The Topeka state journal., 1919-06-20

stint. Ancient Greece and Rome did
their best by Corinth--and behold tsis
ruin!
Proud Corintn was pronigate. She
set out to crafty her appetites, after
cultivating the latter most skillfuily;
and, as always happens. man or q
people who does this becomes degen-
crate. So wicked was Corinth that
her name grew to be the accepted syn
"Corinthianize" seems to have passed
into speech as expressing the worst
that bestiality could do to a man.
That is the background of this
perfect piece OF literature. Did ever
lovelier marble come from nlthier
slime? We cannot pass over the sig
nificant fact that Paufs poem on love
was written to people who lived IN
Corinth. He gave of his best to these
who lived amid the worst. Corin-
THAN Christians were not only called
to be saints, like lilies growing in
black mud. but they were biddsS to
accept this highest standard of per-
lection as their way of life. Evidently
nobody is excused by his circum-
stances from pursuing the noblest
standards
'aThe Greatest Thing I'm the World"
More suggestive than any comment
upon this poem concerning what
henry Drummond. in his charming
| little book. called .sThe Greatest Thing
in the World" is the text itself. the
very words of the Apostle. as we have
them in the Revised Version:
NOW abideth faith, hope, love- these
three; and the greatest of these is
love.-I. Cor. 1913.
/ Some Soldier Surprises.
As Babylon was built of ordinary
Gay. SO the choicest characters are
formed of the commonest materials.
There Is nothing in this chapter upon
love that is dependent upon some great
Lnght or genius. 1t is not a mystery
Tor monks. a riddle for scholars All
lne elements of perfect love, which
the inspired record makes synony-
nous with God himself. are for prac-
tlce by the most everyday sort of
1olk. The woman in the kitchen, the
man In the shop, the youth on the
farm or in the office, may display the
qualties that make up the composite
called love.
We have learned from our soldiers
tnat tnere are unsupported qualities in
even the most commonplace persons.
| MOST or the heroes OF whom we have
reao nave been very ordinary young
men IN civil life. War gave unsus-
pected potentialities an opnortunitv
The world now knows that evervboSy
IS capable of higher possibilities than
we had in peace time surnnised. Ca
pacity for heroism. and capacity for
salnthood, are dormant in the average
men and woman.
il Only today thoughtful soldier said
10 me that humanity must recognize
that there are two classes of psoDle in
the world, those capable of self-gov-
ernment, and those not. His conten-
tion is that certain small group of
nations must forever rule the world.
and that instead of there being Less
imperialism, there must be more.
Am!dst the troubled scenes where NV
Iot is at present cast, hear this view
point frequently expressed or implied.
runs squarely athwart the basic
ioea OF the New Testament, which Is
that even the least. have capacity for
the pest; that the very dweller amidst
sensuality and debauchery OF Coriath
could become superlative Christian.
A Dynamic for the New Day.
Nothing could be more timely than
this lesson. Mankind is in q uiuddle
AT TINS writing the Paris peace con-
ference is itself in a state of dlscord.
4 1t has revealed, instead of abolisffinp.
the old selfishness that reside in the
breasts of nations as of individuals.
All around the horizon is trouble, and
, portents of further and worse dis
turbances darken the horizon. Many
persons are fairly despairing of hu-
man society. and talking of a reyer-
sion to jungle conditions.
/ What Is the word for this particu-
lar time? Paul wrote it. By the way
OF love, all men everywhere can come
TO brotherhood, and to the best of
self-realization. One year OF an hon.
est effort on the part OF everybody
to fulfill the teachings OF the Thir-
. teenth Chapter of First Corinthians
would solve all the problems that
have vexed the peace conference.
. There would be no disoordant pride,
Jealousy. fear and ambition, IL we
were all attempting to walk by the
royal rule of love.
} Perhaps in this bewildering time
| we may learn how workable are the
! words of Holy Writ. Christianity is
one philosophy that remains seriously
untried among the nations. Loves
law still waits its chance. Pending
the glorious day when love, Christian
love, such as our. lesson teaches--with
all its contrasts to prevalent social
theories-sf1all have a full exemplifI-
cation in the world. suppose we try Il
, individually, as the rule of conduct
best worth putting into practice? II
the Christians OF North America were
: to accept Paurs counsel, this would
be transformed and transforming
land. There is nothing so workable
as love.