The Washington herald., 1918-01-27

destinies of their fellow men? Why
should any law or set Of laws put il
| into the power OF any man or set of
men to grasp and control to their
own selfish purposes what Gods
Providence has most clearly given
to his children, coal, for instance,
petroleum or water-power? Why
should not the great power OF the
Potomac which God gave to man
kind In this very neighborhood be
given to the people for their own?
Why should not this wonderful
source Of power be the possession of
this central community of the ma
ton? Let the United States govern
ment issue the bonds, employ the
best engineering skill, secure the
best materials and go to work.
Do you know why the govern
ment does not?
! Go back now and study the his
tory of the ancient people. You will
find the same taint in one as in the
other. The same taint of selfish
ness, the same. taint of vested in
terest. the same taint of greed of
gain. the same tainted idea that the
masses of the people might gain
some advantage over the people
whose wealth has already been in
vested in industries that might be
affected or interfered with.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is Gods one
great gift to mankind in the world.
gift of the spirit. not natural gift.
When He came Herod. the wicked
king, tried to kill Him fer fear his
own interests would be disturbed.
When our Lord went forth to teach
and preach for the benefit Of all who
came within the sphere Of His blessed
| Influence, He found himself the OBJ
| ject of suspicion. criticism, hatred.
animosity. attack. all because He
would not subject Himself to the
parties in power nor become subject
| to their control. Is it not past all
expression. wonderful that our blessed
Lord. in His person and in His words
and in His works, reflects the very
life and spirit and words and works
of the prophets of the Old Testament?
All that they said and did was inf
nitely beyond the narrow limits Of the
laws of Palestine. Just as all that
Jesus said and did has been found
to be infinitely beyond the limits Of
Palestine.
The Great Falls Of the Potomac
diC eiCaN hdNbi di anu iONeAl On
of God to this neighborhood. And
please God, there are some Of us liv-
ing who will live to see the Great
Falls harnessed and working for the
good OF this community in a Thousand
ways and paying to the government a
fair return on the money invested.
Our blessed and adorable Lord has
given US in this world, Himself. He
chose, the family Of Abraham. the
ancient people. II he wsfe God. he
| certainly had the right to do as he
pleased. He gave the people Of the
| nation in this neighborhood a great
| natural and benevolent gift to be a
| source of power and heat and light.
What really seems to me to be COM
ing as inevitable as the sunshine and
the seasons in their courses is that
God Is going to plant in mems hearts
| new and vitalizing power of his
spirit, power TO perceive that all the
great natural gifts which God has
given so beneficiently and bounti-
fully to men, when used for selfish
| ends to build up enormous fortunes
| and corrept men and communities.
| must inevitably work their own in
struction and damnation: on the other
hand, power to perceive that great
natural gifts honestly administered
for the benefit of all must inevitably
bring blessings and joys and comforts
and health and above all a more vital
sense of the Providence of God in
Christ and the power OF his Gospel.
In those days. the Great Falls of the
Potomac will be the possession Of the
| whole community, vast and bene-
ficent Source OF good and help and
| health to all And it will be per-
ceived that Jesus Christ, the brother
| of men and the Son of God, by the
power of the Holy Spirit in men IS
| hearts, brought this as well as many
| other blessings to the human race.