The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-22

blessed are ye poor. Richly endowed
with sympathetic nature and gifted
withal with vivid imaginatioin He
embodied this. teaching for the most
part In his two great IGrables. which
reveal the very pith OF His gospel. the
parable Of the rich man and Lazarus.
and that OF the laborers in the vine
yard"
The former OF these rsrables. so our
radical Socialist assumes was n power
ful attack on the pioperty-holding
classes and the defense and exaitation
OF the poor man. The final destiny Of
one being the torments ~ hell and the
other OF paradise. He points out the
fact that the only sin of Dives was that
he was rich. The latter Of these para
bles, he also assumes. was designed to
teach equality OF wage or income. He
calls our attention To he fact that all
the laborers received equal wages the
one who began at the eleventh hour
was on the same footing as the one
who had toiled for II hours. So he de-
duces from this parable that each
worker in the economic commonwealth,
which Jesus taught under the name of
the Kingdom of God is to receive, not
according 10 the quantity and quality
OF the work he performs, but accord &.
ing to his need lie also believes and
teaches that the condition OF entry into
TINS social commonwealth is poverty.
our extremist also poiatS out what he
calls fact, that our Lord never invited
they were expressly told that the move
nent belong 10 them. The rich. on
the other hand. were notified that they
were not eligible. except on the hcred-
ulCus condition or giving away all their
property to the needy, condition al
mittcd by Jesus TO be- though inevita-
BILE, so hard thar it would be a miracle
Tor even one rich person to comply"
Ana then our friend quotes from the
parable OF the great supper, the talk
with the rich young ruler. the Sermon
on the Mount etc. His chief text Is.
blessed are We poor. for yours is the
II seems to me That any one who has
carefully studied the life and teachings
OF Jesus in their entirety. and who has
read these words OF the Master in their
proper setting, VIII be convinced that
TINS extremist does not properly repre-
sent the attitude OF Jesus upon this i'm
poftant matter II would be hard to
convince me that the Master, who
CANNED TO he the Savior OF all men.
ever arrayed himself on the side OF
any one class in the world. We do not
dispute the fact that he had most ten
ger anu heartfelt sympathy and love
TOT the poor. he was always helping the
man who was down. But this did not
prevent him from recognizing the rich
ne accepted, on several occasions their
hospitality and welcome and did hs
pest 10 get them to consider their
proper relation TO their wealth CHRIST
was elnphdtiCally the friend OF every
man He never ministered TO classes
as such, but always to men, without
distinction az rict-or Lpor. lettrred or
urlettercd. high or low iu the social
scale. AS one aptly put it, His aim.
nrst and last and all the time. was to
make the bad good, the good better
the better best"
One OF the sayings of tho seven sages
OF Athens was Avoid extremes" All
through life this mas been my motto
1noush | DO not lay any claim to wis
,ilh. ! am by nature conservative
Ihat the radical has a place end work
IN the world / admit. There are those
VINO live far in advance OF their day
and age and they have TO be extreme
In order to get the right average.
An Appeal 10 the Individual Wan.
! expect that many of you viii take
exceptions 10 what have to say about
the social teachings of the GaIilean
carpenter The views which have pre-
scented OF the teachings OF Jesus are
only partial; they do not take into ac-
count all tn edat of His teachings. but
they mistake part for a whole
From study Of His entire life
taxing everything into consideration
that lie said and did, think we must
conclude that our Lords chief mission
was 10 get the individual man to rec
ogniZe his right relation to God and
his fellow men. lie summed up the
Mosaic law In the words. Thou shalt
love the Lord with all thy mind soul
self. lie gave to the world q new
commandment, Thou shalt love one
another az | have loved YOU" He
found society and government in a most
wretched condition. there were certa in
systems az bad as anything which We
md today. For instance. extortion as
practiced by the publicans the tax
gatherers. lie did nor strike Mt the
the individuals who practiCed the abuse
He found Matthew. the publican, sitting
at the receipt NJ customs and said
"Follow me-" Aud he left all and fol.
lowed him Zaccheus. the publican OF
Jericho. was transformed by the touch
OF Christ and declared that he would
give one-hnlt OF his property TO the
poor and that he would restore four
fold 10 all from whom he had taken
money fraudulently." Or Newman
says, What Jesus RETAINED from doing
was az ~ markable az what lie did lie
came not primarily 90 improve mans
part OF His mission there Is no doubt
but IL was by no means all.
slavery existed In His dan aud the
auction block was IN the holy city lie
heard tho clanking OF the chains Of the
slaVcrs and predicted that Ills own peo-
pie would be sold into bondage Yet
lie issued 40 proclamation ct enamel
patton. TN drunkard recled through
the streets OF Jerusalem. but Ilc formed
no temperance society The hariut
walked through those streets. but uu-
like Mrs. Frye. Mr.. Crittcudor or Jerry
McAuley. He organized no midnight
missions. The children played around
Him: He gathered them iuto His arms.
but lie LEFT " FOR others To establish
the orphanage, the CMldrcHs Aid So
ciety aud the sunday school lie gave
10 man the principle. the deed. the
germ. the leaYcn which would cNcutu-
ally permeatc society and result In all
OF these necessary movements Tor the
bettetmeEt OF mankind. As Phillips
Brooks said. The shell stood as ~,
found II until the new lifc within could
burst IL for itself To made no effort
TO re-shapc circumstances until ne uVd
regenerated mau-nOt from the outside
but from the inside--and any social
program that leaves out this essential
leaves out Christ.
The Master seemed 90 look utrf-- tur
world. over the whole world lie took n
tho situatiou. IIc. 'o Iud what man
needed most what humauit, was suf-
forms for tjis decision was "prjt, oi
heart. tte enid IT, Himself "At'l' CON
hc gitat ~ ivstuiugI tu srt iu Eut rru-
mCut. tucA Inat attain 81 EigIt 'l'l iiHs.
tion, but th"N cannot tunrGe human r1.
I turo from the vicious 20 tho tirtuouS