The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-09


 :, It is interesting to watch the crowd in a great city moving toward bar gain sale and to witness the jam and the joke. It is .tragical to watch the crowd move when a stage curtain catches on fire, and to witness the hor- TOTS of the stampede, the crush and the death. It is pleasing to observe the crowd in some great attraction like a circus or the exhibition of some prodigy or the performance of some clebrity These movements unify the crowd and it moves as a body. The individual is lost l in the crowd and the crowd becomes a unit, a great rushing torrent or slow ly-moving avalanche.
 Int things that divide the crowd are numerous and interesting. The mat ter of taste. for instance! The crowd divides on the performance of Paderew- ski. the artist in the realm of music and idealism, and Theda Bara, the artist in grace and sensualism. Various fads, frauds and fanatics have their crowds. The crowd divides in the field of so- cial. political and religious theories. In the social world certain classes are drawn by notable and famous lights in society. In politics the leaders or varfs Ous parties draw their constituency. In religion the prominent ecclSsiastical celebrities of particular denoYiinations call forth the people of their/faith and order. Thus in various ways, the crowd is divided into organized movements, temporary or permanent, differing from the promiscuous crowd. &
 The church is peculiar body. an organized crowd with every member particular or individuai-"Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular The impotency of the church is in the failure of the individual member. We are an army-soldiers of the cross. Most of us have no guns l! We are only camp followers. We shout, Onward. Christian Soldiers" but never go anywhere. We sing, Surely The Captain May Depend On. Me-" but we never say for what. We are lost in the tcrowd-Only part of the. moving mass. The. question is asked, Who is .thatH and the answer comes back, "Oh, no- body in particular; just one of the members of the church." In carrying out Paul's simile of the body, consider the tragedy if members of the body should fail to function. The failure of the eye and the ear to do their work in
 
 the careless hand upon the wheel of a modern motor car or the failure of the foot on the brake would result in tragedy. In so vital an age as this, if every organ of the body must func- tiOn to it's full power, how much more necessary that every member of the church should reach the highest pos sible efficiency and activity.
 In mathematics there are figures and ciphers -Or integers and naughts. Naughts, are worthless without figures. A half dozen naughts written in line would still be nothing; put figure in front and the result would be from one million to nine million, according to the size of the figure placed in front The particular" church member is the figure. The ''no-one-in-particular" is the naught or cipher. A naught may increase the power of the figure by simply standing by it. Don't forget that cipher can help by being pres An old fellow with a broom handle can, by his presence and enthusiasm, cheer the fellow with a gun. What a pity, however, that he doesn't change the broom handle for a gun in such a crisis of battle. ;
 In every select or promiscuous crowd, various individuals may become par ticular, distinct or singular in the emotions stirred, the thoughts aroused or purposes inspired under lecture or sermon on duty, responsibility, op- portunity and possibility. The bewild- ering and distressing fact due either to the speaker or the nearer is that generally no particular responsibility is impressed. 1t is the discouraging case referred to in the Bible-.If any be a nearer of the word and not doer, he is like unto a man behOlding his natural face in a glass for he beholdeth him. self and goeth his way and straight way fOrgetteth what manner of man he vas Sabbath after Sabbath the thrOng hear the word, are interested or wearied by the earnest appeal of the preacher, accept his statements and move along without change of conduct. Absorbed in self and selfish interest, we are blind and deaf and inactive to the great task of saving our fellowman., With closed eyes and deaf ears, silent lips and palsied hands, we pass the throng up and leave them to destiny and doom which might be changed by kindly word and earnest plea or a persuasive appeal.
 
 The whole task of education and inspirational effort would be hopeless if It were not for the fact that eveK and anon someone in the crowd becomes an individual becomes somebody in par tlcular, receives an inspiration, forms purpose, catches a new vision, hears a new call, lifts his hand to a new task and starts upon a new journey, being not fOrgetful nearer, but a doer of the word" Inspired by this hope, appeal for individualism-fO members ill particular" The world about us is perlshing spiritually for the lack of bit of brotherly sympathy, friendly counsel and earnest prayer and plead ing. The fatality lies in the fact that we do not see. Our eyes are blinded to the needs and the opportunities. Par ents who profess to be Christians pass in and out before their children year after year and show no vital or personal interest in their salvation and spiritual development till in some unexpected hour they are caught in q tragedy or attacked by some fatal disease and are hurried into eternity, unprepared. They awake at last to the doom, but too late, Men and women work in stores and shops and offices side by side with 'ir- ifeilglOus men and women-men and women, who are, SO to speak, only wait ing for some friendly counsel or guiding hand. Yet the Christian does not see, he does not think, he does not act. . Do you know the world Is dying,
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