The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-23
The Nan at the Beautiful Gate.

The Nan at the Beautiful Gate.
January L-ns Lane Man Healed" Acts
iEd3
The practical Punishment OF The profess
slonal begsar Is one OF the seldom-noted
achievements Of Christianity. The Occa-
slonal meldicant met upon the streets Of
OF grest city cannot be classed with
the professional beggar whom the Orient
knows Tie distressing supplicants for
aims tha- a traveller meets in heather
lands are without a parallel IN all Chris
tendon me very memory Of the sights
and souns is a nightmare. I am still
haunted b the heart-rending cries OF the
abiect creatures, often hideously MANNED,
whom I lave heard and seen, especially
in China md India
These Professional beggars are public
character even as was the lame man by
Tire beautiful gate of Solomon's Temple.
who criedto Peter and John for aid He
was as fsnuiar a spectacle 10 worshipers
as the pstars Of the magnificent colon
made itseb He lived By the small doles
which wee thrown to him We IN the
West hav no coin small enough 10 ex-
press theFize CT the average bit Of mon
ey given . beggars in the Orient Prob
ably II rlver occurred 10 wOrshipers in
the great temple that the contrast be
tween thi broken bit OF humanity and
the gorgetls architecture had aught to do
with reIigon. Il is a distinct evidence OF
the advare made in our own times that
-E,f
ton OF tately cathedrals and squaHd
tenement There is something wrong
when reltion can rear magnificent strUc-
lures alogside Of the abOdes Of direst
suffering.To-5ay il is the recognized bust
ness Of t. church 70 90 for al the poor
and sufTeng what Peter did for the lame
man at te gate when ne stretched forth
his handInd babe him arise.
NEMPLOYED AND IDLE
The begar sat at the beautiful gate
Every dor Of ascent has alongside Of it a
waiting pportunity- There is need ev-
erywhere The young persons who Ia
ment ths the have no chance" would
more trJE. express the situation If they
bemoanet their lack OF Wit and OF i'm
pulse y sphere is too narrow TO afford
a person an opportunity for the express
sion Of Is largest and highest powers.
There IS FORK on every hand, in the form
Of occasins for human ministry.
Great Hitain IS witnessing at present
heart-siCiSning professions Of the Unem-
ployed- TIE churches there are doing
much 10 meet the exigenCies Of this ex-
traOrdinsF condition, and il IS no pallia-
ton Of In neglect Of a Christian civil
cation, OF Of the inequalities Of a social
order which permits this state Of affairs,
10 say hat the unemployed should not
also be Wholly idle There is work even
when there are no wages Il is a strange
fact that most men and women when
they lose positions give themselves 10
idlenesS, except as they may seek work,
instead u embracing the opportunity for
self-!mp1ovemenJ and aitruistic useful
ness No natter how hard ones own lot.
there is a neighbor whose lot is worse.
The salvation OF society is 10 come by
everyboGy's having IN his heart the i'm
pulse which prompted Peter 10 cure the
lame beegsr
RELI5ION FOR ALL OF A NAN.
Nowadays II is no new doctrine that the
church has business not only with ali
mel, but with all Of man. Her realm is
no longer confined 10 the strictly spirit
ual. Whatever serves mans body or
spirit is a legitimate Office for religion. I
The problem Of poverty is, II is true, a
problem Of the state; but before that II is /
a problem Of the church. That so much
of the socialized thought OF our day il
outside OF the realm Of organized Chris
.ianity is a reflection upon the latter |
even though the sOcialistic impulse is I
born directly Of the new spirit which I
christ has brought into the world
Peter looked upon the lame man by the 1
gate and said: Silver and gold have I I
lone, but what I have that give thee 4
4 IS better 10 have pity in the heart I
han gold in the hand A sense OF fel- ]
Owship with the suffering OF the world 4
5 heritage from the Christ who Him 1
elf suffered. II Christianity is not COM /
PASSIONATE il IS not Christlike
You see, the church can no longer say.
Ike Peter, Silver and gold have I none ="
,casted Innocent " to Thomas Aquinas,
nd that great philosopher remarked IN 4
is turn. Nor can she say, Rise I'd and 4
walk The church to-day commands /
he wealth Of the world She is master Of
he resources OF civilization All the ma
sTial needs OF al the world she can do
more 20 meet than any other agency.
Whether she still has. TO apostolic de-
rec. the impulse Of self-sacrifice and OF
Oncern for human veal which animated
'eter is not so clear. Assuredly the trend
Z the day is toward a fresh realization Of
he ChUrch's responsibility for the meet
~ Of the worlds needs. This responsi-
ility is 70 be met both by gifts Of gold
nd by the outstretched hand OF brother
ness and helpfulness.
ASKING LITTLE AND GETTING MUCH
After al. money is the least valuable
hing that q man can give toward meet
lg the worlds needs The beggar who
ought aims OF the apostle wanted only
UGH trifing dole as the Orient Is accus-
omad 70 give 20 professional mendicants.
ie knew fun well that what men gave 10
in cost them little There Is seldom the
heart Of pity in the breast OF
hose who give 70 the poor TO acquire
lerit, as the religious phrase Of the ORR
NJ has II The beggar asked little; he
OF much he sought money; he found
ealtn and holiness and newness Of life.
eters hand was empty, but he gave the
and
Like his Master. he reached out and 1
'uched the suffering one To-day the
aurch IS getting back her heaiing touch
pom mems suffering bodies. All the skill
medical science is proof for her TO
Sc, out this has limitations which must
E supplemented by the alternating. smeli-
-sting, soothing, confidence restoring
'ueh q the hand Of religion or course.
'oody wants the church TO become mere ! I