The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-27
Something Better Than Reform.

Something Better Than Reform.
Pekins principal street is watersd
in summer by each merchants sprin-
king the space in front of his own
property. That is the way Nehemiah
rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem: every
man built over against his own house.
And that is the way the neighborhood
is to be made Christian, by each of US
making himself and his home Chris
tan. A neighborhood is merely the
sum of the neighbors. The whole is
no better than its parts.
So the first duty Of neighborliness is
not to improve our neighbors but to
try to improve ourselves.
That is an old fashioned notion
The modern way is to let things go
bad and then reform on large
scale. The present vogue is for maxi
ing a career" rather than for making
a home. There is more of wholesome
suggestion in the following words of
the wife of the governor of Nebraska
than in many a chapter on feninism:
ut should cause no surprise that I
am able to keep up twenty-one room
home without servants. If it
Should seem a bit out of the ordinary
in these days, 1 would answer by call
ing attention to my grandmother -.
a producer and not parasite. She
paid her way in life. Any help I can
give. my country must emanate from
my home. try to live up to the ira
ditions of my ancestors, who believed
right to exist by living constructively.'
= The Painted House.
About the best contribution any,
body makes to the common welfare is
a good example. When the wife of
the governor of Nebraska does her
own housework, other women are re-
called to a sense of the essential
Fix i .
home. The quickest way to Convert a
community to the doctrine of fresh
| paint is to paint your own house.
Whoever travels oXer the land is GER
tain to notice that fresh paint and well
| trimmed lawns and window awnings
are epidemic; whole neighborhoods
are attacked by them almost stimuli
taneously. OF course this is the law
| of example and emulation at work. A
freshly painted home is better argu-
ment for civic beauty than an eXhorta-
| ton at the woman's club.
Confidentially. 1 have grown quite
sceptical of the usefulness of reform
ers'' whose own children and homes
have developed into failures while
theylthenselves were trying to remake
this sorry scheme of things entire" l
know a number of such instances.
Every home failure is sad, but these
seem tragieally SO. I do not reflect
| upon the sincerity or altruisrn of these
persons who, in social work, in relig-
ious work and in politics have tried to
do large service to their time, to the
neglect of their own homes. They
simply forgot the oldest and divinest
principle, which is that a persons re-
sponsibility is first of all for his own
life and family.
The time has come to cry aloud that
the most far-reaching social service
| is done by the man or woman who
/ lives true life and creates an ideal
| Christian home.
/ Old Fashions for New.
The district sales manager of pop
ular make of autom obile told me, the
other day, that he had made a dis
covery which, while it bit hard on his
pride, was good for his business
| When L was given this territory
was bit puffed up; ana I determined
to do wonders in selling our car. Sc
I made map of my district, and stuck
4 a red pin into it wherever 1 made q
sale. Soon I found that the red pin.
began to show in clusters. Then !
realized that not my salesmanship, bu
my cars. were making the bushes,
grow. Each purchaser seemed to ere
late vogue for our automobile. Nov
I have come to understand that ex
ample is the best advertisement"
OF course that automobile man hat
merely run across a law of life. TIL,
most powerful social force in tn,
world is example. Just as one bat
man or woman may corrupt a com
munity, so one truly Christian man o.
woman, by merely living q life of god
illness, may Ghristianike his or he
Ineighborhood. What we are is oul
only real eIoquence
Good neighbers make good neigh
borhoods. There is no other way. Rea
estate men understand the monetar,
value of good neighbors; but, despit
all their restrictions, they cannot in
sure the quality Of a neighborhood; 70
the men who buy their houses ma,
have wealth and social position, Will
entirely lacking in the spirit of neigh
borliness, which is the spirit of tn
Christian religion. There is a certain
celebrated and aristecFatie suburb
which employs a secretary of civic af
fairs, and goes to, extreme lengths t,
secure community perfection. All tina
money and brains can do to make tn
neighborhood ideal is done; but i
lacks simple, old-fashioned neighbor
Illness. The residents are too exclusiv
and self-centered ever to get togethe
in friendly fellowship. They want
good neighborhood, but they are no
inclined II be good neighbors.
This old fashion of folks caring 70
folks, on plain basis of friendii
ness and religion, still prevails owe
all the new fads for wholesale com
munity betterment. college settle
ments," in congested eenters of pepu
lation, were the vogue twenty-five
years ago. At present the few tina
survive describe themselves in term
of neighborliness; and are careful t.
speak of those whom they would
serve as "our neighbeFs.' The frs
persons to rebel bitterly against tn
|, various forms of institutionalisn
which are so often an attempted sub
stitute for sheer neighborliness ar
those whom they aim to benefit. Jus
to be a good neighbor is the first Law
of neighborliness.
Taking Time for the Best.
shrewd politicians often try to de
feat a candidate in his own district
they understand that if a man is no
strong among the people who liv
, closest to him he is fundamental
weak. In like manner, the Christia