The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1913-06-01
THE NEW GOSPEL.


The new gospel is one of joy. of
building and of brotherhood. one Of
life, of health and of success. 1t has
the confidence of faith. the charity cE
love- the buOyancy of hope, the catno-
Lefty of belief in God and man. 1t is
Americanism grown into an outlook
and a habit of thought 1t is the child
of intelligence married to accomplish
ment 1t is the creed Of those who do
things. 1t has the attitude of knowl-
edge and of mastery. 1t believes a
man will be what he wills to be. 1t as
cumstance; that environment which is
adamant before weakness is fluid be-
fore strength. purpose and work. 1t
breaches individual responsibility and
social cooperation. 1t has faith that
the inner world can shape the outer;
stands for the positive. proclaining
that good banishes evil, truth van
pushes error. health overcoInes sick
ness and success dispels failure in the
same way that light excludes darkness.
1t adopts the Masters method of re-
sisting not evil. which is negative
thing. but OF overcoming evil with
good. which is positive. 1t affirms
truth rather than denies error. 1t holds
that error is itself negative. therefore
to deny 1t is double negative. The
simple affirmation is better and more
powerful than the double negation.
There is a species Of oak on which
the dead leaves cling all winter and
are pushed off by the new leaves in the
spring. So old errors are pushed aside
and fall at the appearance Of new
truths. Supplant the wrong with the
right Affirm all positive qualities,
such as good. truth, beauty. health.
knowledge, sanity and faith. and their
negations of evil, error. ugliness, dis
ease. ignorance. delusion and doubt.
will drop away of themselves. Being ne
cations, they have no power Of their
own and only seem to have power
when. either by our support or our re-
sistance. we endOw them with power.
The new gospel is not one of theory,
but of practice. 1t Is for use. for serv-
ice. for application. 1t proves itself by
its fruits. Believing that God is good.
that he is true. that he is whole. II
would have men become like God by
expressing these positive virtues. II
holds that all things are good except
in the use and the thought OF man.
Evil may be but lack of the fullness
of good. or in human deeds evil may he
misplaced action, just as dirt Is mis-.
placed matter. To be godlike is to
have all things complete and in order.
The new gospel is not only for one
day of the week. but for all days. II
finds its temple under every roof and
in all open spaces 1t is not alone fol
one sect or one order or one race Of
men. hut for all sects. all orders, all
races Of men. 1t denies not the divin'
ity of the one. but atfirms the divinity
Of the all. II is whole gospel. ar
equal gospel. 1t exalts the common
life. 1t is democratic. progressive
constructive. In a word. 1t Is optimistic
The new gospel believes in the whole
someness Of humor. 1t holds that 9
smile Is sunshine and a laugh is medi
cine. Humor laughs at the incongruOus
and therefore at evil and error. FOL
these are incongruities. There is q
philosophy here that Lincoln an6
Franklin taught and that the world Ii
| just now learning. Humor can cure
| more things than we have yet dream
ed. can laugh away pretense. hypocri
| sy, falsehood. posing. weakness. falla
cy and other false things that. being
| false. are light enough to be blown
away by gale of laughter.