Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1908-07-02
WHAT CAN MAKE
LIFE GOOD
ABLE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY
WILLIAM THURsTON BROWN
AT UNITARIAN CHURCH
IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Able and Scholarly Discussion by So
cialIst Minister ON Despair OF
Living Under Commercial
Society.

Genesis is a poem on Creation. the
attempt of some unknown Hebrew
ing. The climax of the poem is in
the final verse in which IL is re-
lated that God saw everything that
he had made. and behold 1t was very
good" Sublime as is the genius
which can picture in words the maxi
ing of a world with all its myriad
forms of life. II is incomparably more
sublime to be able even to conceive
the idea that Infinite Wisdom can
see this life of ours on every side
all that II is and is to be-and yet
pronounce II good.
The picture of the process of world
making which the Book of Genesis
contains is unthinkable to the mod
ern educated man-will be unthinix-
able to these boys and girls of today
who are learning i'm our schools somc-
thing about the natural history of the
stars. Indeed. the mass of men and
women care little what the Creator
thought or thinks of this human
world. And yet. this life of ours
holds no passion SO deep or strong or
enduring as the passion of human
souls everywhere to know by the wit
ness OF experience In thought, feeling.
hope, affection. that LIFE is GOOD.
And religion cannot have a nobler
mission than to make that knowledge
the possession of men and women
eyerywhere-to make clear and con-
vincing to every human soul that life
is good. to create OF disclose here be-
fore the eyes OF men such an o-der
Of things that men shall not only be
compelled to say that IL Ia good. but
feel that fact as a matter of con-
sciousness. To know with all ones
being that life is good-neither time
nor eternity can afford anything
better.
But Il is an utter impossibility for
some human beings to face their lot
and call Il good. Life is not proving
a good thing for multitudes OF human
beings. And in exactly the measure
meings. And In exactly the measure
In which that is true. religion is
failure, God himself fails to justify
himself In the eyes of men-FAILS
rrn N nnnanA f0 iAla for N
take upon our lips the empty and
futile words of such an impotent
faith. 1t is impossible for US fairly to
face all the facts of poverty, disease.
vice, despair. law. government. In
dustrialism. and say that life is for
all OF us a good thing.
There are men and women to
whom life is good. who have found
the secret of making II so, SO far az
THEY are concerned. There come
to most of us. perhaps. moments when
life seems unspeakably good. when II
almost seems as IL the heavens opened
at our feet and something Of the
thought of the Infinitely Loving took
possession OF US and we felt as II
nothing mattered any more, for we
had drunk OF the river OF the water
Of life.
But II we could know the inner
most thought and life OF the people
OF our own neighborhood. IL we could
read the story of a single twenty-four
hours in the lives of the men and
women of this city. what would we
think? This unseen life OF the dag
and night within the walls and under
the roofs OF all these buildings. large
and small seems like a shadow; and
we think OF the hurrying throngs
that crowd the sidewalks and cars
and shops as the substance. The
very reverse is the truth. This life
OF the street. this bustling crowd.
these towering buildings-they are
the shadow. The substance. the real
life, is where men and women are CIV
ing expression to their dominant de-
sires. where they are acting freely the
impulses Of their souls.
What should we say, 1 wonder, II
we could see that inner life, that life
where no restraint OF sunlight or pub
licity operates. where men and wo-
men act the real drama. the real
comedy or tragedy or epic OF their
existence? Could we see behind that
veil and still keep our faith In man
or God? What would be our feelings
In the face OF that life OF men and
women which lies. now and here. be-
hind the curtain OF apparent respect
ability and virtue? Until we have
seen that inner life. that covered life,
we are as ignorant OF the world we