1900 



GLEANINGS IN BKE CULTURE. 



659 



this is only one of the crosses the Christian is 

 called on to bear ; and when he considers that 

 he is bearing it for the dear Savior's sake, or, 

 if you choose, for the wives and mothers and 

 the little ones throughout the land, then it 

 should become a glad and joyous cross-bear- 

 ing. 



But we are getting away from the matter of 

 strife. I digressed in order to explain to you 

 that in my veins there is a craze for contest 

 and a craze for strife. Why, it was not many 

 months ago that I endangered my life just to 

 let a man and his daughter know that I on 

 my wheel could run away from a smart high- 

 priced horse. I said in pleasantry that I guess- 

 ed I would go ahead and get out of the dust ; 

 but the young lady said, in the same strain of 

 pleasantry, "Father, just let him see he can 

 not get out of the dust quite so easily." Be- 

 fore I knew it a crowd of people had gathered, 

 and they were watching us. I had the pleasure 

 of feeling myself the victor. Had the horse 

 been able to crowd me harder I should have 

 undoubtedly gone beyond the limit of my 

 strength without realizing what I was doing, 

 for my poor foolish heart was filled with strife. 

 Reason, good sense, Christianity, and every 

 thing sacred and holy were for one brief min- 

 ute crowded out of sight. As I lay on the 

 lounge at my sister's, panting for breath, and 

 fearing I had hurt myself, I asked God to for- 

 give me, and decided then and there, God 

 helping me, I would henceforth beware of 

 strife and the mania for coming out ahead. 

 Is not that sense and reason ? Whenever any 

 thing comes up in the way of amusements 

 where strife is going to figure, I feel it my 

 duty to urge caution at least. If you think I 

 am wrong, let me give you a test. The next 

 time you really get into some strife to beat, 

 stop long enough to ask yourself the question 

 if you are not hoping your opponent will have 

 some bad luck. Would you feel bad if his 

 horse should break ? or if it is a base-ball 

 game, would you be really sorry for a mishap 

 that would throw the victory your way ? 



Since I have practiced this sort of self-exam- 

 ination I have often been obliged to pray in 

 real anguish, " O Lord, help me to get this 

 wicked feeling out of my heart. Help me to 

 love my enemies. Help me to bless them that 

 curse me, and io pray for them that despite- 

 fully use me." I am trying to love even my 

 enemies ; to have kindly and unselfish feel- 

 ings toward those who despitefully use me, 

 even though they persist in it. I am trying 

 to wish well to all those who are trying to 

 beat me and to come out ahead. May God 

 help me in this Ireinendons undertaking ; and 

 may he bless the words that I am writing to 

 you now when I am trying to encourage you 

 to avoid strife. I have heard about pleasant, 

 good-natured contests. Well, if you can en- 

 ter into a contest, and feel all along just as 

 well pleased to have your opponent come out 

 ahead as to do so yourself, well and good ; 

 but, dear brother and sister, beware of the 

 selfish spirit — the spirit that would prompt 

 you to crowd somebody else down, that you 

 might get up a little higher. Strive to culti- 

 vate a spirit that rejoices in your neighbor's 



prosperity and good fortune. Be content to 

 be second; be content to take a lower seat than 

 those round about you. Remember the dear 

 Savior's words when he said, " Blessed are the 

 meek, for they shall inherit the earth." 



Strife is directly opposed to the spirit of 

 Christ Jesus. It is as far away from Bible 

 teaching as any thing can possibly be. Strife 

 is always selfishness. It admonishes you to 

 build yourself up ; and never mind, even if in 

 this building-up you do tear your neighbor 

 down. If any thing is to be divided, strive so 

 as to be sure to get the better half for your- 

 self. In that book called David Harum, that 

 has been so much lauded, David says some- 

 thing like this : " Do unto others as they are 

 continually trying to do unto you ; and be 

 sure you do it first." He puts it in horse- 

 jockey language, but the sentiment is the 

 same. The import is, that every man is work- 

 ing for himself, and if you are wise you will 

 work for self also ; but the main thing is to 

 anticipate the selfishness of the other fellow. 

 Be selfish first, or, in other words, if you meet 

 somebody who seems to have a disposition to 

 be fair and honest, or even liberal and kind, 

 before he has a chance to show a good spirit 

 exhibit your own evil disposition, and drive 

 out the good spirit by provoking him to be 

 evil also, like younself. Should such teach- 

 ings as this Lave any place in the literature of 

 the twentieth century ? Jesus says, " Do good 

 and lend, hoping for nothing again ; " " love 

 ye your enemies ; do good to them that hate 

 you." He says we are to reprove and correct 

 the selfish spirit we meet by showing kindness 

 and liberality and also un.selfishness. Instead 

 of provoking men to selfishness and wrong 

 we are to discourage evil thoughts and feel- 

 ings by being generous and kind. If a dollar 

 or a dollar's worth of something is to be di- 

 vided, give your neighbor 60 cents — first, be- 

 cause you love him and delight in seeing him 

 prosper ; secondly, because you recognize how 

 all-pervading is the selfish spirit, and you 

 want to be on the safe side. Do this where 

 only a dollar's worth is in question ; do the 

 same if it is a hundred dollars — yes, even if it 

 should be a thousand ; or if there is a deal be- 

 tween you where ten thousand dollars is at 

 stake, let your neighbor, or " the other fel- 

 low," as David Harum expresses it, have six 

 thousand dollars rather than four thousand — I 

 mean, of course, in things where there can 

 not be any exact division. You may be the 

 poorer in this world's goods, but you shall 

 have treasure laid up in heaven. 



Strife between individuals is a sad thing ; 

 but strife between great nations is a thousand 

 times worse. Yes, if strife should be engen- 

 dered so as to stir up a great war between the 

 United States and China, I might truthfully 

 say it is a million times worse than strife be- 

 tween neighbors. Of course, I do not mean 

 that our missionaries should not be protected, 

 nor that other nations of the world should not 

 unite in demanding of China that she make 

 good, so far as she can possibly do so, the out- 

 rages she has perpetrated on other nations ; 

 but I do mean that there should be no such 

 foolish strife as is just at this time prompting 



