South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-05-21
Sunday M0rming Breakfast Talk
By ReU. Elmer Yard Cole

7 read an article the other day on I
the subject. Goodness a Rare Nir- 7
tue which I could not indorse be-
cause I do not believe goodness IS a /
rare virtue but very common vfr- I
tue. / believe that the great major /
ity OF men want 10 be good. There /
is a divine spark in every man you /
meet and the real problem is 20
awaken the spark and fan il into a I
flame OF fire. a fire of passion for 4
goodness Men are generally better +
than their creeds. Many a man can
not define his religious belief. in
fact he doubts If he has any. but
when the test OF living comes then
we find him putting a creed into
action that puts 10 shame many of
the written creeds Of religious his
tory. / have many articles IN my
personal creed but the two which 7
want 10 emphasize here are the
goodness Of God and the goodness
OF humanity" ] believe that God is
good and that "all things work to-
cether for good 10 them that love
God. 10 them who are called accord
ing TO His purpose" We can be-
lieve that there is a supreme ruler
OF the universe. an architect that
plans and a force that carries out
the plans. that there is "a power
that makes for righteousness, but
TO believe that He is always good
and that ALI things work together
for good is not an easy task for
tho bAt Of men Here il is that we
cannot trust implicitly in God. We
can believe when all things go we'll
but to believe when all goes wrong
then il is that our faith is tested
The preacher stood this week over
the body of a bright little boy. good
in disposition. handsome in appear
ance and with the prospects of
great future and yet it did not save
him to this world. The parents
stood Just as you and I would stand,
wondering why-why why
why? And we are just children,
crying in the night and with no
language but a cry"
We stand in the dark but Faith
tells me that there is good in it al.
/ Now we see through a glass dark
| ~. but then face 10 face, now we
know in part but then shall we know
/ even as we are also known" Listen
/ to Whittier tell the story of Gods
/ goodness and no man ever told of
/ that Eternal Goodness better than
! he
/ Il dimlv guess from blessings known
or greater out of sight,
\ And with the chastened Psalmist, own
/ His judgments too are right.
! long for household voices gone.
/ For vanished smiles l long.
/ But God hath led my dear ones on,
And He can do no wrong
/ know not what the future hath,
/ OF marvel or surprise,
/ Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.
And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain.
/ The bruised reed He will not break,
But strengthen and sustain.
No Offering Of my own I have,
Nor works my faith 10 prove,
/ can but give the gifts He gave,
! And plead His love for love.
And so beside the silent sea
] | wait the muffled oar;
/ No harm from Him can come 10 me
On ocean or on shore.
know not where His islands lift
Their frOnded palms in afr;
/ only know / cannot drift
Beyond His love and care"
II is not God that we need to fear,
II is ourselves God is good and in
us He has planted that divine spark
/ that makes all the world wart TO be
good. All the world loves a lover
and as we are loved we want TO love
and 1 earnestly believe that is true
of all men. I never have found any
bad men, have found some weak
| men. some men who by wrong train
ing had low standards of right, no
high ideals, but never a man who
would not respond to good. It was
a rare privilege to be closely con-
nected with the state Reforrnatory
in Kansas for several years and
never during that experience did I
find a bad man. some were wronged
men. some were mistaken men.
some were weak men, some were in
nocent men, but all had a desire to
be good They craved love Many
very often voiced the sentiment that
they wanted more than anything else
just to be loved. Love has a ire
AAlNAAAOA1 ANA NI anu W. Use a. AOD
little in this great worlds struggle.
Love and goodness are contag-
ious. in fact there is nothing in this
great world that IS not. Disease
germs are often killed by health
germs. Health Is stronger than
disease and all the physician does
is to give health a chance by trying
TO remove the cause OF the disease.
To touch the hem Of the garment
OF the Master was to feel virtue
come into the character. TO fall IN
der the shadow Of Peter and James
= was 10 be healed. 10 fall under the
spell Of the passionate oratory OF
Paul was 10 be convinced. so with
! goodness. II Il IS your life. men will
not ask your creed, nor your church
relationship but catch your Christ
: life and 60 out into the world &c
/. live Il. If YOU are good, just as
=. good as YOU know how TO be and live
/. up 70 all the light that you have and
Z make that living your supreme bus
D mess IN life. God viii take care o.
the future There IS a future life
but It is prefgured in the action o.
n