
kindness, the beauties of hope and hui
man faith, all things that are good
abound more and more
Love is born of faith; it is the child
Of hope. 1t gives whatever we have to
humanity in the faith that 1t is worth
while. 1t sows the seed of kindness.
gentleness, courage, aspiration, in faith
that the seed will bear fruit to the fu-
ture; 1t scatters pearls of wisdom. be-
lieving that men are better than swine.
And out of faith in men, hope for them,'
and service and self-giving to them,
rise the satisfying emotions of life.
Love becomes a passionu Where is
there greater enthusiasm, stronger evil
dence of compelling motives and domi-
mating impulses, than in those men and
women who have tasted of the ioy of
serving their fellows, giving their lives
In lowly or in lofty ways that other
lives might be the richer? There is
more eternal power and sublime poetry
In the giving Of one cup of cold water
In the name and spirit of the Master
of Love than in all the love sonnets
ever written.
The true and full self Is found only
through loves service. Never Is the
mother nobler than when love leads to
the lowliest service. Never do we find
the. glory Of life until we are willing
to embrace Its shame, If only our loved
ones, our kin or friends, our race or
world, may be enriched and saved. The
secret of making the most Of yourself
lies In this divine principle of love:
the secret Of saving the world lies here
We need not wait for the mighty i'm
pulse of some great affection, some
overpowering emotion. We need not
wait for the hour in which we NAV do
some great, world attracting deed. Love
gives Itself to that which lies nearest /:
Its service never halts for opportunity.
The least thing done In this spirit of
self-giving unlocks the door of loves
joys and blessings and makes lis part
ners with the Lord of Love and Life.
IN MEMORY OF ALMIGHTY.