May 1927
273
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
ically the printed page which makes public opinion. Is not all this a'challenge to every Christian individual, and particularly to every Christian Editor, to realize the responsibility which the right and opportunity of free speech lays upon every public spirited citizen? Does not the calling of God to serve, lay upon every Christian writer the duty to so mold public opinion that papers which pub lish evil only that they might get gain, should not be per mitted entrance to respectable homes, or be seen in the hands of men who have respect for themselves or care for their children and the public good ? If every reader of The King’s Business were to take a stand against the publishing of indecent details of crime and were to speak'an earnest word to his neighbor, what a mighty tide might be set moving for the overthrow of that which is soiling many lives and homes, and perhaps rendering powerless even many churches. In a recent heavy storm on the Pacific Coast a great tank was undermined, by the floods and some 70,000 or 80,000 barrels of oil were sent floating on the surface of the waters miles and miles from where they had been retained. The loss of oil to the great company that owned the tank was comparatively slight, but houses, gardens, orchards, lawns, flowers, shrubbery and everything beauti ful that lay within the widely spread path of this stream of oil was spoiled and smeared with oil that it will take a very long time to eradicate. A little while at its source at the right time would have saved it all. Is not every individual who can by word or influence create public sentiment, called upon to lift his voice and influence against those publications which, for mere lust of gain, are willing to soil for time and eternity the souls of our sons and daughters? ais Su icide—The Footprint of C ivilization "P \R . F. L. HOFFMAN, insurance statistician, is said to know more about suicide than any other living man. Suicide data has been his specialty for 33 years. In an article in the International Cosmopolitan, some very striking facts are set forth by him. Barbaric tribes, he shows, know nothing of suicide. The negroes of the south, despite their often depressing surroundings,, have a suicide rate of only 1.9 per 100 , 000 . The white population of the same district has a rate of 7.6. Strange to say, the suicide belt of the world :s the north temperate zone where climate is most favorable to
human happiness. An educated and cultured, yet Godless and Christless man, is of all men most miserable. “The more cultivated, prosperous and intellectual a peo ple become, the higher becomes their suicide rate,” Mr. Hoffman declares. Suicides are greatly on the increase among the rich and college educated. Mr. Hoffman reasons that most people who are well off do not know what to do with their money, and most people who are educated “in the modern sense” do not know how to apply their knowl edge to proper or useful purposes. There is an alarming increase among boys and girls, especially those who go adventuring to the big cities after careers. The intensity of city life, its alluring opportuni ties for excitement, and its subtle temptations, produce nervous diseases, moral and spiritual discontent and men tal unbalance. “In the last analysis,” says Mr. Hoffman, “every suicide constitutes a form of mental breakdown.” The very significant statement is made that there is today “less willingness to submit to the hardships of life—a re luctance to endure physical suffering. We whimper today if the water in the bathroom runs cold. If our feelings get hurt, we think we ought to protest by committing suicide.”' Mr. Hoffman comes close to the real root of the dif ficulty when he sayS: “Suicide is obvious evidence of fail ure on the part of the individual to adjust himself success fully to his environment.” The Christian thinker will go beyond this, however, knowing that fallen man has a “capacity limit ” and therefore must, have a Saviour to bear the heavy end of the yoke of life with him. “Great peace have they whose minds are stayed on Him, because they trust in Him.” Man is not at present constituted so that- he can successfully drag his load in a single collar. A yoke is a collar for two, and the Christ of God says to all the heavy laden, “Come unto me and I will rest you,” and again, “Ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11: 28-29). Those who share the yoke with Him never take their own lives. Another striking observation of Mr, Hoffman’s is: “The person who is interested in others is less likely to commit suicide. The present day tendency is toward exag gerated interest in self.” How firmly our Lord sought to stress this very truth—that we must be directly and se riously concerned with the welfare of others to be truly happy! How beautifully it is put in Isa. 58:10, 11: “I f thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity. and thy darkness be as the noonday!”
2 he Sw ee tes t L ives
The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small, Are close-knit strands of an unbroken thread Where love ennobles all. The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells,. The Book of Life the shining record tells.
Thy love shall chant its own beautitudes After its own life-working. A child’s kiss Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad; A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich; A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong; Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense Of service which thou renderest.— Mrs. Browning.
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