Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-27
- GARDINER, r,
ODD FELLOWS +
Attend Divine Worship at
Christ Church Sunday.
GddIner Band Escorts Them 10
The Morning Services.
Practical Sermon Upon nsIghbor.
Illness by Rev. B. ". Plant.

- -. VUVoo VI ssSve 10 IS s0ssss
The I. o. o. F. bodies attended Di-
vine worship Sunday morning at
Christ's church, where they listened
to a practical discourse upon neigh
borliness by the rector, Rev. r. w.
Plant. The L. o. o. F. bodies were
escorted from their hall to the church
nv the Gardiner Band of 16 pieces with
II. b. Roberts as drum major and
Ralph Manson, leader. Canton Ever
green had in line 25 Chevaliers with
Major S. D. Soule in command. Fol-
lowing them were 80 members of Eu-
reka Rebekah Lodge with Ensign
George Marley as escort. Evergreen
Encanlpment turned out Is men under
Capt. Fred Robinson and there were
40 members Of Gardiner Lodge in line
headed by Eugene Chase, noble grand.
There were simple but pretty floral
decorations at the church and the sing
inr was by the vested choir The MEM
hers of the several I. o. @. F. organ
izations filed several rows of seats on
each side Of the central aisle and all
of the remaining seats In the auditor
ium were taken by the members of the
parish and visitors attracted by the
special service. The rector selected for
his text: who Is My Neighbour" He
said in part:
Jesus in answer to the question of
the lawyer, who is my neighbour"
told beautiful story, the Parable of
the Good Samaritan. The men in front
of me know why I have chosen this
fnr
this parable of the Good Samaritan is
founded nearly all of the fraternal
orders. There are three touching Sit
nations in this splendid parable, need,
nearness and neighborhood.
THE need was the traveller lying
by the wayside. His need furnished the
basis, the challenge, the inspiration
of neighborhood. The traveller lies
stunned and bleeding. The priest passes
by on the other side. The Levite comes
nearer to the wounded man, but ne toe
masses by on the other side. Then came
the Samaritan, who saw the need and
got off his breast and poured Oil into
the mans wounds. Each Of the three
mon were near the wounded man but
he was the only one to realize the real
sense of the meaning of neiEhborhood
We often use the word neighborhood
for a cluster OF families, but neigh
borhood has a sacred, a wonderful
meaning. People may be very near
, each other in their weddings and still
have no neighborhood. They may live
side by side and never know each
other. There cannot be real neigh
borhood without mutual neighborH-
ness, seeking to minister to one an
others needs. An American woman IN
Turkey was captured by band OF out
laws and all over the land men anu
women became interested in seeking
her rescue. Here was neighborhood
without any geographical nearness.
There is no intent in the parable
to detract from the priest and Levlte
or to hold up the Samaritan. The par
able teaches two ideals of neiGhbor-
hood The priest and Levite were the
geographical neighbors of the Jew
and the custodians of the public well
fare, the men you would naturaiiy
expect to find neighborly to him. Inc
Samaritan was far removed from the
Jew geographically and not or the
same race or religion. Neighborhood
is not geography, it is humanity. 1t Is
no question of affinity. It is altogether
a question of opportunity. Nearness
and need fail to deepen the sense CT
neighborhood upon one who is not
nei.yhborly. To one neighborly soul
nearness and need form the irresistible
appeal. ...., ...
.Neighborhood means sympathy. The
Samaritan was moved with compass
sion. Neighborhood Desires to get
close to the person in need. 1t means
self sacrifice. The Samaritan put the
wounded traveller upon his breast
&. while he walked. It means hospitality.
He took the man to the nearest mn
and when obliged to leave provided
for his maintenance for seVeral Gays
Neighborhood is not in being. but IN
doing, not In seeing. but In feeling ana
fellowship. Neighbors are made, never
born. A man may have just as many
or just as few neighbors as he chooses.
To ask "Who Is My Neighbor SHOWS
that you need not reformation, Out
transformation.
Here is the danger which Is es-
pecially applicable to fraternal orders
IN the matter of neighborliness. The
neighborly spirit very often becomes
reciprocal. You show kindness when a
person shows It. back to you. The Fra
ternal organization says to man:
"You Join us and we will help you.
The neighborliness which seeks a re-
turn IS not that Of the Good Samari-
tan. He never inquired what he was
going to get back The chances are
that he never saw the poor Jew again.
What the world needs today is more
neighbors. We can't have too many
neighbors. The message is not go thou
and investigate, or go thou and medi-
tate, or go thou and study. but go thou
and make neighbors, everywhere al
ways" N''
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