South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-11-16

wstchman, tell of the night?
Unto whomsoever much is given. of him
much will be required and unto whom men com
mitch much, of him will they ask the more The
question arises of faithful and wise stewardships,
AS well as OF talents.
"
= obs household is the great human family.
~ 1t is time to stop shooting over the heads of
the high brows. boiled collars and lavishly dress
ed occupants of the pews in our churches at the
army of the great 'unHashed outside-that is
not there to hear.
1t needs preaching to- quite without doubt but
it does only slight good when preached at-by
the absent method.
Why waste words depicting the sins and short
coming of the absent ones; why. like the pharsee,
convert the church into mutual admiration
ciety of the more talented in which to meet and
thank God they are not like the poor pubcans2
Gods human family is just like yours;
brighter than others. and others physical
y stronger than some,--but the Lord is the
Father of them ALL
Never since Cain asked the question, am my
brothers keeper" has the answer that
vouchsafed to him escaped anyone, the
skeptcal-for his own sake,-as an answer in
the negative.
Besides there are talents other than for the
acquisition of wealth. There are of great
wealth. and real talent for acquiring it. yet too
ignorant to count their change. They couldn't
add up a column of figures to save their souls.
How then about the talents Of such mans
bookkeeper. his cashier, his secretaries, and
clerks-and then too, perhaps, the talents Of
those who know how to dig in his mines. discover
and pump his oils, drive his engines, set his meals.
launder his shirts and black his bootsp
The presidency. a governorship, a mayoralty,
require different, and a better quality of talents
than white house janitor, state oil Inspector,
a street sweeper but all of them have their
place. are a part of the machinery. and the tai
ents of the efficiently employed is quite
essential to the eternal order is the talents of
the other.
Farmers as a rule. are untalented in the trial
of lawsuits, and quite occasionally unfit to hold
down $4,000 year pulpit-notwithstandin
that there plenty of lawyers and plentier still
of preachers who might be serving their talents
better by harvesting the mild-eyed potato
planting the useful posthole
Talents are talents IN whatever direction they
attend. and to him that hath shall be given if
he properly employs them; given perforce of
their employment until he shall have
abundance, while from him that hath motor just
litte,-due to their non-use, shall be taken
away even that which he hath.
he only law of nature. OF Of economics or OF
God enveloped in that bit of scripture is the law
of activity that gives life and growth, and the law
of inertia that dwndles and dies.
"
w is scriptural truth. The FIVE each
have their separate functions-the eyes the nose,
the mouth. the ear. the touch. Shall any of them
challenge the usefulness Of the others1
Why then all this effort. much of it down
through the ages, and especially reviving just
when the demand for social democracy and in
dustral justice is filling the world with unrest
to particularly sanctify the talents that have been
misused by greedp
A man can use, expand, utilize his talents,
to their limits. and do it honestly. hndering
one, grating off from one depriving none OF
their just rights.
Those especially endowed with talents for the
accumulation of great wealtl however, due to
the ever present impulse called greed apt
kick the traces and employ their talents
IN dishonest, grating. oppressive calculations
well. that is exactly what the young preacher Of
Nazareth meant when He said;
1T is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of needle than for rich man to
enter the kingdom of God. =
and He must have said it pretty much that way
for it is practically the only quotation from Him
in the four gospels that identicazes.
Matthew. Mark and Luke. staff correspondents
for the Bible sent out to report that interview
must either have compared notes for once. else
Billy Sundaylike, the evangelist supplied the
manuscript in advance and the editors lost their
blue pencils.
You know the case; that of the rich young man
who wanted to inherit eternal life-whose wealth
did not satisfy him.
Keep the commandment" the young preach
told him-and you know the commandments:
do not commit adultery; do not kill; do not
steal; do not bear false witness; honor thy father
and thy mother. and
All these things have done from my youth.
said the young man. and what lack ! YETI
There was an aching void within him somewhere.
Il Il L