The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-03-02
THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

Holy Writ tells us "that no one lveth
unto himself" alone, and those who seek
to live for themselves only are insists in
the plan of creation. Selfishness is the
baneful canker-worm that eats out the
heart of every otherwise good deed. There
is no more lovable or useful member OF
society than the unselfish man or woman,
and no more disgusting creature than the
chronic self-seeker. It is by helping others
that we can best succeed in saving our
selves and accomplishing the purpose for
which we were made. This is what Christ
meant when He said that "he who loveth
his life shall lose it, and he who loseth his
life for my sake shall find it." 1t is, as a
rule, the selfish who are afflicted with
what the old Latins termed the "tBdium
yit;n''-the insufferable ennui that makes
life not worth living. Those who live for
Others rarely find life dull or uninterest-
ING. still less uncomfortable. Our heartiest
admiration goes out to the noble men and
women reared in the lap of luxury, hav-
ing all they require, needing not to work
for themselves, but who, nevertheless,
are willing to devote their time and means
and energy to the physical and moral
betterment of their kind. 1t is no mere
empty compliment to such to style them
the "salt of the earth" And we'll would
it be for the world if all others in the same
position would but follow these shining
examples No better advice could be given
the idle and selfish rich than that con-
tanned in the words of Chalmers: "Live
for something. Do good and leave behind
of time can never destroy. Write your
name in kindness, love and mercy on the
hearts of thousands you come into contact
with year by year; you will never be for
gotten. Your name, your deeds, will be
as legble on the hearts you leave behind
as the stars on the brow of evening. Good
deeds will shine as the stars of heaven"
Unfortunately, selishness often creeps
into our very best deeds, and sweet charity
itself is at times but sheer self-seeking
Many there are who give without a par.
ticle of genuine love or sympathy. They
give with the feeling that they are invest.
ing their money in the Bank of HEAVIER
and with the expectation of getting 6
good, big rate of interest. They are ever.
lastingly thinking of the return: "Cas
thy bread upon the waters and it shall
return to thee" etc. So long as this re.
mains the sole incentive to human help.
fitness, there can be no life or heart in it
1t is a; best but an emasculated philan.
thropy The cold, supercilious dispenser
OF aims, who throws a coin to the indi'
gent as he would throw bone to dog
seems to forget that helper and helped
are both made of the same common clay
that the mendicant is not necessarily, o.
always, brazen and thick skinned sham
that the poor and ignorant are not with
out feeling, pride and sensitiveness, ant
that to some of them this enforced beg
gary is as bitter as gall and NORWOOD
Small wonder that we hear from time tt
time of self-respecting poor people brough
to the hospitals on the verge of starvation
because they shrank from throwing them
selves on the mis-called charity of sucl
unfeeling fellow mortals.
Again, there are many who realize wei
enough their duty of helping the needy
but they give their help in such way a
not to stint themselves in the least-put
ting off their deeds of charity till deaf
deprives them Of any further opportunit
of enjoying earthly goods. Speaking t
such, Francis Bacon once said: "Defe
not charities till death; for certainly if
man weigh it rightly, he that doth so
rather liberal of another mans than of hi
own" Fortunate and worthy of all es
TEEN is the rich man of whom we can sa
what Cicero once said of certain Posthu
mus. SIN his pursuit of wealth it wa
plain that he sought, not food by avarice
but an instrument of doing good.''
Standards of business morality wer
never higher than to-day. Recent TRADE
AGAINST dishonesty in hiph nlaces do nc