The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-01-04
TIE NEW YEAR.

Whatsoever thy hand fndeth to do do it with
thy might; for there is no work nor device nor
knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whittier thou
goest.- Ecclesiasticus.
We are now in the beginning of new year,
full of great possibilities and hopes, and yet it
will be complete failure for us if we do not en-
deavor to arise from our Heshy slothfulness Fol-
lowing the holy teacher quoted above, we can say
that there is no activity in the tomb. All is 81
lence All is ended. The hand of the dead can
never reach from its cayey bed to wipe away
tear from the eyes of sorrow. It's voice can no
more soothe the mournful heart Of the living nor
send forth for itself supplications to heaven for
mercy. The die is cast for veal woe, forever The
past is irrevocable with all its folly and its shame
The living are to a great extent the architects
of their own destmies. They can build or de-
stroy. The most potential element for the pres
ervaton of society is love To love those whom our
corrupt nature forces us to despise. To forgive and
forget to harbor no malice in the heart for those
who differ from us in politics. religion and personal
controversy. If a man lived one hundred years in
this world good and upright life and refrained
from assisting one fellow mortal in an hour of sor
row and necessity, he would not have fulfilled his
destiny according to divine law. Individual and in
discriminate kindness and charity will make the
world SUMMER and happier. Collective, organized
charity nearly always degenerates into selfshness
and money making. and Is more or less a colossal
humbug. There are many organized charities that
are hypocritical mpositons on humanity. Every
tragedy of life whereby human being has sought
and found the nameless grave of a suicide is trace
able to the red tape and GOODNESS of charity or
CARNATIONS and to the widespread lack of per-
sonal love of man for man.
How true and gospel-like are the immortal
words of the Scotch poet, Robert Burns; The in
humanity of man makes countless thousands
mourn" Yea, the inhumanity of human hearts
prostrates the world in pain as molten lava from
the belching crater buries men and nations in the
ashes of oblivion. l tell you, says St Paul that
angels ofttimes come to you in disguise seeking as
sistance. Give him that asketh of thee and from
him that would borrow of thee turn not away. says
the Savior. OF course God means if we can af-
ford to help any one not to refrain from doing so
from spirit Of avarice. Man has two natures, cr,
rather, two inclinations noble, the other base.
Let US strive to follow the first propensity
The ripping river of new year has begun to
flow on towards its contamination twelve months
hence We should battle manfuy and heroically
on its bosom against the current to reach the YER
dant glades of virtue love and kindness, that are
watered by the divine river of life and upon whose
placid surface shines the velvet glow of the sacred
heart of an omnpotent Christ and across its crest
from shore to shore, the sweet, beautiful holy
strains Of heavenly angels songs are forever and
forever heard in sublime concord