Putnam patriot., 1924-09-05
THE CHURCH CORNER
Brotherhood

This word Brotherhood" seems to me to be one of the tremendously po- tent words which glide from our tongue most glibly. while the true meaning and all that il entails. is un- deFstoed and appreciated very seldom.
 To really understand what Brother hood stands for we must go n step farther back and think from what Brotherhood must emanate and this we shall find is Fatherhood. the Fa- ! therhood of God.
 Now 1t is easy to say with our lips ! that We are the Sens of God. but are we really living and acting as if we, l-alI of uS-were the loving children i Of one loving Father? 1 am afraid not vet. but if we would truly make the term Brotherhood something more than meaningless word, this must be our method.
 Belief First Essential i First our firm. unassailable belief in our own relation to God as our Fa- ther. Secondly our equally firm and unassailable belief in the Sonship to | God of every other human being on earth. Once iet t feel and believe these two fundamental principles of religion ans sal Brotherhood Is es- tablishea How can it be otherwise I If | l.w that 1 am Gods child and iu as surely know that you are d's child. how can you be anything out my brother7 If l know that love God and that God loves me. and know equally well that %ou. every man and woman and child in the world, irrespective of creed. race or color, loves God and is loved by Him, how can do anything else than love the brother whom my Father loves This Is what We must do and base our factions upon of we would know true Fatherhood and Brotherhood in God. Another step in realization Is the vision of ourselves in every other hn- lman being This vision or belief must be felt or seen before we can really know our relationship to our fellow man.
 Why Do We Criticize
 Why do we criticize what we call evil actions in othersg Because we see and realize the same potential force within ourselves which caused our brother to fall, plus more oppor- tunity on his part and less on ours. In our own elfotIsm and ignorance We have lost sight of his kinship to God and ourselves. We forget that in all families there must always be the eld- CT and younger children and if we. through Gods grace, have become the elder brothers, our right Is only to ] help the younger ones, never to crltl- cize.
 Why do we when a Saint stands be- fore us, as they do and have at inter vals throughout the history of the world and gives to us with flaming word Gods message of love and Brotherhood. why dc we feel our selves lifted up and made enc with the Messenger?
 Because that divine spark within us that seed of the Father. which make US know ourselves as Brothers has for the moment transcended all else. has overcome all else. With steady strong effort, we must pre- serve and hold that high altitude Of Brotherhood
 The constant remembering that within every human being on earth lies the same seed. the same divine spark of God which lies within your self, will lead ns to higher knowl- edge. q higher point n evolution, which we must prove and use, by hold ing out our hand to those on the lower rung of the ladder.
 Finding Ones Brother
 And let uK never forget that there never has been any wrong action com mitted by any other human being that could. or would not haze been com saitted by us given the same oppor- tunitv and envifonments that also there hns never been any noble or spiritual height attained by any great .6uis of the world. but we possess equally the power t0 reach the same goal.
 The ouiy difference between the so- called criminal and the just man. is that the criminal has ceasee --perhAps