The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-04-27
REV. ROBERT MORRIS SERMON.
Continued from Page One.

link in the chain of Odd Fellowship is
friendship. And not only is it the
cord that binds this order together,
but it is the strong girdle that binds
together all the fraternal organiza-
tions of our land. And l am keenly
sensitive to this fact this morning
and would do this organization no in
justice. | realize something Of the
good work it Is doing AS an organi
cation you have stood at the bedside
of the dying man and given the cup
OF cold water; you have helped the
poor man who fell among thieves on
the Jericho road. You have gladly
given the hand of friendship and love
to the poor and the needy. Splendid
deeds! They deserve our highest
praise. And yet, there are depths to
this word friendship which we have
not fathomed heights we have not
reached, length and breadth of terri
tory we have not explored. With all
our philanthropy, our expressions of
brotherhood and humanitarianism we
have not touched the bedrock upon
which the grand temple of friendship
stands. Such words as brotherhood
good Samaritanism, philanthropy are
not superficial terms. They are not
themes which have but little depth of
earth. In their larger meaning they
deal rather with causes than effect.
To give 500 to alleviate the suffer-
ing of humanity and at the same time
enact laws which give rise to such
suffering is not brotherhood. 1t is
not friendship. Suppose that you
visit a drunkard's home today and
there find a mother with a group of
little ones in great distress. There
sits the mother. How pale and brok-
EN- hearted! The children have moth
ing to eat nor wear. The sight touch
es your heart and you say to that
mother: Here, take this ten dollars
Get something for these little ones"
You have done good deed | will
hail you as a friend of man, a brother
of mankind. But supposing that in
stead of giving the $1,000 you get back
to the causes of suffering You find
the husband and by some means or
other you are able to remove from
him the cursed cup, and establish him
in his proper place in that home In
my mind you have now proved your
self a greater friend to man, closer
brother than in the first instance You
have removed the cause Or again.
supposing that while standing on the
street corner this afternoon you
should see a little boy crossing the
street and all at once a runaway horse
comes dashing along. The next mo-
ment the child is caught under the
wheels and is left wounded on the
ground. In the name of brotherhood
you rush forward. You lift him up in
your arms and carry him to the near
est hospital. You start subscription
for his medical care. Very good You
have done a splendid thing l pro-
nounce you a friend of man. But
suposing that. you had stopped that
runaway horse. You knew the his
tory of that horse. You knew it was
not safe Here you would have
proved yourself a greater friend to
! a n1nEnp hrOfhnr ~ 10
negie gives a large sum of money to
help the men who while working over
the blasting furnaces of the steel
works at Pittsburg have become dis
able and have grown old while as
yet young. 1t is a good thing for him
to do The American people call him
the great philanthropist; but let
Andrew Carnegie change the labor
condition which causes those men to
work in twelve hour shifts for seven
days in the week and | will call him
a greater philanthropist and a better
friend of man. To give 100000 with
one hand and to squeeze it with the
| OlueI ldlu HUN llle lie DlOOu vi lUe
poor working man is not true philan-
! thropy. But how often we interpret
it as such! To be a true brother of
man is to deal with causes and not
effects. 1t is a good thing to carry
basket of provisions to that poor fam
lily on Thanksgiving day, and buy a
suit of clothes for the little street
arab, and to donate literally to the
Salvation Army at Christmas time, but
true friendship will seek to know why
such suffering exists in the land where
there is plenty and some to spare.
To take care of the poor man who
| fell among thieves on the Jericho road
is a splendid thing to do; but we need
to get afte rthe thief 1t is high time
that the road be cleared of such law
breakers, and made safe for the trav-
eler. And this is what Jesus recon-
mended. In the parable of the Good
Samaritan he does not emphasize this
/ side of the subject to be sure but in
almost every other instance where he
! breaches the doctrine of humanitari-
anism he does. A blind man comes