The Penn's Grove record., 1915-06-18
TO EACH HIS TASK
His Own Life to Live, His Own
Task to Do, His Own Mes
sage to Speak.

There Is n point in which all men
are alike, and that is that they are diff
ferent. There is one quality which is
everywhere present in human life, and
that is the quality of inequality. HUI
man lives are infinitely different, pre-
genting an endless series of patterns.
1t is true that human life is a unity,
but 1t is equally true that each person
ls unlike every other.
There are elements In human life
that are simple and universal, but the
form these elements will assume in
each individual Is unique. Like pro-
duces like!" so declares a law of biol
ogy. But that state is generally but
not precisely true. No matter how
fully and thoroughly you may know
the parents, it is w quite possible
TO predict the exact characteristics OF
the progeny. The new life is a fresh
combination of two series Of personal
forces. Just what combination of these
two groups of forces the new life will
express no n can accurately proph-
esy. That is the truth there is in o.
car Wilde's admonition that people
should not be treated as the rule but
all of them as exceptions.
Each Man a New Creation.
"As like as two peas" we say Of the
baby twins. But more careful scru-
tiny makes it evident that both peas
and babies differ in many particulars.
Jacob and Esau were twins, but they
were unlike. God, it would seem, has
gone to infinite pains to make the
difference between human beings not
as few but as many as possible. The
Heavenly Father is fond of variation.
Each child of God If unique, or as
Emerson said: each man is a new
creation" Each man is a world in
himself. Each man has his own fla
vor, temper, capacity and abilities.
Mysterious walls fend him from his
nearest, dearest, friend. Gateless bar
riers divide individual from individual.
We each constitute a separate little
world. Each one is distinct in him
self.
ITO thine own self be true" urges
a great poet. That exhortation does
not bid us to be aggressively singular
or pugnaciously peculiar. It COM
mands us to reverently believe in our
own worth and un~iqueness. 1t enjoins
US to respect and to unfold all the
powers of our W individuality.
What God wants and the world needs
is not mimic greatness, but simple
reality. God desires US not to slav-
ishly initiate, but to ever strive to be
our own real best selves.
Special Plan for Every Life.
And growing a self is a task which
no one can do for US. Our friends do
cheer and comfort and inspire and
fertilize us to a large degree. But be-
tween I've the nearest and dearest
friends there are these ~unscalable
walls of individuality. Each one has
his own life to live, his own potential
tiles to unfold, his own task to do, and
his own message to speak. And God
would have each one of US grasp the
handle of his W being, and be and
do the very definite thing he has in
mind for US to become and to accom-
plish.
God has a special plan for every
life. So Horace Bushnell taught US
many years ago. You are you, and l
am l. You have your own personal
ity to make full and deep and rich.
And l have my own peculiar work to
do. l cant live your life, and you
can't do my work. We are face to
face with the wonderful miracle of in
dividuality; the miracle that Tenny-
son described as the miracle that
thou art thou"
We are not like homogeneous drops
in a great of life; we are not
like uniform sparks in an immense
fire of energy; we are individuals who
will yer retain u identity.