The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-02-25
RESPONSIBILITY
4 Paper Read Before The Young
Friends Association And
The w. c. T. U.
BY BELLE H. HAINEs.

| Scarce do we at the very beginning turn the
prayer of sacred history until we find these.
Iwords:-''If thou dost well thou shalt be ac-.
cepted, if thou doest not well, sin lieth at thy
door, Thus spake the sages in that long ago,
thus speak the thoughtful ones of the
present, if thou ,doest well. No note is taken
| of the situation in which tho individual is
placed. no heed of any material things that
may lie in his pathway. It is him, him only to
whom the command is given and the embodied
promise of reward follows; the acceptance,
the acceptance of what? the divine approval
Of welldone deeds, that me cts the appreciation
of the All-Father. It does not say favored
few shall find this grace but thou child of the
great family, thou to whom the All-Father
has given measure of life's spirit, thou must
do well to be accepted, to find favor with the
spirit within thee that commands the good
and censures the bad, for aside from the
promise of acceptance comes the condem-
nation. IF thou doest not well sin ieth at
thy door.
Whoever wrongs and hurts themselves
wrongs and hurts other lives, for no sin eyer
existed that affected but one individual. No
man can live to or for self alone. we all are a.
part of great stream of human existence.
We must all do our part to purify that great
stream that sweeps on and on with the pass.
ing centuries. That commonplace thought
that you are thinking, that commonplace life
that you are living is the sin that lieth at thy
door. The Godgiven inspiration for pure and
holy thoughts and deeds may be yours for the
asking, and then will come the acceptance.
Why are we commonplace, why do we seek
a low standard of books and society. we who
today are the men of the present?
another, why is the cheap tale bearing and
detraction INDUCED in, why live we thus I'M
worthily-why? Do you say my associates do
this and SO. or i read the story of the latest
crime because it is before me. Is this an
excuse for you my brother or my sister? Are
you so far back in the infancy of our time
that you want to place the blame ON others, or
on circumstances2 What is it, What is the
matter? beseech you to search yourself,
and see if all of the responsibility is of your
ownself Be fair and square in the dealing
listen to your conscience; the answer will
come. tits your own depravity that leads you
thus. You, when you reach the years of
maturity, are responsible for every deed you
do and for every thought you harbor. And
not only does it behoove us to sweep clean our
own door step, to give rich culture to our own
spiritual, our own moral and intellectual
beings, but to see that the weeds are kept
from other doors, 'for man liveth not to him
self alone" Each individual has a RESPONSE
bility mall community affairs. Each individ-
ual must bear their share in its betterment.
Each Individual has right to demand that all
lives about them shall confirm to that which
will keep sin from every door.
Today there are poor, petty standards that
men hug to their very souls and cry out as
Cain Of aid, Am my brothers keeper''9
Today there are well-known drawbacks to our
moral progress in the community, and yet we
sit silently by, Sinking responsibility in it
all. We know that public reading room, a
good library, a good course of lectures, are
eminently more respectable, do far more to
add culture to mind and soul than the pool or
billiard salooa, or other things. that, while
lawful, are not elevating, yet we dismiss them
all over and over again with theicurt saying
What is everybody's business is nobody's.''
And SO we live on. without any effort what
ever for our betterment You say good
course of lectures does for want of patronage.
That may be. but the Indian Medicine Man
can come here and carry away, enough of
funds to crowd hall for course of good
lectures. What is the matter? You are work
| ing at the wrong end of the line Of humanity
in this community. You want. mean we
want and must needs give the boy and the girl
a better equipment for that which will make
them appreciated Hamilton Wright Mabie,''
or Shakesperean scholar like DIR. Truman.
They need more of equipment than the Street
Corner school. the tobacco store or the pool or
billiard education. Pardon this depression, if
such you may call it, but today il there is any
/ part of the human family more than another
that plead. it is for the neglected childhood
be it that in the home of wealth or poverty
The voter who supports the party who adj
vocates and carries out the nAeasure for
raising revenue through and BY the rum trafic
Jays all blame for local drunkenness on the