Norwich bulletin., 1917-04-21

I UnRfHCIOUS,
IDENTIFY appeared to our fathers of suf-
ficient Importance to call for wide
circulation In the strenuous days of
national rehabilitation after .9the
shock of war, each citizen was asked
| to do. his own part with concentration
| If this sapient counsel had been
generally followed, our world must
have been set much farther upon Its
way. The reason is obvious. There
are several excellent virtues thai
should begin at home. Charity, as the
adage reminds u.s. is one of them.
Charity should not end at home, to be
sure. but there is no more seemiy
starting point. There is a clear-c cut
word in the Scripture to the effect
that, IF any provide not for his own,
he has denied the faith and is worse
than an inf1del.' The dsntist whose
children have aching and neglected
teeth, the charity worker whose hus-
band gets his own meals-Such as
these need to see the Slight, to come
back to their owns proper business
There are other virtues beside char
| ity that begin at home. Integrity be-
gins there. One is called to subdue
the wilderness in his own nature before
he looks out on other fields. ~One
person I have to make good-myself,"
may strive to give in the way of help
and counsel to other lives, he is to
mind his own business. ''' ~
What man fails. to do in the Gull
else can do for him. This duty can
not be laid onthe shoulders of any
rroxy. Virtue results alone from per
sonal discipline and victory. The
challenge of life to each one of the
sons Of men. is to. develop. his own
moral nature and to stand upon his
own feet The. purpose is not to ac-
quire power. for selfish uses. but learn
how to serve nightly Shall I Guilt
lips Brooks. no. 1 shall not. Shah
cultivate and educate the lives of
others?. Yes. I must do that. : How
shall I do it? By cultfvating my own
life at its best"
fellows business spells confusion for
both parties. The job that fits me has
no meaning for my neighbor. 1t will
be recalled that when the Apostle Peter
was finally dedicated to Christian
service. a prediction was added as to
the manner OF death by which he
should glorify God. In view of the
thorny path promised to himself,
fate of his fellow apostles. Pointing
shall no this man do What IS that to
|thee?" replied the Master; follow thou
me-" The one clear fact was that
Peter had his own work to do and
that It was not to be compared with
other tasks for other men. =
After all, what difference should it
make to any q us what the other man
does or does not do, if ones own duty
IS plain? The fact that another is a
moral Stacker and apparently, sustains
no loss thereby, should not dull my
own quest for righteousness. The fact
that honest lives seem often to fad of
reward should not discourage my good
endeavorS. It merely shows that the
Almighty does not send out either as
sessments or dividends on the first of
each calendar month My own bust
ness is to live clean and to> do right.
and woe be unto me il I do not attend
to it.
This will be happier and better
world as each -dweller in it learns to
mind his own business. The real well
fare Of the Individual involves the
welfare of society. Every courtroom
and Jail and aImshouse is a reminder
OF the thousands who have not minded
their own business. The burden of
their failure has simply been shunted
on society. Such as these would
eventually swamp us, but for. the COM
pe1sating nuititu6es OF men and
women who do their. own work, resist
their own Temptations pull at least
their own weight across the seas of
time, and in leaving -bequeath sonae-
thing to the worlds store; OF: honor
and of hope.
THE PARsoN.
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