its coming would flower forth the spirit which calls it wicked to save one's self at the cost of another, which lays upon the best and noblest as a supreme duty the obligation to throw away life for the sake of the meanest and weakest of his brethren; the spirit, so essentially Christian, which has kept pace with the progress of Christianity, grown with its growth, and strengthened with its strength, and made the final measure of a nation's advance from barbarism, its loyalty to the law which dictates that women and children must be looked after first in the fire or the shipwreck, and placed in safety before the great ones, most valuable to humanity, dare even think of saving themselves. We may not say that the study of the spirit of Christ will at once render us able to pursue all these ideals faithfully and successfully, nor may we say that any one of us alone can do much toward making them prevail; but this is true, that only in proportion as men aim at and earnestly strive after these ideals can they hope to be fashioned into the image of God and recognized by Christ as the children of his inspiration. But all this will interfere with our comfort, says some one. Why of course it will interfere-undoubtedly and most decidedly. And therefore Christ gave us not only an example of service, but a lesson in renunciation. He taught us that the Christian ideal can be attempted only by those who are willing to deny themselves; he made us understand that Christianity can easily be shaken out of souls which have not been made firm by pain, and tempered like fine steel in the furnace of renunciation. To do all Christ bids us do, we must be as children, indeed, but we must have more than the strength of children; for to be a Christian is a great life work, no mere child's play. It is a crown we must win by effort, a pearl for which we must pay a great price. Much physical comfort must be surrendered by him who is striving for an ideal which is divine. Renunciation is foremost in the scheme of salvation proposed by Christ and shown in his life for our imitation. We should never forget the disappointment and failure of the materialistic Jews, brought face to face with our Lord, but having nothing in their selfish souls wherewith to lay hold of the treasure he proffered them. The same opportunity, the same danger, the same issue, is always ours. We can have Mammon if we wish-that is many of us can, and for a time at least-but we cannot have God and Mammon. The bread of angels will not be savory to him who has been feeding on the husks of swine. Every great institution, every nation, has its symbol: England, its Lion and Unicorn; Russia, its Great Bear; France, its Fair Lilies; the United States, its Soaring Bird of Freedom. The symbol of Christianity has ever been the Cross. Oh! it is no longer a sign of shame to be hidden and concealed. In the life of every day it meets us again and again; it jingles at the wrist of fashion; it dangles from the golden watch-chain of wealth; it hangs upon the bosom of lighthearted beauty; it stands clear-cut against the sky as it crowns the spire under which people meet to kneel and pray. But unless it be branded into the mind and seared into the individual heart, then has the soul not yet begun to be Christian. We must remember this as we seek to prepare ourselves for growth in the knowledge of Christ, and increase in the love of him; as we pray for the grace to assimilate his spirit and to imitate his conduct. The true symbol of Christianity is the Cross. And the figure that hangs upon it, naked and suffering for the sins of others, is the Son of Man, God's Ideal of a man. AT EASTERTIDE. BY CHARLES HANSON TOWNE. O Thou who hast arisen now, with bloom and blade and leaf, Thou who hast conquered Sin itself, shattered the gates of Grief, Show me the way this Easter day to scourge mine unbelief! Thou who has risen, calm and glad, from Death's tumultuous night, Thou who hast triumphed over pain and made us see the light, Let me this morn, unbruised, untorn, rise, sinless, Lord, and white! Give me the faith of little flowers that rise amid the Spring, Breathing the larger life and hope, silent, unquestioning; Unloose my bars that toward Thy stars my heart, Lord, may take wing! Thou who hast made the road to Death a way to peace and life, PRINCIPLES IN SOCIAL REFORM. IV. BY THE REVEREND WILLIAM J. KERBY, PH.D. T is not to be supposed that the cause of reform enjoys universal sympathy. Many imprudent reforms will, it is true, be attempted, and many shortsighted, impulsive men will engage in reform work. But when we have eliminated these, we find still that useful, sensible reform work, undertaken in the name of the people and inspired by love of them, will meet opposition which may at times hinder it from successful issue. Hence it is well that the reformer look carefully into obstacles and resources before undertaking any work; that he adapt, for the time, the end sought to the means at command, that he plan his campaign in a way to aim at only such results as his resources promise. The reformer is not much gifted with the talent of seeing and measuring adverse facts. He is impulsive, and very often not a trained and successful business man. Hence he may lack sense for organization and patience for detail, while both gifts are essential to any successful social leadership. We are so often sadly reminded of our divine Savior's question, when we study the history of reform effort. "For which of you, having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it; lest after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him saying this man began to build and was not able to finish." Unfortunately, many who have welcomed failure in reform, by not reckoning the charges, have invited the ridicule that is dealt out with such depressing effect to the average reformer. The clear-seeing eye of the organizer, and the practical sense of the business man who understands human nature, are necessary in any reform work, as may be seen from even a superficial glance at the situation. VOL. LXXXI.-5 1. In undertaking any reform, one should compute in advance the resistance which one may meet. Social laws are real laws. Bigotry, indifference, and prejudice are as real obstacles to a movement for reform, as a great rock on the track is to a railroad train, or a bolt is to one wishing to open a door. Just as the rock must be removed, or the bolt drawn, so ignorance or prejudice must be undermined or overridden, as circumstances demand, if one would accomplish a work against which they militate. To ignore these is a blunder, to underrate them is fatal. Hence the reformer should understand that social obstacles must be dealt with systematically, and he must recognize their laws without question or self-deception, if he would succeed. Some phases of the resistance to be expected are suggested here. (a) Resistance will be met in the mere inertia of fact. We find a clique in control of a city, saloons supreme in a town, unsanitary homes, sweatshops, carelessness of representatives and officers, and many similar conditions. Conditions are adjusted to them and the people are accustomed to them. They may be wrong and bad, it is true, but, one will say, they are there, why not let them alone? One would rather tolerate these conditions than take the endless trouble of appealing, organizing, reforming. No individual feels that he in particular suffers much; it is easier for him to let things go as they are than to take part in a movement. Thus, we find widespread indifference, which dulls ears to all appeals and deprives the good cause of the support of which it has such need. We find a similar condition in the problem of personal morality. Many men will allege, as a reason for not reforming here and now, the fact that they are doing wrong, and, while they much prefer correct life, still the effort to get into correct ways is distasteful, and they remain as they are. When a community knows the evils from which it suffers, and yields to the inertia which the condition causes, it will be slow to arise in its might and inaugurate reforms. (b) Resistance will be met from those whose interests are attacked by the reform. When we attack the sweatshop, we may expect antagonism from the sweater who profits by the oppression and degradation that we seek to terminate. The dealers who sell the sweatshop garment, the property owners who derive income |