Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-09
SAYS RICHEST LIFE
IS NOT OF WEALTH
MORE THAN THE MATERIAL
SHOULD BE SOUGHT
He Who Tolls During Best Years of
Existence and Loses His Soul
Profits Nothing, Declares
Rev. Bartlett

At the Bethlehem Institutional church
yesterday Rev. Dana Bartlett preached
on the topic Life is more than food
and clothing"
His text was from the sixth chapter
of Matthew: Therefore l say unto
you, take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than
meat and the body than raiment? !.
. Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you"
Mr.. Bartlett showed the richest life
is that of the soul. That earthly pos
sessions could not supply the happiness
to be gained through living we'll
rounded, spiritual life. He asked,
what does 1t profit a man If he gain
the whole world il he lose his soul?
That might be rendered: What does 1t
profit q man if he gain the world If
he loses his life--if he loses his iden-
tity?' The man who tolls through best
years of life to amass fortune loses
his identity when he lacks the power
of appreciating the higher things OF
the soul.
"Why be anxious; why worry about
food and clothing? The worry of get
ting material necessities bears heavily
upon many in city life. Thousands
have no time for thought of the spirit
ual. Two millions of our boys and girls
toll in our factories; five millions of
our women work, many of them in oc-
cupations injurious to health and dam
gerous to life. Multitudes are so bowed
down by toll at last they become like
Markham's hoe-man, lower than the
animals that gambol in the fields. The
worry and anxiety about where the
next meal is coming from is always
present with the masses. There is ever
the worry among these how the mere
physical life can be sustained.
lat the other end of the social scale,
among the very rich, there is just as
great worry as to how they can in
crease their riches and how spend them
after they get more. There Is neither
peace nor happiness in either class be-
cause the one, taken up entirely with
getting a little, and the other engrossed
with possessing material things, lose
sight of the greatest of all possessions,
the riches of the spiritual life.
"Is there anything greater than the
building of character? How wonderful
to watch the child in school-to see the
soul unfold like the budding flower,
warmed into life and beauty by the
sun. The development of the soul and
spiritual life means more to us today
than ever before. We talk today Of
soul values where once we talked of the
value of material things. Is it not bet
ter than worrying about food and
clothing?
'I can scarcely sit down to talk with
people today without the conversation
being turned to soul values. Poverty
is of the soul; riches are of the soul,
and not of the bank account. First
seek his kingdom and all these things
shall be added unto you. 1t doesn't
mean YOU will be a Rockefeller or any
thing of that sort, but all that Is good
for you shall be given in abundance.
"The chief thought now is, How shall
we develop this life?' We have been
on the animal plane, but we are above
that now. There is no end to devel-
opment. All the wealth of the ages
NAV be ours. We are the heir of the
past. We should open our hearts con-
sciously for the inflow of the good and
the bad will go out. Gods life In our
life transforms US and makes us meet
for the Masters use. Life is more
than food and clothing. We are all one
with God.
"That is the call I would give you
today-the call to the larger life, the
life of the soul"
In the evening Mr.. Bartlett addressed
the intermediate Epworth league OF
the First Methodist Episcopal church,
preaching later at Dolgev1lle.
Mrs. Martha Taylor, one Of the resi-
cent workers at Bethlehem, had num-
her of Russian young girls from her
night class at the Epworth league
meeting, and the latter sang the songs
of their country. Mrs. Iaylor tnen
told az the needs of Bethlehem and ex-
nlained the movement started to raise
$40 moo before Thanksgiving day to pay
tha daht on the institutions.