[V. Bernhard, in the Houston Labor Journal, Texas]

I have not the slightest doubt that Jesus the Christ revealed to us the true nature of the Father and exemplified it in his life, which was to serve us as a pattern. The tragedy of the Christian teachings through the centuries is that they have materialized the Christ, and now claim that one may live a purely material life, loving the world and all the things that are in the world, as long as he retains a profession in the belief that Jesus was the Son of God.

In this spurious Christianity the life and actions of the man Jesus are entirely ignored, and anyone who actually tries to live a life of unselfish service in self-chosen poverty is, by Christians and non-Christians alike, deemed a fool. It has always been a wonder to me how Christians can entertain such a philosophy, but they do. . . .

You will notice that I draw a distinction between the man Jesus and the God-son Christ, but I maintain . . . that what I here tell you is the teaching of the man Jesus. He passed away, but the Christ lives forever.

[D. Carl Yoder, in the Independent, Corona, California]

When Christ is in control in individuals and in nations there will be no war.

[Wesley C. Oldt, in the Tribune, Coleman, Michigan]

It is the Christianity we live, not the Christianity we profess, that the world is looking for—the life of Christ incarnate in men like you and me.

[From the Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada]

"Resolve to find thyself," said Matthew Arnold, "and know, that he who finds himself loses his misery." There is a great deal of truth in this. But let us not forget that being true to ourselves implies being true to others. In the world of politics, in the world of business, in our daily contacts, the man who is true to himself, in the best sense of the word, gains the respect he is entitled to. He gains the confidence of others and can look the whole world in the face squarely. He is the man who makes his own content, in whose heart abides the true light, which Christ [Jesus] gave to the world. What a beautiful world it would be if each one of us made it his or her endeavor to be true to himself or herself with the understanding that in being so he or she is not false to others! In trying to be true to ourselves we often go through a conflict. If we come out of it victorious, at peace with ourselves, great is our reward in the satisfaction that comes to us.

[Lt.-Col. Francis W. Ede, Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army, in the News, Adelaide, South Australia]

Whether individual or international, peace to abide and abound belongs to character, and not to conditions. Peace in the heart, peace in the home, peace in the community is of God. Peace is the fruit of the Spirit; it is the gift of God. Peace is impossible where self reigns. Peace is secure when Christ is Lord.

"From whence come wars . . . come they not hence, even of your lusts?" The root of war is in the souls of men. War springs from the heart. For statesmen to lop off some of the branches may temporarily restrict growth, but while the roots of malice, envy, and pride are still deeply entrenched, the tree of war will undoubtedly sprout again, and is ever in danger of spreading far and wide.

The ax must be laid to the root of the tree. Strife to be ended needs to be extracted, root and branch. Peace must reign in the individual if it is to rule in the nations; it must abide in the heart before it can spread abroad.

Surely a man must first be at peace with his God, with his conscience, if he would be at peace with his neighbor. If in my heart there is hatred, then there is within me the root from which all wars grow.

Hostility has within itself all the atrocious attributes of war—whether it is present in the distrust and dislike that make for domestic discord, or is evidenced in sectarian bigotry and intolerance that too often have led to "holy" (most unholy) wars, or in the political party prejudice that develops into sectional strife and ends in civil wars, or in the racial bias and bombast that produce international clash of arms.

All such conflicts have common center, and each a cure. Self is the center, and Christ is the cure . . . the Prince of Peace.

[J. L. Newland, in the Frederick Leader, Oklahoma]

Many people who feel themselves unsuccessful fail to take into consideration what success really is, and what is the main element in its attainment.

It is a serious error to measure success by material wealth. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth," Jesus said. Success consists in leading an abundant, useful, joyful life, according to spiritual and not material standards.

It is difficult for a man to be very wealthy and have spiritual riches. The Master declared this in the story of the rich young ruler, who was told to sell what he had and become a humble follower of the homeless Jesus in order to realize his desire for happiness. It is possible to have great material possessions and to make spiritual progress, also; but it is difficult. That is what Jesus said about it.

So, if we feel in our hearts that we are not successful, let us remember that real success has nothing to do with becoming wealthy and powerful, even though wealth and power may become blessings in the hands of those who are sufficiently spiritually developed to discharge such responsibilities.

The main element in the attainment of success is the thorough giving of ourselves to our highest conception of right. The testimony of the wise and the experience of the simple are that in the unselfish and devoted employment of our talents, without reservation, is the road to increasing joys. Thus we have the gift of growth, of happiness—of heaven—within ourselves.

[Rev. F. W. Moyle, in the Observer, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England]

[Seneca wrote] "We can get rid of most sins if we have a witness who stands near us when we are likely to go wrong. . . . You can never straighten that which is crooked unless you use a ruler. Farewell!" . . .

We hear the same verdict from St. Paul. In commending the Christian gospel to the Roman world of the first century, he draws back the curtain from his own inner life in a famous page of autobiography: "The good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. . . . Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." . . .

Victory over self never comes by self-effort, but only by self-surrender to a higher power which comes in from the spiritual world to enable us. For St. Paul it was Christ who made that spiritual power a reality, so that he could say in later life, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." . . .

In his great picture called the "Light of the World," Holman Hunt portrays Christ knocking at the door of the human heart. It is said that a critic pointed out to the painter that he had forgotten to put a handle on the door. "No," said the artist, "I had not forgotten it: the handle is on the inner side of that door."

[Rev. O. B. Little, in the News, Cadillac, Michigan]

Nothing so shrivels the human heart as selfishness and the spirit of covetousness. Therefore, "it is more blessed to give than to receive." To give joyously and thoughtfully is one of the most uplifting experiences one can have. Always have the spirit that loves to give and to help as many as possible.

But, love is not to be divorced from wisdom and experience, for, to give everything to everyone that asks—the sword to the madman, the alms to the impostor, . . . would be to act as the enemy to ourselves and others. Indiscriminate giving is ofter a great evil to the individual and the community. But the spirit that loves to give, that gives as much as possible in the wisest way, is Christlike and divine.

Give always to him that asks, not always what he asks, but what is wisest and best; as God answers our prayers.

[From the Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada]

Lord Rosebery in his "Life of Pitt" records a conversation on the quality required in a Prime Minister. One participant said "eloquence"; another said "knowledge." Pitt himself defined that quality as "patience." He was right, and it is a quality, too, that is required in the exercise of man's relationship with his fellows. It is the king of virtues, and where it reigns in the hearts of those willing to await the working out of the divine destiny, it becomes an asset that wipes away all suspicion and fear. Its exponent then can make his contribution to the stability and moral grandeur of a nation and as a citizen of the world, in the knowledge that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

[From the Media News, Pennsylvania]

This modern world demands a church having charity toward all and malice toward none. It demands a fellowship built upon co-operation, not an organization centering in controversy. Loyalty to Jesus Christ does not exclude loyalty to all that is Christlike in all the creeds, and apart from creeds. The Christian religion is not a theory; it is a revelation. Christianity is a way of living. In brief, "Christianity is the revelation, through Jesus Christ, of the purpose of God, and the development of that purpose in the lives and institutions of men."

[Rev. Benjamin E. Watson, as quoted in the Star-News, Pasadena, California]

What you are and what you do. Without the convictions of truth and duty, your life is shallow. . . .

Your ideals determine, too, the plane of your living. Only the heaven-born ideals of Jesus can inspire nobility of life and beauty of soul. . . . Character determines destiny, and the Christian virtues are the eternal values.