The Washington times., 1923-08-17
Of FAITH
IS GREATEST
PERIL
Harold Bell Wright Declares
Belief in Others Essential
to Progress.

relinqaGish the ministry, he turned
to aVriting for a Likelihood. This
is the fifth of series of sac
articles IN (Which. Mr.. Wright COM
memts on. fundamental economic
and social problems.
BY HAROLD BELL WRIGHT,
Author Of "The winning OF Barbara
WORTH when Mans q Man." Etc.
Service. Privilege Of Reproduction
Reserved by Author)
TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 17.-How
long will mankind continue to travel
an endless road, road Of discomfort
and distrust? Always we blame
conditions for the worlds unrest,
ignoring the simple formula that to
correct conditions" we must reform
the dividuals-ourselves.
The greatest danger, the greatest
peril, that we as a people face today
is ourselves. It is the danger that
we lose faith in our fellow-man-
that the creed Of the few who say
trust no man, for every man has
his price," may become the creed
Of the many.
Our Greatest Peril.
II 40 tAC udISCE tnS1I we AO6O Ae~A~AA
in the law-that the practice OF
holding laws and courts in contempt
may become precedent.
It is the danger of losing faith In
common honesty; of losing faith in
common decency-that the low and
vicious practice of making Jest OF
purity and mock Of virtue may
grow into a fixed belief that purity
and virtue are not among our
maidens, wives or mothers.
1t must be obvious to the most
Indifferent observer that there are
certain instincts or natural laws
that are universal and common to
all life. The instinct which prompted
the primitive man to fashion his
war club of stone and his arrow Of
flint is the same instinct that manu-
features modern explosives and
builds the mighty guns for the coast
defense.
In the growth and development OF
| the human race this law has been
| and is supreme. In 1t are the begin
nings Of governments, the seeds OF
revolutions and the establishment
of better governments.
In it are the beginning and devel-
| opment of all moral standards. For
| what are moral standards, after all,
but this instinct Of self-preservation
in man operating to protect himself
from himself?
This law is inseparable from the
| law Of Brightness.
Each Individual Is an artist.
j Securely locked in the studio of self
/ every man is painting a portrait
portrait of the man he would be.
But the picture Is never finished,
Constantly, even as the painter
works, the model changes. The
years pass. His work is still to him
| incomplete. No one ever attains his
ideal, and the real failures ara those
who fall farthest from that which
they conceive to be highest.
Even knowing instinctively this
law of rightness, there has come
down from the dark ages to man a
conviction that there is such thing
as royal privilege, a privilege which
includes lawlessness and favoritism
and infidelity and RIGHTEOUSNESS.
But heed this warning: Life itself
pronounces the doom Of privilege
when it declares in it's laws of life:
| That which Is useless cannot endure.
| That which does not contribute to
the protection and perpetuation and
| perfection of life cannot itself live.
Already familiar and significant
cries are being raised among US.
The world is demanding now, not
what have you, but where did you
get it. Not what is your social
position in life, but what do you do.
Not who were your ancestors, but
what are you. Not what is your
title, but what is your job.
Efficiency COmpels Reforms.
Too large a part Of the little think
ing world is spending it's strength
complaining of our great business
organizations, without a thought of
the fact that these organizations are
training the world to an appreciation
| Of true economy and the use of
| natural wealth that will result in
| ideals of living as superior to the
ideals Of 100 yeras ago as modern
machinery is superior to the man.
killing tools Of the world.
The demand for efficiency raised
| by our great commercial, manufac-
| turing and transportation organiza-
! tions Is the new ideal for service
that is forcing drink and gambling
and kindred vices from the land
and, mark you, this all Is in obedi-
ence to the same law that put down
human sacrifice and the TYRANNY of
brutal kings.
1.-The new ideal Is here" which
was preached by a Chinese philoso-
pher who died 283 years before the
birth of Jesus Christ.
All over the world this new ideal
Is being sensed. What this new
IDEAL" this moral millennium, it might
be termed. demands Of each and