The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-03-06

| lSCAHOA ny new DAVlu L. w llSOu Q6IlV cred at
Union service held in the Unive rsalist
church, Sunday evening, March End. and
published by request.
TEXT. lift up your eyes. and look m tho
fields, that they are white already unto har-
vest"
1t is good thin for an individual, once and
awhile, to look within himself and fairly and
squarely to note his progress or his backward
trend. 1t gives him fresh impetus to pro-
ceed, or an opportunity to correct untoward
tendencies in his life. Of course, | am aware
that one cannot safely spend too much time in
introspection. Such an attitude is ant to make
one either morbid or self-satisted at his co,-
dition, and both these situations are to be
avoided. Many an individual, however. de.
cilnes to assume an introspective attitude Of
mind because he does not wish to be chided
for his short comings or disturbed in self
satisfied state. But believe it is every mans
duty to know himself, to know the way of his
HE, why he Is living just as he is, how he can
better the conditions to make his life more eff
fective among his fellows, what is the trend of
his way, and where it is leading him. No man
Is wholly honest with himself until he is bring
ing the best to his life and allowing the best
things to express themselves through him.
So we all need these times of looking back
ward at our life's course, that we may know
ourselves for just what we are and may profit
by the knowledge gained Failure to act upon
the impulses that come out of the time of self
examination is most deadening to mans
spirituality. For no man can be moved by
conviction and fail to respond to it without
being greatly injured in his life While we
plan uch for future days and are emphasiz-
ing the thought of living for today, yet in
many avenues of life we do not turn our
thoughts backward that we may observe the
course over which we have come The busi-
ness man has his stock taking days He looks
back over the years work, he finds lust what
he has on hand and out of it all discovers his
measure of prosperity or adversely for the
days that have gone. Politically, today the
whole country is looking backward as well as
forward. 1t is looking backward to see what
has been accomplished in the government. 1t
wants to know what things have been done
right and what have been done amiss, that it NAV
profit by them in its planning for future days
ioilsiSoHy, SoHI4HeiCldlly, SOCldlly, intellect
ually, the whole world is looking backward
/ from time to time that it may profit by the
success and the failures of other days and
move on to better things. Surely, then, noth-
ing is more in keeping with the spirit of the
times than that we should stop to look at re-
ligious conditions to note whether the needs
of people, religiously, being met, whether
ran,,ia jirrr tn tI,,
they ought, what can be accomplished to
remedy untoward conditions of life, how the
superb equipment of the church can be brought
to the place of greatest effective service in
the world. For there is nothing of larger i'm
portance for people than that the fires be
kept burning strongly on its affairs of religion
The decadence of the religious ideal must
mark the beginnings of the disintegration Of
empire. No nation prospered long when
tne mammon of unrighteousness reigned over
lis people. A most casual scanning Of history
reveals that fact. Therefore do we need to
look we'll to the development of the religious
ideal-do we need ever to be noting the trend
of things, whether they are away from
ligion or toward it. ] submit to you that when
a Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court feels to
write treatise defending the idea that this is
a Christian nation there is at least room ior
the suspicion that there mary things un-
christian about U.S. Religiously We need 70
face things with Just the same critical mind
with which We would face things politically
commercially. socially. To-day | am not
concerned with the thought of the religious
life of the nation great that hen is. But
! am concerned about local religious conditions
what they are whether there i need of M
provernent how such improvement can be
brought about and what 1t must mean for the
community when accomplished. I would that
We might turn the searchlight upon ourselves
and in its full glare see ourselves f-r just What
we are religiously. And ! am sure that this is
a very opportune time for such a proceeding.
Never, for many day at least has there been
SO much talk about bigger and b lsier Bel
fast It is splendid thing, and every citizen
who takes pride in the city. wants do his
part, h. wsoe'er little, to bring about s1ch de-
sirable result. l have said this belore-we
want bigger business, larger activities, more
cooperation, better school buildings, bet
ter facilities for transportation. more pride
in our lovely city and stronger efforts to
enhance its beauties, All these things we
want, most surely, but even if all these things
be achieved we may yet be like the man who
built his house upon the sands, and when the
days of storm came they brought him ruin.
What we need first of all here, las elsewhere is
strong and deep current of religious conv C.
ton flowing through our community life; ex-
pressing itself in our relations one with ar
other and in our maintenance of the ideal of
worship. The church, which stands as a moral
safeguard for the community, well as a
place of worship, needs far more adequate
support than it receives. Its work is OF tun-
damental importance to the life 81 the COM
munity in all its relations, and nothing more
perilous to the real life Of the city could come
to it than that its people should let the relig-
Gus ideal grow dim before their vision | am
quite aware that the church has rot always
been Jealous in upholding the true religious
ideal. Oft times its members have been more
concerned about a particular doctrine than
thew have about the new life. And this in
itself has given us SO many divisions in the
church that somehow or other We cannot
present united front to the forces of evil or
united effort for the spiritual uplift of peo-