268 Christian Citizenship 



Our energies, as a rule, can be employed to much 

 better advantage in uplifting some than in pulling 

 down others. Of course there must sometimes be 

 pulling down, too. We have no business to blink 

 evils, and where it is necessary that the knife should 

 be used, let it be used unsparingly, but let it be used 

 intelligently. When there is need of a drastic rem 

 edy, apply it, but do not apply it in the spirit of hate. 

 Normally a pound of construction is worth a ton of 

 destruction. 



There is degradation to us if we feel envy and 

 malice and hatred toward our neighbor for any 

 cause; and if we envy him merely his riches, we 

 show we have ourselves low ideals. Money is a good 

 thing. It is a foolish affectation to deny it. But it 

 is not the only good thing, and after a certain 

 amount has been amassed it ceases to be the chief 

 even of material good things. It is far better, for 

 instance, to do well a bit of work which is well worth 

 doing, than to have a large fortune. I do not care 

 whether this work is that of an engineer on a great 

 railroad, or captain of a fishing-boat, or foreman in 

 a factory or machine-shop, or section boss, or di 

 vision chief, or assistant astronomer in an observa 

 tory, or a second lieutenant somewhere in China or 

 the Philippines each has an important piece of work 

 to do, and if he is really interested in it, and has the 

 right stuff in him, he will be altogether too proud of 



