The Washington herald., 1916-12-31
WHO ARE THE MEEK?'
DISCUSSED BY WRITER
Lewis C Strsns Treats Topic from
Christian Science Viewpoint.

to ns saved now. Things done by men
m generations past and gone show hri-
manity's continuous struggle for pres
ent salvation. Yesterday and today. to
seek and to md peace. Joy, safety now.
has been the master motive Of human ef-
fort
"Jesus works saved In the now. II
was Inevitable that he should have been
followed by q great multitude mighty
cosmopolis from Galilee. and from De-
capolis, and from jerusalem, and from
Judea. and from beyond Jordan Jew
and Gentle. worshipers u one God. OF
many and Of none. those trained in the
dogmatic lore Of the rabbi. In the pure
philosophy OF the Greek, In the degen-
Grating materialism >of the Roman, and
those ignorant Of all save their hearts
destre-a great multitude. united only BY
the universal human yearntng for quick
help and q present salvation These
were themselves prayer. the answer to
which was the Beatitudes- An impress
sive scene, without question A vast as
sembly, and q stiffness tense with earn
estness and vivid with longing. Natures
setting was the serene blue Of the sky
and the full radiance Of q cloudless sun.
shining on the surrounding hills and per
haps reflected In the dancing waves of
the Gsliiean Sea-
The people had gathered because of
what Jesus had done. Whatever his
words might be, he had already justified
them with works He had forced ac-
acknowledgement of his authority. Yet II Is
not unlikely that the FIRST beatitude was
q disappointment. Blessed are the poor
IN spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven It Is hardly possible that II was
understood. Those people wanted to be
saved now. The kingdom Of heaven
meant to them q hereafter. 1t was too
far away, according to their sense OF
things, and they had no one to tell them
Of the ever-present heaven OF scien-
tincally harmonious minds and bodies.
The sweet benediction Of the second
beatitude, Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted, doubtless
found grateful lodgment i'm many a grief
stricken breast. the tender love of the
Master turning at that moment sorrow
into, joy and despair into hope and cour-
age.
Answers . Great Question.
But IL the first beatitude fell on stop
ped ears and the second was heard only
by those whom grief had chastened, sure
ly the third beatitude startled into keen
ness every drowsy listener. Blessed are
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth
II was the answer direct to the question
which needed not lips for its utterance:
What shall do to be saved nowr The
Kingdom of heaven possibly promised a
glorious future. but the inheritancs of
~ earth was immediate gain. 1t meant
som sthing TO inherit the earth 1t meant
n. dominion. authority, happiness,
oer1ty, peace-in short, the substance
80 BOD There was more or less chance
s1o4t the kingdom Of heaven. but the in
lance of the earth was undeniably
wen worth while. Then and there was
.'TH ed the question which has perplexed
tendon ever since: What Is the
r ness which inherits the earths? I
e common concept of the meek man
e - human door-mat. The only earth
|r ! the door-mat, be it flesh or bristles
-E its, is the mire wiped from the feet
lose who are so anxious to be clean
Z they are willing to make the effort to
themselves of dirt. The cast-onf filth
90 9thers is not the earth which one
is o'essed in inheriting The meekness
Wa Jesus commended cannot be de-
tasing nor debased. It cannot be self
'eursciatory nor seIf-condemnatory. It
"T-ot be hypocritical nor dishonest, un-
aEly nor shameless. It Is not beneath
ID tignity of the king who is worthy
o. royal Inheritance. nor above the
be- - of the peasant who assuredly needs
ono Jesus. the ideal Of manliness, of
sEF1sth. Of integrity. and of resolute-
EsF.' did not counsel others to be cring-
ms. weak, cowardly. and unprincipled.
The Meekness of Jesus.
n fact, Jesus, showing his dominion
s'e- the earth in manifold particulars.
Tn,4st himself have been the perfect en-
bod.nnent of his own idea of meekness.
He was kind-hearted-yes, but he was
not submissive to wrong. nor disposed to
yield to II. He was humble-yes, for he
said that of himself he could do nothing
-out he had no mock modesty. He
boldly declared his oneness with God. He
knew that he had the power to lay down
MS life and to take II up again, and
ne said SO. He recognized to the full the
merit Of his mission and of his work. anc
he did not hesitate to point to himself
as the way. the truth, and the life for
all men.
Jesus meekness was something be-
sides a sweet character, a gentle and
long-suferins disposition. something
more than a peaceable temper, different
from the generally accepted sense Of
such words as tenderness, modesty, and
humility. He meekness found characteris-
tic expression at the beginning of his
career. when he said, "wist ye not thar
] must be about my Fathers business;'
and again at the end. when he prayed.
Not my will, but thine, be done Jesus
sistently governed himself-his thoughts
and his deeds-by divine Principle. The
pleas Of personal sense. real as they
evidently were to him at moments Of
which the temptation IN the wilderness
was typical, were never given precedence
In his consciousness nver the plain rule
Of right thinking and right doing.
The Really Meek Man.
The meek man Il the man whose
point Of view Is consistently impersonal.
The meek man is conscientiously judicial
He Is never a special pleader. He does
not accept his own desires, his own pref
udices. his own opinions as final arbi-
traitors IN any matter Whatsoever. He
Judges righteous misunderstanding to
his highest understanding of absolute
right A conviction based on an intelli-
gent comprehension Of Principle Is the
meek mans most sacred possession,-I
something which cannot be superseded
except by a stronger conviction based
on q still more Intelligent comprehension
OF Principle. Yet the meek man Is never
obstinate, never perverse, never unwill-
ing to hear and to weigh another's rea-
son why, for the meek mans convic-
lions are without taint of personality.
The meek man has no axe to grind. He
has no personal ambition to crafty, no
personal theory to promulgate. His la
Dor Is not for DoSftfon NOR for r,oupar