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The Ideal State 



divine. They represent the different angles at which 

 Man looks at God. All have something to teach us — 

 how to make the common man more like God. The 

 true religion is that which makes most men most like 

 Christ. And what is this ideal which Christ translated 

 into a realised life ? For practical purposes this : To 

 take trouble to do good to others. A simple formula, but 

 the rudimentary and essential truth of the whole Christian 

 religion. To take trouble is to sacrifice time. All time 

 is a portion of life. To lay down one's life for the 

 brethren — which is sometimes literally the duty of the 

 citizen who is called to die for his fellows — is the con- 

 stant and daily duty demanded by all the thousand 

 and one practical sacrifices which duty and affection 

 call upon us to make for men." Here we have the 

 secret of Jesus — to take trouble to do good to others. 

 And this is operating increasingly in the thoughts of 

 men, and resulting in active alleviation of the burden 

 of misery, weighing down and pressing heavily upon 

 poor long-suffering humanity. 



We have a striking illustration of the dawn of truth 

 simultaneously upon separate minds. In science this 

 is well known and recognised. Discoveries in medicine 

 and mechanics seem to arrive coincidently. The 

 evolution of thought, gradually accumulating through 

 the long and weary process of past ages, suddenly 

 emerges with intense illuminating force and seizes the 

 mind of man, and as often as not, quite independently 

 two or more at one and the same period. There may 

 be diversities in the form of expression, but the same 

 truth or method of its application is the central idea of 

 the theory or process. In this case Stead gave ex- 

 pression to the thought that religion was the potential 

 influence by which men were brought to deeds of self- 

 sacrifice, not only for their faith, but for the State. 

 Kidd was able to prove simultaneously and inde- 



