Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-07-24
,xx AND WIN PLACIDITY.
By Rev. N. niece waters.

n d
Bv Rev. N. niece Waters.
The parable of the talents-Matt'
XIV. 1870.
The question Of rank has been the
.o,+roI heartache of human society.
Tba Orient has solved the puzzle OF
aas+o The West has solved 1t by
democracy.
rho west with its democracy has
or+ If the truth. A mans chance III
t,fo mist not be determined by where
ho was born or by his inheritance, but
hv his personal worth. Every man
r,rc+ have a full chance to be all the
mon there is in him to be.
Rnt the East, with its clumsy caste
srstpm. also has part of the truth.
Tnpouality is a fact among men. When
The West. as it has sometimes done,
Interpreted democracy to mean equal
ftr among all men, it has fallen into
griovous error. Equally in opportuni-
~ variety in ability is Gods law.
1osrs smoke the truth. There is the
avn-+aIent man. Homer saw him aid
named him Ulysses-there was found
nonp who could bend his bow. Scot
land found him at the pillow and his
name was Burns. In New England he
uas horn in a cabin on the frontier Of
Puritan civilization. He walked
straight to the Senate. In our age he
directs the fleets Of commerce and Or
ganizes corporations.
There is the man to whom God has
intrusted two talents. We know him
better. He lives in our block. His
name is legion. He is the average
man. He has chance in the world.
For of him is humanity principally
made I'D. He makes up the armies
that fight He makes up the force Of
men that till soil, hold the levers Of
commerce, bear the burdens Of trade,
fill the churches, crowd the schools,
bujld the homes Of men where the great
children are to be born and will make
I'D the vast multitude in heaven. God
has a great need of him, and, as Lin
coin said, God best loves the common
people because He has made so many
of them"
There stands sullen and despairing
the man to whom God has given but
single talent l have met him in col
lege He traded all his patrimony to
get there-he would be a scholar. Now
the tragedy begins. Tries he ever so
hard, he is always at the bottom Of
his class. He goes into a profession
and he is a failure in the eyes Of men.
In business he never gets ahead and
constantly the temptation Is with him
not to use the talent he has. And yet
somehow he must not fail in his place.
The heroes have done almost all they
can for the world; the future welfare
of the world as in the past hangs OH
the one and two talented men doing
their best
That is photograph of the world,
and note, Jesus drew tt did not.
He saw and called attention to the
fact Of inequality in this world.
Moreover, he gave no hint Of condemn
ing it; he proposed no leveling. There
Is no such thing as equality in capac-
ity between man and man. No law Of
larger liberty, no economic or social
Etic scheme, no state of lawless an
archy can ever make men equal-God
made than otherwise, and unequal they
will be to the end.
Christ says the station III life is not
the real difference in men, but the
way they fill their station. Reward is
based on faithfulness. You are paid,
not for what you do, but how you do.
This truth is the one needed in our
time. The truth of the parable is with
your talent be content. Use it well
and God will pay thee full wage. The
len-taient man can have no higher
crown. In his small church the coun-
Try minister may work miracles. In
your handicraft you may do great
th1hgS. Getting up is not getting on.
Inc coming man is the becoming one.
Here lies the hope for the man Of
lueulocrity or one talent. Greatness
depends on service. All service ranks
Inc same with God. With Him there is
neither last nor first.