The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-07

trateQ every DAY or our ttVeS- 1ahe
| the family. for instance; from the
day the mothers first child is born,
| for twenty or thirty years her chill
dren are scarcely out OF her waking
| thoughts. Her life trembles in the
| balance at each chiid's birth: she sac
| riflces for them, she surrenders her
| self to them. Is II because she ex-
| poets them to pay her back? Fortu-
! nate for the parent and fortunate for
| the child If the latter has an oppor-
| tunity to repay in part the debt 1t
| owes. But no child can compensate
! parent fer a parents care. In the
course of nature the debt is paid. not
| to the parent, but to the next gene
| ration, and the next---each generation
suffering, sacrificing for and surren-
| dering itself to the generation that
| follows. This is the law of our lives.
Nor Is this confined to the family.
Every step in civilization has been
made possible by those who have
been willing TO sacrifice for posterity.
| Freedom of conscience and free gov
ernment have all been won for the
world by those who were willing to
labor unselhshly for their fellows. So
well established is this doctrine that
we do not regard anyone as great I'M
! less he recognizes how unimportant
/ his life is in comparison with the
! problems with which he deals
| I find proof that man was made In
| the image of his Creator in the fact
| that, throughout the centuries. man
| has been willing to die, II necessary.
| that blessings denied 10 him might
be enjoyed by his children. his chill
| dren's children and the world
/ The seeming paradox: He that
saveth his life shall lose 1t and he
! that loseth his life for my sake shall
/ find it," has an application wider
| than that usually given to it; It is an
I epitome of history. Those who live
| only for themselves find a larger life
! than the one they would have sur
rendered Wendell Phillips gave ex-
| preston TO the same idea when he
said, What imprudent men the bene-
! factors Of the race have been. How
prudently most men sink into name
/ less graves. while now and then
/ few forget themselves into inmor-
| tanty" We win immortality, not by
| remembering ourselves, but by forget
7 ting ourselves in devotion to things
larger than ourselves.
I Instead of being an unnatural plan,
the plan of salvation is in perfect
/ harmony with human nature as we
understand it. Sacrifice is the Ian
guaRe OF love. and Christ, in suffer
/ ing for the world, adopted the only
means of reaching the heart This
i can be demonstrated not only ny
| theory but BY experience. for the
story Of his life, his teachings, his
sufferings and his death has been
translated into every language ana
everywhere 1t has touched the heart.
/ The most difficult OF all the virtues
70 cultivate IS the forgiving spirit
Revenge seems to be natural with
man; It is human to want to get even
with an enemy It has even been
-4+..fa.4sss.- -t.4--St-at- Lin t4EeneSs II
/ was once inscribed on a mans monu-
ment that he had repaid both friends
and enemies more than he had re-
cyived This was not the spirit Of
( Christ He taught forgiveness, and
! III that Incompatible prayer which he
( left as model for our petitions he
made our Willingness 10 forgive tho
measure by which we may claim for
giveneSs. He not only taught forgive
ness hut he exemplifed his teach
/ !pes in his life. When those who per
| secuted him brought him 10 the most
! q sgracefuI Of all deaths. his spirit of
I forgiveness rose above his suTer!nEs
and he prayed Father, forgive them,
I for they know not what they do"
But love IS the foundation of
/ C~hrist's creed The world had known
/ love before. parents had loved their
children. and children their parents;
husbands had loved their wives, and
+ wives their husbands; and friend had
lowed friend. butJesus gave new
definition of love. His love was as wide
as the sea. its limits were SC tar
/ flung that even an enemy could not
travel beyond its bounds. Other
i teachers sought to regulate the lives
of their followers by rule and for
mu1a. but Christ's plan was TO purify
/ the heart and then to leave love to
/ direct the footsteps.
What conclusion Is to he drawn
/ from the life, the teachings and the
death Of this historic figure? How
shall we account for him Here IS
1 the greatest fact off history; here Is
| One who has with increasing power
! for nineteen hundred years moulded
/ the hearts. the thoughts and the lives
of men, and ne eNerts more influence
today than ever before. What think
We Of Christi" II Is easier to believe
! him divine than TO explain II any
other way what he said and did and
/ was And l have greater faith. even
| than before since | have visited the
! Orient and witnessed the successful
contest which Christianity is waglng
against the religions and PHILOSOPHERS
| Of the East.
l was thinking few years ago OF
! the Christmas which was then APP
preaching and of him in whose honor
| the day Is celebrated. / recalled the
message, Peace on earth. good viii
to men" and then my thoughts ran
back to the prophecy uttered cen
turtles before his birth. in which he
was described as the Prince of Peace
| l have thought of this prophecy many
! timse during the last few years. and
L have selected this theme that
| might present some of the reasons
which Lead me TO believe that Christ
! has fully earned the right to be called
I the Prince of Peace--a title that will
in the years to come be more and
I more applied to him. II he can
bring peace to each individual heart
and If his creed when applied will
bring peace throughout the earth,
| who will deny his RICH. to- be called
the Prince of Peace?
All the world is in search of peace;
every heart that ever beat has sought
for peace. and many have been the
methods employed to secure ii. Some
have thought TO purchase 1t with
riches and have labored to secure
wealth. hoping to find peace when
they were able to go where they
~