Article August 17, 1912 Issue

FROM OUR EXCHANGES

with contributions from Samuel A. Eliot, H. J. Wood, David Baines-Griffiths, S. G. Barnes

[Samuel A. Eliot, D.D., in Christian Register.]

It is always in the little things of life that there is discord. In the big things there is unity. Whenever, in or outside of the churches, a great truth emerges, whenever tragic disaster stirs a common emotion, whenever new ideals are lifted before a nation, whenever the zeal of uplifting the downtrodden or serving human kind kindles in men's hearts, there unifying and energizing forces are let loose. Then men speak a universal language. It is when we lend ourselves to such movements that we are swept into cooperative efficiency. It is the recognition of the comprehensive unity of the intellectual and social and religious life of humanity that will restore our patience and brace our endeavors. We shall give up looking for short cuts to the millennium and steady down to sober, persistent, effective work. For that same unity is the justification of our confidence. It may seem that our individual or collective efforts must count for little or nothing in the face of such a vast and complex organism as the world in which we live; but the fact is that, because of these interlocked relationships, a good stroke anywhere counts everywhere. Each step in personal discipline is a step in social progress. Each private burden borne makes one stronger to bear the burden of the world.

[Public.]

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