Editorial January 31, 1914 Issue

True Brotherliness

John B. Willis

The Scripture saying, "None of us liveth to himself," has always been seen to be ethically true, and today it is becoming manifest that it is also economically true; that is to say, the Christian call to fraternalism is being enforced by the requirements of self-protection. The ills and penalties of individual sin being laid in an important sense upon all, men can no longer ignore the demand for social unity. Through his responsiveness to the Christ-appeal, or through his afflictions while resisting the demand of social ethics, every man must learn to be considerate of every other. All thoughtful people are seeing this, the fraternal tide is increasing both in its movement and in its immensity every day; and in this we can rejoice, though greatly tempted sometimes to discouragement in view of the enormity of the human problem.

The brotherhood to which men are being driven by economic and other conditions, is not however the brotherhood to which we are impelled by the Mind that was in Christ Jesus. The world's trade associations, guilds, etc., ofttimes mean little more than well-entrenched monopoly. They are not the exponents of that all-inclusive social justice, that universal well-being which the prophets so constantly identified as the fruitage of righteousness. Clan consciousness always tends toward class consciousness, and, as has been well said, "the consciousness of brotherhood and class consciousness are enemies each to the other," the latter being the precursor of that caste which with respect to every lower rank is nothing less than stereotyped selfishness.

Christian brotherhood is the direct product of that sense of the divine unity of which Mrs. Eddy has said, "With one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power" (Science and Health, p. 470). Divine Love's objective is humanity, and its reflection in us must be all-compassionate. This is the teaching of Christian Science, its distinctive goal, and its every worthy representative is seeking to acquire and continually manifest a genuine redemptive affection for every man, yes, and every creature. True brotherhood is absolutely non-exclusive; it is the enemy of every wrong and unfairness in the world. He who in loyalty to God and man exemplifies the Christidea, can but become thereby the world's good friend. He lays his hand upon the head of individual need, but his bless ing is bestowed upon all mankind. He thus expresses the greatest fact of revelation, namely, that God loves everybody.

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