The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-21
A SATURDAY SERMON.

J But he that hateth his brother is in
darkness, and walketh in darkness, and
| knoweth not whittier he goeth, because
| that darkness hath blinded him. John
| II II.
! Surely there can be nothing finer than
the existence of brotherly love; not
merely brotherly love in the literal
meaning of those two words, but love
that is Astounding, a love of all men,
one for the other. There is too little
of it in the world today. There always
has been for that matter. But in these
days of modernity, selfshness appears
to be prevalent to a greater extent
than ever before. And selfshness
breeds hate Those who have made
failures in life are apt to dislike in
tensely those who have made successes.
Even the latter are likely to have an
aversion for the former because they
block the way to still larger achieve
ments. This is just as true in the
business world, in the marts of trade
and finance, as it is in the world which
revolves around the purely social af-
fairs of men and women. And almost
everybody knows of its prevalence
there.
How much more desirable would be
the conditions surrounding the work
and play of all persons if some of this
jealousy which is to be found on ali
sides were supplanted with real broth
erly love, a compassionate regard a de-
sire and a willingness on the part OF
those who are succeeding to help their
less fortunate brethren along; to
tighten their way and their loads in
every possible manner.
1t is so much easier, though, to
preach about matters of this sort
than it is to practice them. There are
times, and many of them, when some
men and women appear to go out of
their way to create provocation for
others. 1t is scarcely human for per-
sons not to be infamed with extreme
dislike at such acts as these and at
the people who are guilty of them
Why even Jesus of Nazareth, the
great teacher, than whom no one ever
had a greater love for man, who went
willingly to the cross at Calvary that
all men might be saved, was unable
not to hate at times. He is said to
have hated the deeds of the NicolaI-
tanes. who were heretics; his own
language showed that he loathed the
tested the hypocrisy of the Scribes and
the Pharisees; and he abhorred the sug-
gestions of the tempter in the wilder
ness. He may we'll be excused, how
ever. for these expressions of dislike
because they were directed against evil
of the worst sort. That should be
hated by every one. The great trouble
is that there is not enough hatred of
the things that are evil. On the other
hand. there is too much of it of the
purely personal sort, of intense feel
ings of dislike between man and man
where nothing of evil exists or is in
volved.
This is the kind of hate that properly
comes in for reproof; and such rep
rotation cannot be too severe. The
malignity in this sort of aversion is
that it is frequently coupled with a
strong desire that distressing and dis
agreeable things should befall the
person or persons toward whom it is
directed. That is what makes per-
so vicious. And perhaps the strongest
condemnation that has ever been de-
Iivered against such hatred as this
against a lack of brotherly love-was
given by the Apostle John in the third
chapter of his letter to the Ephesians,
when he wrote: whatsoever hateth his
brother is a murderer; and We know
that no murderer hath eternal life
abiding IN him.