The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-11
SOCIETY MUST
LEARN K|NSH|P
WITH MANKIND
In Conference Sermon DR..
ZONES Comments Efforts of
Charity Workers. Help.
ing the Individual.

OF Jesus and the work OF the confer.
ence are Identical. the Rev. NJ. Ashby
Jones. d. D., pastor OF the First Baptist
Church. OF Columbus. Ga. formerly OF
Richmond, preached the annual sermon
before the Charities and Correction
Convention at st. Paui's Episcopal
Church yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock
his general theme being based upon the
words OF the Saviour, What doth It
profit a man to gain the whole world
and lose his soul?''
special invitation, DR.. Jones spoke elo-
quently of the work Of faithful men
and women banded together In an car
nest effort for the uplift OF humanity.
HIS sermon was heard by large con.
gregation.
Makes Heart Bcnt Faster.
One must indeed be insensible who
could live within the atmosphere OF
this conference for a day and not
have his heart beat faster with human
fsympathy and human hope" said DR..
Jones. "for here is vantage poiut
from which every tone Of human
plant may be heard. The inarticulate
I cry OF the half-nourished babe. The
moan OF the victim, OF disease, the NUT
tered menace OF poverty, the petition
OF the Imprisoned soul OF the defective
the challenge OF the drug and drink
deyll-possessed. the sullen protest OF
the criminal. the plea Of the overwork.
ed mother. and the ceaseless call OF
the unprotected child. all mingle their
minor tones in medley OF appeal,
whose pathos Is Irresistible. But
here. too. above 1t all. can be heard the
answering cry OF hope and help.
He that was come is revealed in the
spirit and work of this conference. That
presence IN rY1n fr ho 10 H.,
the powerful emphasis which is here
placed upon the value OF human life.
And 1t is this valuation OF human life
which is the fundamental tenet in the
teaching OF Jesus. We can only under
stand His sayings concerning wealth
when we remember He was talking
about It in comparison with the value
OF life itself And Ills severe condem-
nation of riches was when they were
TO be the purchase price OF person.
Then He threw down the gauntlet 10
the whole material universe: What
will it profit a man II he gain the whole
world and lose his own life?' When
: 1t becomes a question between the value
Of man and religious observance.
let the observance perish. Which is
better. He asked. with singing satire.
to do good to a man or keep a religious
law? The whole religious scheme is
lig!ous scheme, is the teaching of
Jesus
Finds Methods Of Jesus.
THE high potential value which Jesus
was seeking was a social value which
vas the value OF a man to another man.
The constant theme of His preaching
was the coming of the kingdom OF
heaven on earth. That Kingdom was
to be an ideal social condition on earth.
In 1t man is to be OF the first value.
and ministering to the welfare of man
the highest service. 1t Is to be So
ciety of brothers, and its life Is to be
an expression OF mutual love. The
final test of the worth OF man Is to
be determined by his fulfilment OF that
relation. Religious shibboleths cannot
he substituted for this service. A man
absolutely alone and unrelated to any
other person Is unthinkable. The dis
tinction between private and social
virtues is fictitious one. All virtues
are social In their last analysis. The
mission Of Jesus and the work OF this
conference are identical; the task is
zone OF adjustment. The incomplete
IMAM Is to be completed by properly
relating him to other men. He cannot
live to himself for that would mean to
die to his real self. Indeed. to the
extent he lives alone he fails to be a
man.
Does not one find too, In the work
of this conference the method of Jesus?
His anxiety seemed ever to be the
own personal value. He must believe
in himself 1t is not enough to prove
some academic theory Of the brother
1, hood OF man, but the man must be con-
scious OF his own relation to other
men. Think Of man who has all his
life viewed other man as employers
Capitalists hands customers or
VOTERS and has dealt with them from
this consciousness Of their personals
/ Ties. Through some experience they
come to live in his consciousness as
brothers. There Is no other phrase
sto express this experience but that he
has been born anew.
society's New Birth.
society itself must not be thought OF
has a perfect organization needing only
1.-THE adjustment of certain individuals
to Its unity. Society is incomplete so
Hong as there is an incomplete individ-
fual. Just as the individual must find
himself In society. society must find
Itself iii the Individual Society also
must have It's new birth. coming into
4, consciousness Of its kinship to every
man. It must grow beyond its present
conception Of the greatest good to the
greatest number, and recognize its OWL
highest welfare in service to the least
OF the weak and helpless of every de-
scription. while it threatens with the
depth of the sea every form of greedy
individuallsm which would place STUN
bling blocks in the pathway of Its chill
dren in their progress toward the light
we must be careful not to Identify oul
principle with any form of government
ar code of conduct, however earnest we
NAV strive to realize 1t through these
forms. Society is larger than govern
ment and greater than conduct Society
IS common consciousness and our
IDEAL the consciousness Of kinshlp
There is to be an identity of interests
40 vital that the welfare of one is tbs
velfara of all, and the welfare OF all Is
the welfare of one. It's prophetic voice
comes to us to-day in the words, mas
much as We have done 1t unto one OF
the least OF these, My brethren ye have
done 1t unto Me.
AT Male Orphan Asylum.
Many members of Ns children's sec
ton and other delegates in attend
ance on the conference visited tn