The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, June 14, 1912, Page 7, Image 9
JUNE 1.4, "Itll. ' only then are we in position to make the most of life. Nd fear 'of punishment inflifcted'b'y others can restrain us as effectively as the conscience can and should. Our moral development, then, begins with the recognition of a supreme being as our heavenly Father, and we are not ready to live well until we have determined that our supremo duty is to know His will concerning usand to do it.. The second thing to be considered in moral development is a rule of conduct, and we find that in the Bible. We need the word of God; we" can not get along without it. It gives us the commandments that form the basis of our moral character; it leads and directs us through our mature years, and it is our only comfort when death approaches. The Bible teaches us of God, and it also reveals to us the Christ whom we need as savior and as example. Christ gave to the world the law of love; when we obey the law of love, there is no danger of our breaking any other law, for love is the ful fillment of the law. If we make our bodies strong; if we give to our minds the training necessary and then put back of our physical strength and our mental activity, a high pur pose and a lofty ideal, we. can make life a success . for ourselves and bring happiness to those about us. We may differ in the amount of good that we can do, but all can do enough to make life worth living. One of the beauties of the Christian religion is that it can be ac cepted at any time and can make even a small remnant of a life useful. I was born and raised in a prairie section of southern Illinois and never saw a Bpring until I was twenty-two years old. Since I first saw a spring it .has seemed to me the most fascinating thing in nature. A pond receives water from the surrounding land and soon becomes stagnant; a spring pours forth constantly of that which is refreshing and in vigorating Just a word in conclusion. God has so ar ranged this world that we can begin at any time to lead a useful life, and no one can esti mate the amount of good that he can do, if he only tries. When I visited the home of Tolstoy, the great Russian philosopher, they showed me a ring in the ceiling of one of the rooms' of his house from which he had prepared to hang him self at the., age of forty-eight. Up to that time life seemed vain and empty to him although he had distinguished himself In literature and had every social advantage At the age of forty eight a change came in his life. He was born again; he became a new creature, and for thirty years he preached the gospel of love, and by so doing made his name known in every civilized land. Let no one tell you that opportunities unimproved never return. That is a dark and gloomy gospel, as disheartening as it is untrue. Let me give you a gospel of hope rather than a gospel of despair.- Let me read to you a poem on 'Opportunity," written by Judge Walter Malone. It breathes the, spirit of Christ's reli gion. He extends a hand to help all who will turn their faces to the light. I shall not only read you this, but I shall with the permission of your warden, Mr. Melick, furnish each one of ygu with a copy of this poem that you. may keep It withyou and gather from it the inspira-. tion which runs through every line. None are so good as not to. need forgiveness; none have wandered so. far. as to be beyond Christ's, love and care. OPPORTUNITY They do me wrm'g who say I come no more When once I knock and fail to find you in; For every day I stand without your door, And bid you work, and rise to fight and win. Wail not for precious chances passed away. Weep not. for golden ages on the wane! Each night I burn the records of the day -At sunrise every soul is born again! Xiaugh like a boy at splendors that have fled To vanished joys be blind and deaf and dumb; My judgments seal the dead past with its dead, Bnt never bind a moment yet to come. Thoughfeep in mire, wring not your hands and yweep; I lend my arm to all who say "I can" No shame-faced outcast ever sank go deep But he might rise and be again a man! Bogt thou behold thy lost youth all aghast? post reel from righteous retribution's blow? Then turn from blotted archives of the past, 'And find the future's pages white as snow. 'Art "thou a mourner; Rouse thee from thy spell; The Commoner .7 Personal Work Counts In Politics' In politics, as well as in all other branches of human activity, the personal work done by the' rank and file among the voters IS the largest factor in party success. Little or nothing can be accomplished even by the shrewdest politi cal managers without the support of the workers in the ranks. The best laid political plans will end in disaster if the voters are not aroused to the importance of the campaign issues. The work of reaching the voters will depend almost entirely on the efforts made In each pre cinct by thp workers who aro alive to their party responsibilities. This,is a work in which every one can and Bhould tako part, and nothing will contribute more in bringing about democratic success. What can you do in your precinct this fall? How many votes can you add to your column? What per cent of increase can your party make over its previous vote? Lot every voter com mence work at once in his own precinct. Make this year a record breaker. A change of a few votes In each precinct in your state may mean a sweeping victory foT the cause of reform- poli cies. No one can do this work for your precinct better than you can. No one can have the personal influence with your neighbor that you have. Are you willing to do your part? Many Commoner readers have enlisted In this work, and know from experience the 'value of good campaign literature. For this reason many are forming campaign clubs and placing The Commoner into the hands of the voters. In some states, a change of one, two and three votes in each precinct will bring victory to the democratic cause. In every precinct whore Commoner workers are at work they have found no difficulty in placing The Commoner In the hands of at least ten new voters In each pre cinct. In some precincts they have accomplished even more. Do you not realize the great im portance of reaching the voters in your pre cinct with democratic literaturo? The Commoner is doing its part in this work by offering an exceedingly low campaign rate of .35 cents on new subscriptions' from now until the close of the 1912 campaign or THREE NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS for $1.00. Every democrat can aisfot In the work of reach ing the votors by sending at least one club from his precinct. Every precinct Bhould bo able to send at least ono club of throe, and you should seo to it personally that your precinct Is repre sented by an increased voto this year. Use the coupon below for club of three, or blank sheot whore club is larger. PLACES COMMONER IN HANKS OF 12 VOTERS Horbort Sears, Now York Please find en closed money ordor for $6.00 to pay for twolvo yearly subscriptions to The Commoner, includ ing my own renewal. It gives mo pleasure to bo able to increase The Commoner's circulation in my home town and in this way help a little bit in holding up the hands of Mr. Bryan In his efforts to sproad the gospel of truo democracy and rescue the government from spoclal privi leges. I will bp on the job for now subscribers all of the timo". Considering the low campaign rato, I feel I should be able to' take' quito a good many more. Congratulations, upon your splendid victory In the Nebraska primaries. STARTED TO GET 3 SECURED 10 Robert A. Uroll, Pa. I started out yesterday to get a club Qf three for Tho Commoner but as you will see by the enclosed list I got ton probably will get more, but am sending theso at once. Tho progressive democrats aro feeling Very good of tho result of their two years' fight to oust tho Guffoy & Co., corporation, special interest servers. I boliove the people of both or all parties aro determined to resume their right of government to bo tho real rulers and not the ruled even hero in Pennsylvania it will not bo long before we will have direct legisla tion, tho initiative and referendum and right of recall. REACHES TWENTY-FIVE VOTERS Robert P. Reeder, Pa. Enclosed find money order for $8.35 for which please send The Com moner for the remainder of tho -campaign to the twenty-five persons, whose names aro given below. THREE FOR $ 1 .00 CLUB THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb: - Gentlemen Enclosed find $1.00 for which please send The Commoner to the following new subscribers under your special campaign offer THREE FOR $1.00 from now until the close of the presidential campaign. Name Name Name p. o :.. ..?;;. .V p. o ; ij: JL J ? Art thou a sinner? Sins may bo forgiven: Each morning gives thee wings to flep. from hell. Each night a star to guide thy feet to heaven. "THE WORLD DO MOVE" "Lafe" Young, editor of tho Des Moines Capi tol, who has devoted tho past 15 years to a war upon Senator Cummins, wrote for his newspaper an editorial declaring that after the Iowa dele gation had discharged its obligation to Mr. Taff it should give its entlro support to Senator Cum mins. Mr. Young declares that Senator Cum mins "Ismoro conservative than Roosevelt and" would not stand for doubtful constitutional in terpretations." Senator Cummins has been regarded as a radical by many people but some of the things he has done in recent years have led some of his friends to believe that he was inclined to go in the other direction. The fact that he has won the support of "Lafe" Young is in itself corroborative evidence that Senator Cummins is conservative eminently conservative. IIORRrBLE Tho Philadelphia Public Ledger answers Mr. Roosevelt's threat to bolt in this way: "If Mr. Roosevelt wishes to bolt he ought to bo en couraged to bolt, for it will be much better for the nation thatt he should stand before the country as the leader of a Roosevelt party de voted to his wild policies than that he should saddle them upon a historic and sane party organization." This is horrible. Tho idea that the "Roose velt policies" which have so often carried the republican party into power should -bo called wild and insane by the very newspapers thaf once assured their readers that those policies, were dependable! SAN DIEGO'S MISTAKE San Diego has a difficult situation to meet but It can not be met by lawlessness on the part of tho government. "Fighting the devil with fire" may be fascinating but it is not wise. The devil is an expert on fire and his fuel bill is small. Th weakness of Mr. Roooevelta -nmtnai- acrainst Mr. Taft's misuse f natronanro fa thut. Mr. Taft followed Mr. Rbo&iyelt's example. -The N,ew York Times demands that Mr. Roosevelt be given his "fill of fighting." Has the Times discovered the secret for perpetual motion. !. Ml M t 1' if"' - P , 'f t.