NOT NEARLY SO BAD AS WE SEEM.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2614, 13 April 1889, Page 5 (Supplement)

NOT NEARLY SO BAD AS WE SEEM.

« It is true that in those earlier iges men died for faith, principle, ideas ; but so do they in this age. Every day throughout the world men are taking flying leaps to death because of their fidelity to ideas. The poor switchman that leaped on the railroad track iu front of the rapidlymoving train, and flung two little children from it, but met his own death under the murderous wheels of the ponderous machine, died because of his idea of duty. It was not his duty to fling away his life for that of others, but he thought it was, and lie did it. Selfsacrifice, unselfishness of the highest and noblest sort, is not of any particular age, but of all ages. The spirit of compromise is the spirit of selfishness, and it is not an exclusive growth of the present time. Indeed, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find any other period of the world's history in which the spirit of charity, of good-will toward men, was more sentient or active than it is to-day. It is not only iu this country, but in all countries, that benevolence flows in a steady stream from the rich to the poor. The laud is thick with great charities. We need but look about any great city like this to recognise how strong and broad and deep the stream of charity flows. It is epitomised in scores of institutions kept alive at a most enormous cost for the helping of those who need help ; there are hospitals, homes, asylums, refuges, schools numberless, which all represent the world's unselfishness, its liberality and charity. Tliie age is not worse, but better than those which went before it, because there is even a potent spirit abroad in it helping and improving it. Religion, education, social usages, are all employed in shaping the world to better ends, and they are doing it effectually. If there are great riches they are more equally divided than ever before, and it there is still s»l----fishness in the world, thereis also charity, and if there isaln'oati the cowardly spirit of compromise there is similarly the noble ones of heroic endeavour and aulf-suciilioo. — PiiiU.lclphia TeW-griipl..