The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-05

its publication year later, nearly
two million copies have been solo in
this country and nearly eight mil
lion in Great Britain and Europe.
The penny edition I'm London was sold
on the streets and DR.. Sheldon had
the pleasure of buying q copy mark
ed with the number nine hundred
and eighty-seven thousand. 1t has
been translated into German, French,
Italian. Spanish, Portuguese. Welsh.
Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Bull
garian, Turkish, Russian, Chinese,
Hindoo. and one or two dialects of
the African tribes. The Chinese edi-
ton has been translated by the edi-
tor OF a newspaper in Tokyo. who
put IL in the colloQuiai language of
the streets The Armenian version
took some six years TO complete and
10 pass the Turkish censorship. The
edition In Russian has been suppress
ed. We asked DR.. Sheldon: "At the
beginning Of this new year is the
world any nearer In His steps than
II was fifteen years ago?" This is
his answer:
The simple motive OF the srory ''Ifs
His Steps" was the pledging OF MEM
ners OF a church In manufacturing
town to govern their conduct by first
asking the question: What would
Jesus do?'' no matter what the crisis
Of events might be. The persons TAX
ing this pledge included the minister
Of the church himself. the editor of
q daily paper, the superintendent of
some railway shops. a leading busi-
neRs man. a college president, doc
tor, an author, an heiress. and pro-
fessonal singer. The story follows
the fortunes Of these people separ-
ateiy as each one asks the question
before doing certain things, which
create a revolution In daily life.
need hardly say that there are a
great many people who are honestly
trying to live by this standard. The
question What would Jesus do"
raises at once the entire problem Of
what Christianity IL, and especially
the question of practical, everyday.
Christ-like life. / do not regard IT
ss at all visionary or above the Or
binary walks Of common daily hui
mainly 10 try to put such a question
into real life. In fact, the effort to
do II, honestly carried out, would re-
suit in the most stupendous changes
practically in business. politics.
arnusements. and the program of life
In general. Some very funda mental
changes have occurred In the con-
tsact OF people In the churches and
elsewhere In the PAST fifteen years.
j do not of course, mean to say
that the readers of the story have
changed their conduct from its pc
rusai. but I simply mean that there
has been In the world freat change
In Some ways e. scernirg the deffri-
ton OF ordinary Clsjs, ianity and what
II Is for; and among the things mich
have ms Fss-H Ff Chris
tan though: ! believe the following
are worth noting:
The Value of Child.
The world has grown into n new
conception of the value of a child.
! think IL Is safe To say that more
mothers in more homes are today
honestly and seriously thinking con-
corning their children welfare than
at any other time In the history Of
the world. There r. more real moth
erhood In the universe than ii has
ing studied from more sides. The
real development Of childhood is
thing or greater interest 10 society
than II ever was before. This is a
most tremendous fact. II II is fact.
for IL means simply that we are be-
70 n4rrttt ginning f-r=
stead of ending, and about SHAPING
Instead ~ rending, and about pre-
vention instead of cure Any civiii-
cation which has healthy. enthus-
iastIc real thought for the child and
of his needs and OF his nature. is a
civilization for which we need not
fear. concerning which we need not
despair.
Physical Welfare.
In the second place, | believe the
wvarI9 g. vppA ~pT fhiS q n s-I ef
duct outlined In the little book on
account Of the interest taken in ply
steal welfare. Within the past fteteen
years more has be- done to protect
the common health of the commun-
Try than has been done In hundreds
OF years previously, Efforts TO find
the reasons for Disease. the cA9ses OF
Ill health. the honest and painstak-
ing investigation into great scourges
OF mankind have been q revelation
concerning the thought of mankind
toward others, If within the nexr
fifteen years we,,jearn as much ahoat
medicine and lis effect On the body
as we have learned in the last fifteen
about surgery. and il we learn as
much more in proportion concerning
diet and the effect OF food on the
body, We shall make great strides
toward a more perfect physical life
for the world.
Demands For Peace.
believe we are nearer the stand
ard OF what Jesus would do in our
thought Of war and of war equip
ment Fifteen years ago, when the
first effort was made TO carry ont
program for a sane Fourth of July.
the effort was met with ridlcule. To-
say hardly any community can be
found which does not protest AGAINST
the harbarous methods Of exhibiting
so-cailed patriotism. The list OF
volumes on arbitration ard peace and
the wickedncss Of war has increased
So enormously that In recent cata-
icgue counted nearly a hrNdred sep
arate words written with the last
FIVE years. every one Of them with the
distinct purpose OF arguing war out
OF civilization. Certainly there never
has been In the history OF the wnoie
world so quick a growth OF senti-
ment and argument against the bar
harism of war as within the past
ten years.
Social Redemption.
Another marked feature OF the
present-day Christianity is the intelli-
gent enthusiasm for social redemp-
tion. There Is not city In any civil
lized Christian nation today which
has not had At least some vision or
social betterment. This has taken
on every conceivable form. from the
nhysicaI cleaning m Of afjeys to the