The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-07
BY WILLIAM r. ELLIS.

A hall mark of every noble spirit is
deep and sincere purpose to do good
to his fellow men. The attainment of
this spirit is the goal of civilization.
Poets and dreamers have from the be-
ginning of history pictured an ideal
state, wherein the welfare of all was
the highest ambition of each. Now
this exalted. spirit is not easily made
practical, and brought down to the
streets and houses of this MOrkaday
| world. When 1t comes to methods Of
human service even socialism splits up
into diversified divisions. All the
while the Scriptures plainly point the
way in which to make ones life most
effectively count for the highest ends.
That is by helping men in the best
ways to be their best selves. There is
no more humanitarian and socialistic
method of lettering the race possible
than that of leading men into the dis
cipleship of Jesus. The utmost and
the highest is done for person when
he is brought into LOVING subsection to
the will of God, and made eager to
grow in all the graceS of goodness.
Thus we see that the stock Christian
phrases mission" and evangelism"
really stand for tremendous factors
and forces in present day social life.
Outreach is the remedy for self
centredness. Most lives are too great
ly concerned with the petty interests
that begin and end in themselves
This breeds worry and narrowness
The smallness of some spirits is due
to their failure to apprehend life's
largeness. From any station or
sphere anybody can reach out and
touch, helpfully, the big worlds need.
1t is today possible for the remotest
rural dweller in the most secluded
part of the land to have a point of
missionary contact with the most an
tipodal of nations. Thus In helping
fO n he will In, lob -
serve himself.
To possess a zeal for humanitarian
ism-which is but another term for
evangelism or raissions-is to have
the divinest of hobbies: "For God 50
loved the world"
Only so much Of a PERSONS life
counts as he deposits in the lives of
others. That way comes Immortality
of influence.
Often there recurs to my mind a
conversation which once had with
the mate on a Yangtze river steamer,
as we rode down China's greatest riv-
er. Our conversation had been inter
rupted in order that the mate, big,
harsh-epoken fellow, who knew how
to make an Oriental crew work,
might oversee some task of his Chi
nese underlings. When it was resufn-
ject of the missionaries who are fire.
Quent passengers on the boat, and
thence to the general topic of mis-
sions, the mate said something like
this: "It seems to me that If a man
has the best thing in the world, as
the Christian says he has, and doesn't
want to share that best thing with
other people who haven't got 1t, he
isn't much OF a man." That funda-
mental argument for missions and
evangelism sticks. 1t goes to the root
of the matter. In direct, practical, man
| fashion. If a Christian does not want
to share his religion, he surely has not
much religion to share.
| Ira D. Sankey lately died; but
| Gypsy" Smith, Upon whose boyish
head he laid loving hand, years ago,
| and spoke a friendly work of Chris
tan invitation. is today preaching the
Gospel with. power which Sankey
| himself never possessed. Thus
Smiths work is Sankey's work ex-
tended.
A woman buys a new dress Ga mat
ter to which she usually pay more at
| tention than to a years sermons!) or
a man arrays himself in new clothes,
after careful thought and economy.
In short time. though, the process
has to be repeated, and at no time
| was it of any serious Importance or
interest to anybody other than the
persons Immediately concerned. With
less thought and expenditure than is
given to these incidental and ordin-
airy matters, one may touch for good