Editorial October 7, 1905 Issue

"Waste Places"

Annie M. Knott

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, . . . I the Lord will hear them, . . . I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: . . . That they may see, and know and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this.

Isaiah.

Among other undertakings which illustrate the progressive spirit of the present time is the effort to reclaim the waste lands of the West, and thus to provide homes for many who might otherwise exist throughout their earthly days, "cribbed, cabined, and confined" in the poverty-stricken districts of large cities. As we read of the vast amount of thought and energy, as well as money, which is annually expended in carrying on devastating warfare that leaves only desolation in its track, and then consider the relatively trifling outlay required to convert the barren desert into a fruitful field or a watered garden, we may well wonder at the blindness of selfishness and hate. Nation lifts up sword against nation, and sacrifices its own sons and those of its foe, that a few miles of territory may glut the false sense of possession; all the while forgetting that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof," and that within the borders of every land there are undeveloped possibilities for good, awaiting the energizing touch of intelligence and the far-seeing wisdom which begets love for our fellowman.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Services in The Mother Church