The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-16
says UNCLE CIV

AS long as we try to regulate society
by its deserts rather than by it's neces-
| sites the world is going to be more
or less wrong. It is marvellous that a
| socalled Christian world, with a So
| called Christian philosopher at every
corner, should not yet have grasped
the lesson of the Man of Sorrows who
| was really the Man of Joy. Jesus was
something Of sage and quite as
much of a thinker as a prophet Let
it be remembered as a matter of hard,
cold, social logic-since we call so
many of our wise men Christian phil
osophers-that9th mission of Christ
was predicated not upon deserts, but
upon ecessitiessS--E
There is quite as much worldly wis
dom as religious doctrine in the words,
Il am come to save that which was
lost" Nature recognizes no other law
than necessity, let it be repeated, and
as long as we lean upon systems of
thought that seek to substitute re-
dark.
Virtue was never made to be re-
warded. He that seeks reward is not
vlrtuous, but whimpering Pharisee,
eousness uplifts rather than is up
lifted. Sin degrades rather than is
degraded. The soul that sinneth dies,
not as a punishment for sin, but by
sin, If it be the genuine poison and
not one SO flagrantly mislabeled as to
come under the condemnation of ma
lures pure food and drug act.
This is not religious preachment,
but a little .woodpile discussion Of
everyday, uninspired cold facts. If
you be strong and refuse to aid those
whom you do not believe to be ode
serving, you are also g. fool. 1t is the
necessities of others, not their fidelity
to or their failure in observing your
conception of righteousness and thrift,
that lay claim upon you.
The most heartless and insane ex-
cuse in the world for refusing to aid
ones neighbor is that he doesn't de-
serve aid. A more logical and honest
reason would be that he needs the sort
of aid that you lack the sympathy or
intelligence to give.
One need not feed every tramp who
comes to the door, nor fling money to
every beggar. That bespeaks lack
of discrimination. But neither should
society withhold its hands from these,
calling them "undeserving" Their
need speaks and, louder than the need
of these, the need of society to protect
itself by reforming them cries to the
ears of all thinking men.
The state has lately grown out of
child is to be denied an education be-
cause of its lack of deserts We
have come to the dearly bought con-
clusion that the morals of the child
has nothing to do with the case. 1t
needs the education; society needs to
work out this little brothers regenera-
ton for its own protection, and it
does.
The lesson is plain, as plain as the
gospel preached by the most misun-
derstood tongue that ever preached.
The helping hands of you who are
strong are for them that need rather
than them that deserves" Were
there such thing as deserts they
who deserve them would not need
to give to them would be to waste.
There is no folly greater than the
folly of them that expect virtue to
be rewarded or good deeds to be COM
pensated by the gratitude of the bene-
ficiaries. The compensation may come
as a matter of course, and it may not,
but that is beside the question. The
logic of the situation for a society that
seeks to uplift is to uplift the under
dog, regardless of the amiableness of
his disposition or his readiness to bite.
If your brother hunger, feed him; If
he thirst, give him to drink. Ask no
questions, save as to whether you have
met his need. The regeneration of
this world is to be worked out upon
the basis of it's necessities rather than
upon that of it's fictitious deserts
Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure !
Syndicate.)