Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-17

no part in its services; find no pleasure
in it's rites and observances, but you can
not be in the church and yet out OF 1t.
Your name may be on the rolls of the
church, and you may be present at hours
of worship and yet have no part or lot
in the church's life and welfare. You
are either in the true church or out OF it.
You cannot be friend OF Christ and at
the same time q lover OF Belfai. Which
But some will say that in all these
things the extremes are presented: life
of industry or Of idleness; extravaganza
or economy; scholarship or ignorance:
generosity or niggardliness; philanthro-
Ply or misanthropy; saint or sinner. why
not choose the happy medium?
Because there is no such medium.
There is no such thing as neutrality. al
ways some bias to one side or the other
The happy medium, SO often extolled, is
but the condition OF unhappy medlocrlty.
There can be no happy medium between
virtue and vice-love and hate. You can
not serve two masters. To be half virtu-
Gus and half vile is to be wholly vile In
Gods sight. He that is not for me is
against me-" said Christ
Every day and every hour the work
of forming character goes on. Opportuni-
ties are ever occurring and are used or
disused, and the logical sequence follows.
The character may be made strong.
limited the circle of influence. still the
right use Of opportunities will make for
sphere of life in which you move,
stalwart manhood or Womannood On
the other hand the failure to use oppor.
tunities or the misuse of them Will
weaken and dwarf your energies and pro-
duce a useless, If not worthless char-
acter. So by the use made OF the pow
ers and opportunities Of life, the CHAR
acter is formed in strength or IN weak
ness and is either good or bad In some
degree; but you cannot have good char
acter and at the same time bad one.
Remember that the worlds great want Is
men. Clever fellows. good fellows, II
has ever had in abundance, but IN all
ages the worlds great want has been
men. This thought is eloquently pre-
scented in the lines of j. G. Holland:
Cod rive us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready
Mon whom the lust of Office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of ONCE cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and will,
Men who have honor; men who Will not lie:
rou men. sun crowned. who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking.
Aside from all the duties and relations
borne toward those about youIlndepeno-
ont of whether you are financially pros
nervous or not-whether you are extrava-
CANT or economical-whether your man
ners are such as to attract Ir1enus or
distract then-there is another relation
shin that all must bear. No one Is. or
can be independent-all must obey the
dictates of a master. Every one. without
exception or exemption. must render serv-
ice either to the God of heaven or to the
God of this world.
eve cannot serve God and mammon" !;
hit YOU will unavoidably serve one or the
other.
To the question. will you enter the serv-
tee of God? there are many reasons why
vour answer should be, YES"
Your conscience and the most ordinary
observation will teach you that in the
service of God there is nothing that de-
grades or humiliates-that His yoke Is
easy and His burden is light-that the
cords which bind you are fashioned by
the hand of infinite love"-that the re-
straints imposed are all in the interest Of
your highest happiness. In His service
honor shall be yours. such honor as can
only be dimly understood and appreci-
ated. So much does God delight to honor