Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-06-18
THE BLESSED FOOLS.
BY Henry F. Cop

The walk by faith. IL. Cor. ST.
The fools save the world; the prac-
| tically minded and the worldly wise
simply keep it going. The wise, who
never go forth without a two foot rule
| in hand, first laugh at the fools, then
pity them, then imprison and kill
| them Thed did that to Jesus and to
| Calico, and to every other one who
| talked of a kingdom that could not be
| laid off with their measuring sticks.
Probably to a horse man is the
greatest fool imaginable; he PUSHES
| around, he does so many things that
| seem to have no significance; he wears
! himself all out and often gets neither
oats nor a stall at the end of the day.
| The man works for ends that are be-
| fore him, invisible often; the horse
works only on the spur of that which
is behind him. The man is mere
idealist; the horse practical econo-
mist.
Almost any person can see the mean.
ing of a brick wall; only few get
the significance of a symphony, yet the
one 1S as I6dl DIS InO OlhCA, anu IAO
truth Is this plain old world of ours Is
nodded a good deal more by the things
that touch the soul than by those that
sink deeper than the senses.
The philosophy that sees all life only
as so much animated mud misses
the richer and mightier meanings of
life To see only things is really not
to see anything. 1t is as If one should
think ofea book as only SO many type
impressions or of a song as only so
many black dots on paper. Life lies
deeper than it's outer forms and con-
sists of more than meat and drink and
flesh and blood.
Yet through all our money making,
our getting and our spending, our mad
rushing to and fro, the toll and turmoil
of our world runs q fine strain or
great motives and ideals. 1t manifests
itself in love of truth, devotion to
great purposes, tenderness and regard
for the weak, succor for the needy,
sympathy for the sad; in truth and
goodness and helpfulness 1t is seen,
and the name Of this spirit Is religion.
Churches are only organized, social
forms of it's expression; creeds are
only attempts to analyZe Its phenome-
ma; meetings, services and preaching
are only more or less formalized meth
DDS of stimulating men to its Ideals;
back Of them all lies this vision of
great principles, great purposes in liv-
ing, this that makes some count not
| their lives dear to themselves makes
many set first those principles and
ideals in their lives.
/ We are all idealists-we all live for
| the things not seen. We pretend to be
| much more materialistic than we are.
| But deep within ourselves we know
! that life cannot be sustained by
| bread alone, and that 1t consists IN
more than abundance Of things. And
so we live for the love of friend or
| for the hope of better world.
The unworthiness of our lives Is Of
ten due to our lack Of confidence In
the essential worthlness OF all life;
we are not quite sure whether this is
right world; often we have more
faith in the evil that asserts itself in
selfishness and every form of iniquity
than in the good that beckons from on
high We yield to the instinct to save
ourselves because we are not certain
that infinite goodness will care for
those who follow the right.
We will do right when the way is
clearly mapped out in express direc-
tions. But faith Is the power to do
the right when the way is as yet I'M
charted, to believe that there is no
other way for worthy souls, to believe
that 1t is wiser losing all for the
right than gaining the whole earth and
losing ones real self.
We need to believe in the better
day that is to be, to have faith to At
ourselves for 1t, and to push out into
lit. We need faith to overcome the
mountains in its way, to stir the slug
gish hearts of men who cling to old
selfishness and to change the minds
| that lie dormant in prejudices. This
is the faith that regeperates and
saves.
Men are not saved by believing this
fact or the other incident in history:
they are saved by the faith that
makes history, the faith that forms
the future, that looks back only to be
inspired to push forward, by the faith
that leads them to follow truth wher-
ever it may lead. Doing this they find
they are walking with all the faithful,
they are treading the way that has
led to every Calvary and to every new
and eternal life
D0n,fs for Churchmen.