,the ,william ,penn ,lectures  ,,hidden 
,,from ,,the ,,prudent  ,illustration3  
,paul ,jones' signature4        #aiba   
,walter ,h4 ,jenkins1 ,printer          
,philadelphia     ,preface   ,this is   
the seventh of the series of lectures   
known as the ,william ,penn ,lectures4  
,they are supported by the ,young       
,friends' ,movement of ,philadelphia    
,yearly ,meeting1 which was organized on
 ,fifth month #acth1 #aiaf1 at ,race    
,street ,meeting ,house1 in             
,philadelphia1 for the purpose of closer
 fellowship2 for the strengthening of   
such association and the interchange of 
experience1 of loyalty to the ideals of 
the ,society of ,friends2 and for the   
preparation by such common ideals for   
more effective work through the ,society
 of ,friends for the growth of the      
,kingdom of ,god on earth4  ,the name of
 ,william ,penn has been chosen because 
he was a great ,adventurer1 who in      
fellowship with his friends started in  
his youth on the holy experiment of     

endeavoring to live out the laws of     
,christ in every thought and word and   
deed1 that these might become the laws  
and habits of the ,state4  ,paul ,jones1
 ,secretary of ,the ,fellowship of      
,reconciliation1 delivered this seventh 
lecture on ,hidden from the ,prudent at 
,race ,street ,meeting ,house1 on ,fifth
 month #hth1 #aiba4  ,philadelphia1     
#aiba4     ,hidden ,from the ,prudent   
,in the latter part of ,january1 #aiae1 
,i visited for the first time the ,ute  
,indian ,reservation in the northeastern
 part of ,utah and drove with the       
missionary to ,ouray1 where the older   
,indians were gathered for the monthly  
issue of rations by the ,government4    
,that evening in the log store1 with    
some fifty or sixty ,indians gathered   
around the stove on boxes or seated on  
the counters under the flickering light 
of the lanterns hanging from the roof1  
we spoke of ,god's love for men4  ,the  
next morning we found one of our church 
families in a log hut1 gathered about a 

letter which they had just received from
 their boy who was at a ,government     
,school in ,california4 ,when we had    
read the letter1 the father of the      
family1 ,albert ,cesspouch1 a man of    
about forty-five1 blind from trachoma1  
which affects so many of the ,indians1  
stood up and drawing his blanket around 
him held up his hand to signify that he 
was going to speak4  ,with the natural  
dignity of the ,indian1 he commenced to 
talk in the ,ute tongue1 his daughter   
,rosita interpreting for him4 ,first he 
thanked us for the words we had spoken  
the night before and then went on to    
speak of something which had been on his
 mind since the previous summer4 ,it    
seems that there had been a flag-raising
 at the agency headquarters1 and moving 
pictures had been taken of the ,indians 
as they reverenced the flag4 ,he had    
been thinking about it during those     
months4 ,it means1 he said1 that they   
want to take our young men away to      
fight4 ,it is not right4 ,the young men 

should not fight4 ,then putting his hand
 in his pocket he drew out a little     
silver cross that had been given him    
some years before when he had been      
confirmed1 and holding it up as if his  
sightless eyes could see it he said1    
,that's good4 ,that means that men      
should not fight1 but live as brothers4 
,we explained to him that he had        
misunderstood the significance of the   
flag-raising1 but who shall say that    
that ,indian1 uncultured1 poverty       
stricken1 diseased and ignorant by all  
our civilized standards1 had not come   
nearer to an understanding of the heart 
of the ,christian gospel than the       
majority of his sophisticated white     
brothers8  ,perhaps1 after all1         
,christ's message is a simpler thing    
than we have supposed4 ,one can go into 
a theological library today and find    
stacks and stacks of volumes on         
religion1 ethics1 theology1 casuistry1  
exegesis1 philosophy1 the ,bible1       
ecclesiastical history1 mysticism1      

apologetics1 metaphysics and a dozen    
other subjects1 all designed to         
illuminate1 define and expound the      
realities that ,jesus taught2 but       
somehow they seem worthless when we note
 the clear grasp of the inner truth that
 the simple ,indian had achieved without
 their help4 ,we have tended to conceive
 of truth as something to be studied and
 apprehended intellectually rather than 
something to be lived4 ,we need the     
reminder of that old prayer which       
begins1 ,almighty ,god1 who showest to  
them that are in error the light of thy 
truth to the intent that they may return
 into the way of righteousness4 ,truth  
for the sake of right living1 not truth 
for the truth's sake or truth for ,god's
 sake1 is the divine valuation4 ,the    
wisdom and patient study of the ages    
have gone into the search for the       
knowledge of ,god and ,his will1 but to 
what purpose is it1 when today as ever  
the mysteries of the kingdom are        
revealed to the hearts of the           

child-like8  ,do not misunderstand me4  
,ignorance is no more a virtue than is  
wisdom4 ,we must not forget the speaker 
at a church conference who began a      
tirade against the universities and     
education1 expressing thankfulness that 
he had never been corrupted by contact  
with a college4 ,after he had proceeded 
a few minutes1 the chairman interrupted 
with the question3  ,do ,i understand   
that the speaker is thankful for his    
ignorance8  ,well1 yes1 was the answer1 
you may put it that way4  ,well1 all ,i 
have to say1 said the chairman1 in      
gentle tones--all ,i have to say is that
 he has much to be thankful for4 ,both  
ignorance and wisdom may be bars to the 
understanding of ,god's will4 ,it is a  
question of the heart4  ,suppose we put 
the problem to ourselves in the form of 
questions which will bring out some of  
the current conceptions of religion4 ,is
 religion a form of belief8 ,is it a    
form of experience8 ,is it the corporate
 life in an institution8 ,is it a       

relationship to ,god8 ,they all lead us 
to speculation and to abstractions4 ,or 
if we ask similarly does religion depend
 on knowledge1 on emotion1 on           
sacramental connection with ,god1 or on 
mystical detachment from the world1     
again we are led to try to find religion
 off by itself1 where it may be weighed 
and measured and nurtured as if in a    
vacuum4 ,they are interesting questions1
 but the only answer ,i have for them is
 that they suggest in no way the        
gracious words that came from the lips  
of ,jesus1 speaking to the hearts of    
babes4  ,his words were not of          
theological abstractions1 however true  
or illuminating4 ,he declared not the   
must of arbitrary authority nor the     
ought of impersonal law2 but rather     
revealed in simple story or expression  
the things which were true to the world 
of men in which ,he lived1 the harmonies
 which unite1 the relationships which   
grow1 the truths which were             
self-convincing4  ,john ,drinkwater's   

,trojan soldier says it to his comrade3 
,capys1 it is so little that is needed  
,for righteousness2 we are so truly     
made1     ,if only to our making we were
 true4  ,in the days before we began to 
question the generally accepted         
standards1 a judge always stood for the 
epitome of wisdom1 and it is worth      
noting that the recognized function of a
 judge is to consider all questions in  
the light of the precedents of the past4
 ,that fact sufficiently explains the   
difference in receptivity to a new and  
liberating truth on the part of the wise
 and prudent as compared with babes     
unhampered by a judicial attitude or a  
collection of time-honored shibboleths4 
,is it possible for us sufficiently to  
divest ourselves of our inherited and   
acquired prejudices1 our theology1 our  
thought-forms and the accepted standards
 of conduct1 to enter into an           
appreciation of the experience of those 
to whom the words and presence of ,jesus
 came as a new experience8 ,it is       

doubtful whether we can very thoroughly1
 and yet ,i would ask you to make that  
attempt1 that we may together examine   
anew the revealing simplicity of the    
message which ,jesus brought to ,his    
generation nineteen hundred years ago1 a
 message which is still valid in spite  
of all the checks and distortions which 
we have placed upon it4  ,what were the 
salient features of ,jesus' message and 
ministry which found such a welcome     
acceptance in the hearts of plain1      
ordinary men and women8 ,what were those
 truths so simple that the ignorant and 
uncultured could understand them1 yet so
 potent that once they began to ferment 
their possessors became known as men who
 had turned the world upside down8 ,i   
think we can put them down under two    
heads which will include the heart of   
the matter4  ,the first is simply that  
this is ,god's world in which we are    
living4 ,that sounds like the barest    
sort of platitude1 but have patience4   
,there is more in it than appears at    

first glance4  ,certainly it is the     
basis of ,jesus' message4 ,from ,his    
references to the lilies on the         
,galilean hillsides and the sparrows on 
the housetops to ,his discussion of the 
whole range of human affairs1 ,jesus was
 at pains to point out that there was no
 detail which was outside of ,god's care
 and concern4 ,the assurance of ,st4    
,paul that all things work together for 
good to them that love ,god is the      
emphasis on such a characterization of  
the world as finds its culmination in   
,jesus' confident assertion1 ,ye        
therefore shall be perfect as your      
father in heaven is perfect4 ,it is a   
world in which men can live up to their 
best4  ,did you ever think what a       
terrible irony it would have been if    
,jesus had said that just to encourage  
us1 knowing that it could never be true8
 ,we are tolerant of the unconscious    
cruelty of the small boy who teases a   
dog by holding a bone just out of his   
reach1 encouraging him to jump for it1  

because we know that he will finally    
give it to him4 ,it is unthinkable that 
,jesus could have used words of such    
deep significance in such a cruelly     
careless way4 ,it is ,god's universe in 
which moral purpose has a definite      
standing and a more than ordinary       
strength4  ,professor ,rauschenbusch has
 said it in these words3 ,if love is the
 fundamental quality of ,god1 it must be
 part of the constitution of humanity4  
,the simple-hearted have in all ages    
sensed the import of this truth1 for it 
has to them opened up great vistas of   
the possibilities of life1 possibilities
 contemptuously discredited by the wise 
men of their time who base their        
calculations on human weakness rather   
than on human potentiality4  ,your      
realist prides himself upon keeping his 
feet upon the ground4 ,he will go no    
farther than he can see1 and he sees    
truly enough the evil and imperfection  
in the world4 ,he notes the weakness and
 failures of the best intentioned1 takes

 cognizance of the low motives that so  
often dominate1 and bases his           
conclusions on them4 ,he spurns the     
idealistic twaddle of those who1 he     
says1 are guided by their hopes rather  
than by ordinary good sense1 and fancies
 himself a practical man4 ,he expects   
little and gets that4  ,the ,christian  
realist1 however1 sees the possibilities
 in the evil and weak of mankind4 ,he   
recognizes elements of virtue and       
courage and honor that are waiting to be
 called out1 sets himself to elicit them
 and bases his conclusions on those very
 real facts4 ,he is just as practical as
 the other1 but with this difference--he
 expects more and gets it4  ,when ,jesus
 called the impulsive1 eager ,simon a   
rock1 the hard-headed must have smiled  
and later remarked1 ,i told you so1 when
 ,peter broke under his first test2 but 
,jesus' judgment was the truer after    
all4 ,so with ,mary ,magdalene and      
,zacheus1 ,jesus saw in them what they  
might be and demonstrated that this is a

 world where the best has a chance4 ,ah1
 but a man's reach should exceed his    
grasp1 is ,browning's rebuke to the     
merely prudent4  ,have you noted how    
,jesus drove home ,his point that the   
possibilities for good in the world and 
in men and women were of supreme        
importance8 ,he was not content to leave
 it as a general proposition4 ,by       
parable and precept again and again ,he 
made it clear1 not merely that the      
possibilities were here1 but that they  
were ,god's major interest4 ,by them we 
are judged4  ,the practical men who knew
 that the temple bills had to be paid   
knew that money was money1 but ,jesus   
rated the widow's tiny offering above   
them all4 ,the one wandering sheep was  
more precious than the ninety-nine4 ,the
 perfect young man who had kept all the 
commandments1 no doubt the joy of his   
mother and the pride of his community1  
and also the substantial pillar of the  
church who had done everything that was 
required1 were not to be compared with  

the social outcast who had failed but   
had the grace to admit it4 ,there was   
hope for him4  ,taking the will for the 
deed1 the sincere intention for the     
achievement1 or the yearning of the     
heart for the practical accomplishment1 
is subversive of all our standards of   
conduct4 ,no business could be run on   
the basis of paying men in accordance   
with their readiness to work1           
irrespective of the service rendered1 as
 is the case in the parable of the      
laborers in the vineyard4 ,but ,god     
seems to be able to run the universe on 
that basis4 ,no wonder the common people
 heard ,jesus gladly4  ,of course the   
corollary1 or rather the premise1 of    
that is that ,god has faith in us and   
loves and forgives4 ,that is why ,he can
 use such an extraordinary way of       
estimating worth4 ,he believes in us1   
believes that we are better than we know
 ourselves to be1 for our knowledge     
seldom goes to the roots of our being4  
,he can be patient while we are still   

stumbling through the shallows of       
existence4 ,ye know not what spirit ye  
are of1 was ,christ's word to those who 
had not yet caught ,god's vision of the 
world4  ,the one who gets that thought  
in all its bearings1 that this is ,god's
 world from the beginning to the end1 in
 all its implications1 knows that no    
effort is ever lost1 whatever the       
apparent outcome4 ,he knows that a real 
brotherhood is possible1 however broken 
present relationships may be4 ,he knows 
that ,god's will cannot permanently be  
thwarted1 however man's futility may    
interfere4 ,he knows that ,god and      
nature1 religion and science1 truth and 
experience must eventually meet in one  
common focus1 however separated they may
 appear4 ,he will echo ,maud ,royden's  
fine words3 ,i am convinced that what ,i
 can see others can see--and nothing    
will persuade me that the world is not  
ready for an ideal for which ,i am      
ready4  ,there is one further bearing of
 this central thought1 and that is that 

the divine is everywhere about us--that 
we are never far from ,god4 ,if we can  
serve ,him in our fellows1 we can meet  
,him in our fellows4 ,richard ,swain    
tells of going home one afternoon and   
finding his children1 ,philip1 eight    
years old1 and ,esther1 two years       
younger1 playing together4 ,the latter  
was standing under the electric light1  
with both arms raised as high as she    
could stretch them over her head4       
,seeing her dramatic position1 and the  
unusual look on her face1 he remained   
silent1 knowing that something was      
coming4 ,with intense feeling she said3 
,oh1 ,philip6 of course we could kiss   
,god6 ,to which ,philip replied3  ,oh1  
you couldn't kiss ,god4 ,he is a spirit4
 ,why1 ,god is in you--and in me4       
,still standing in her dramatic         
position1 with the light shining full on
 her face1 she began lowering her arms  
slowly1 and as her expression of        
comprehension deepened she said3  ,oh1  
well1 then1 ,philip1 if ,god is in you  

and in me1 if we were to kiss each other
 we would kiss ,god4  ,yes1 that is     
right1 you would1 was his response4     
,then she said3  ,let us kiss ,god4 ,he 
arose promptly1 and the children1       
throwing their arms tightly around each 
other1 kissed ,god4 ,they had grasped a 
fundamental idea and interpreted it in  
their own sweet way4  ,when we can see  
the divine all about us in our fellows  
and live in a constant sense of it1 many
 of the difficulties which people raise 
against the full participation in the   
,christian way will quickly fade4 ,one  
will more readily see the necessity of  
relinquishing the way of warfare and    
following methods which will call forth 
the response of that divine element4    
,the industrial problem will be taken   
from the realm of conflicting economic  
elements and be approached as a family  
affair1 in which no group will be       
willing to tolerate a system which works
 hardships on other members of the      
family4  ,it is little wonder that the  

plain people of ,galilee and ,judea     
received the various angles of that     
message with a ready gladness4 ,that    
this was ,god's world about which ,he   
cared and in which men were ,his        
children and could live as such1 was    
immediately a liberating idea4 ,it freed
 them from the tyranny of the current   
ecclesiastical establishment2 it        
eliminated the significance of the      
,roman yoke4 ,what mattered it what the 
emperor or governor did8 ,they stood or 
fell by ,god's judgment4 ,it killed the 
envy of the rich or privileged1 for did 
not they have just as much worth before 
their common ,father8 ,and they found   
not just a nation but a world of        
brothers4  ,my second point is1 ,i      
suppose1 in a sense1 but a development  
of the first one2 but it has such       
significance that it deserves separate  
emphasis4 ,it is that this is man's     
world1 as well as ,god's1 or we might   
say1 because it is ,god's4 ,because it  
is ,god's world1 it is the scene of     

great possibilities for the individual  
man and for the whole social group4 ,the
 best is possible at any moment and for 
every person1 and ,god sees us in the   
light of what we may be4 ,the bargain   
idea of religion as expressed by        
,jacob--if you will look after me and   
keep me then you can be my ,god and ,i  
will give my worship--is forever swept  
aside in the conception that ,god has   
made this a world where man can come to 
his best1 and that when man responds to 
that vision and tries to live in the    
light of it1 he is rendering the only   
service ,god cares about4  ,the         
additional thought which brings the     
first one to completion is that this    
world of those great possibilities is   
put in man's keeping3 it is for him to  
create the realities which potentially  
exist4 ,it is man's world1 for1 as ,st4 
,paul says1 we are ,god's               
fellow-workers4  ,it is unnecessary to  
detail the expressions ,jesus used to   
bring home to ,his hearers the          

understanding that it was for them to   
make real what was only potential4 ,the 
thought is expressed in the large in the
 conception of the kingdom which was to 
be progressively realized4 ,he announced
 it as at hand1 outlined its            
characteristics as a new brotherly set  
of relationships and then told them how 
to bring it about4  ,he was not one to  
open before them a fool's paradise4 ,he 
recognized the evil1 weakness and       
brutality in the world summed up in the 
fact that men generally were living on  
quite a different basis from that which 
,he set forth4 ,his was not the advice  
to shut their eyes to the actual        
situation and pretend that it was what  
they would like to have it4 ,many have  
thought that that was ,his message2 but 
to give such a word is no more like ,him
 than the supposition that ,he meant to 
encourage them to attempt what was      
impossible4  ,no1 ,he admitted the evil 
that was present1 that tended to obscure
 the possibilities which were also      

there1 and told them how they could     
overcome and transform that evil and    
make real the good which had been       
overlain4 ,forgiveness and love were the
 transforming powers which were to      
accomplish it4 ,he put a creative       
instrument in their hands1 the full     
possibilities of which we have not yet  
discovered4  ,malcolm ,sparkes has said3
 ,love treats every man as if he were   
the friend he ought to be4 ,that is not 
a gospel of pretense1 for there is a    
compelling power in love that brings    
reactions often quite unsuspected4 ,most
 people1 in their reasoning1 ignore the 
fact that this human nature that we     
speak of has its two sides2 that which  
responds to base motives and impulses   
and that which responds to the higher1  
and that it is for us to choose which we
 shall appeal to4 ,it has been said that
 there is no average human nature any   
more than there is average organ music4 
,what comes from the pipes of the organ 
depends upon the hand which touches the 

keys1 whether it is a series of divine  
harmonies or just a jumble of discords4 
,the opposite conception has been put in
 these clear-cut words by ,herbert      
,adams ,gibbons in a recent magazine1 in
 speaking of the wisdom of ,americans   
adopting a policy of disarmament3       
,their country cannot afford to change  
from a wolf into a sheep unless a       
simultaneous change takes place in the  
others of the pack4 ,probably the change
 will never come1 for the simple reason 
that none will consent to risk being    
eaten by being a little ahead of the    
other wolves4  ,such a point of view    
entirely ignores the reality of human   
reactions4 ,the ,golden ,rule is much   
more than an arbitrary obligation3 it is
 an expression of the fundamental truth 
that men react to the stimulus that is  
applied4 ,it may be true that a hungry  
pack of wolves will not discriminate    
between a loving ,christian and an angry
 heathen who is at their mercy2 but the 
case is entirely different when a group 

of evil-minded men encounter a person   
radiating a spirit of love and good will
 as contrasted with one who shows       
hatred1 antagonism or fear4 ,their      
reactions will be quite different to    
those two persons1 even though no       
absolute guarantee of immunity goes with
 the former4  ,a few years ago a certain
 clothing manufacturer1 when invited to 
make an address on ,what ,is ,wrong     
,with ,christianity8 sat down to        
consider the matter4 ,before he got     
through he decided that he had no right 
to criticize until he had tried it out  
and that it was up to him to make the   
attempt4 ,examining his business in that
 light he found that he was paying some 
women as low as four dollars a week4 ,he
 immediately tripled their wages and the
 others in proportion1 announcing that  
he was going to run his business on the 
basis of the ,golden ,rule4 ,he         
expected1 as he said1 to go bankrupt in 
two or three months2 but felt that it   
was better to go out of business that   

way than to continue and prosper on an  
un-,christian basis4 ,but when the three
 months was up1 he found that instead of
 being bankrupt the firm had made larger
 profits than ever before1 for the      
people had responded in similar vein1   
and working with a very different       
spirit1 had produced a much larger      
output4  ,it wouldn't do1 on the basis  
of his principle1 to take the larger    
profits that had come from the increased
 efforts of his workers1 so he arranged 
to divide the profits among them in     
accordance with what they were          
receiving4 ,again the reaction came1    
this time in the form of a petition from
 the highest-paid workers saying that it
 was not fair for them to receive so    
large a proportion of the profits1 in   
addition to their wages1 and asking that
 the profits be divided equally among   
all who had worked the same length of   
time4 ,they1 too1 reacted to the spirit 
in which they were approached1 and so   
the thing has gone on with many         

subsequent developments and a complete  
change of spirit in the relations inside
 the factory and with the public4  ,the 
task of creating the realities of the   
divine order which is entrusted to men  
rests constantly upon the primary fact  
that this is ,god's world1 where        
possibilities of brotherhood and        
co-operation exist4 ,the recognition of 
that world is an act of faith from which
 the creative process starts4  ,another 
employer1 instead of complaining about  
his shiftless workers who do not know   
how to spend intelligently the wages    
they receive1 carried on a campaign of  
education for a period before a large   
division of profits was to be made to   
them1 and on checking up the disposition
 they made of their share1 accounted for
 practically one hundred per cent in    
savings1 stock investments1 property and
 improvements4  ,you hear about the     
ignorant foreigners who are working at  
our trades4 ,recently ,i tested out a   
large group in regard to their ability  

to speak languages and found a great    
many who could speak three or four and a
 considerable number who could speak    
five1 six and seven4 ,with my one       
language and no productive trade ,i     
concluded that ,i was in no position to 
use that contemptuous epithet4  ,there  
is also much loose talk about the       
subnormal brutes in our penitentiaries4 
,thomas ,mott ,osborne1 believing in the
 possibilities even in such men1        
proceeded to call forth those           
possibilities by trusting the men and   
making an appeal to their manhood4      
,dangerous1 foolish1 immoral were the   
comments which were made upon the       
enterprise2 but it worked1 and he has in
 the process fitted those men to return 
to a decent common life with their      
fellows4  ,herbert ,gray has said3 ,i   
remember the time when ,i supposed that 
,jesus loved all men simply because ,he 
believed it to be ,his duty1 and whether
 or no ,he found in them anything to be 
loved4 ,the idea was1 of course1        

grotesquely foolish4 ,god himself could 
not love what is essentially unlovable4 
,no6 ,jesus loved men and women because 
,he could always find in them something 
worthy to be loved--some possibility1 at
 the worst1 which was a fit object even 
for divine love4 ,he could detect in    
each instance that which justified the  
declaration that man was made in the    
image of ,god4  ,there is very little   
use in arguing questions of the         
elimination of war1 the reorganization  
of industrial relations1 new methods of 
dealing with criminals1 school          
technique1 or the foundations of        
political government with those who are 
unable to detect in men elements of     
worth which can be counted upon4 ,the   
basis on which such people take their   
stand is so far removed from that of    
those who see this world of human       
relationships as a field for the        
operation of the creative spirit that   
only misunderstanding is apt to result  
from such discussions4  ,when one has   

not that understanding of human         
relationships1 then domination1         
coercion1 suppression1 restraint are the
 logical methods which must be employed 
in all those fields when men and women  
do not evince a desire to co-operate in 
the common life4 ,the protection of the 
interests of the right-minded must take 
precedence over the indulgence in       
sentimentality4 ,when we are strong     
enough we'll talk disarmament4 ,knock   
the brute down first and argue with him 
afterward4 ,without discipline you can't
 have education4 ,no government can     
allow its citizens to talk against it4  
,these are sentiments which we hear     
again and again4 ,they proceed quite    
reasonably from a different but false   
conception of human nature4  ,it is     
useless to try to meet such reasoning   
and prove it false1 as long as we leave 
unchallenged the basis from which it    
proceeds4 ,there is where the work has  
to be done4 ,there is where there is a  
call for a new evangel today1 to reveal 

to men that same simple message that    
,jesus proclaimed so long ago1 that this
 is ,god's world and that we can bring  
to development the good that lies       
everywhere about us in men4 ,when we    
have done that we can discuss these     
problems in terms of understanding4     
,until we have done it1 we are merely   
beating the air4  ,we in the modern     
world need1 above many things1 a new    
understanding of forgiveness4 ,in spite 
of much that has been written by our    
really great ,christian thinkers who    
have been blessed with the child-like   
heart1 and in spite of the experience of
 the many who have tried it out1        
forgiveness is still regarded by the    
great multitude as a somewhat difficult 
,christian duty4 ,it is the response    
which we have to make when one who has  
wronged us comes repentant4 ,instead of 
exacting our rights1 we must generously 
call the debt off1 although as we have  
heard lately1 these are some things     
which it would really be un-,christian  

to forgive4  ,but as ,dr4 ,nash reminds 
us3 ,if man sinned against1 draws back  
into his innocence and waits until the  
offender comes to himself1 he abandons  
his little world to the devil4 99 99 99 
,forgiveness alone makes a full         
repentance possible4 ,and ,herbert ,gray
 carries the thought still farther when 
he says3 ,the secret of ,christ's demand
 is in the fact that forgiveness is the 
only ultimately successful way of       
overcoming evil4 99 99 99 ,it ends evil 
because it wins the evildoer4 ,it gets  
at the root of evil and undermines the  
spirit which produces strife4 ,it saves 
the sinner because it makes its appeal  
to the good that is in him and calls it 
into life4  ,those who say that we must 
forgive our enemies1 but that of course 
it would be immoral to do so while they 
are still unrepentant1 are as far from  
understanding ,christ's principle as a  
certain churchman1 whom ,i once heard   
say that he had no hope of our ever     
achieving ,christian unity1 but that he 

was still praying for it4 ,so far from  
being the dutiful response to an        
attitude of repentance1 it is rather the
 creative power which brings out the    
latent possibilities which have been    
obscured by sin and evil4  ,it is the   
basis of what might be called the divine
 process of getting even4 ,a group of   
boys were playing ball one time1 and one
 of the number in a spirit of           
exasperation threw the ball into a      
swamp1 where it was lost4 ,the owner of 
the ball came in to his uncle fuming and
 declaring that he was going to get     
even4 ,what are you going to do about   
it8 asked his uncle4 ,how are you going 
to get even8  ,oh1 ,i'll fix him4 ,we   
won't let him play on the team1 said the
 boy4  ,it was a rather dirty trick1    
wasn't it8 ,sort of a low-down thing to 
do8 continued the uncle4  ,it certainly 
was1 but ,i'll get even4  ,you might    
say1 then1 said the uncle1 that he was  
like the swampy mire that he threw the  
ball into1 compared with the firm1 high 

ground where you were playing8  ,yes4   
,well1 if you are going to get even1    
concluded the uncle1 you'll either have 
to go down into the mire with him or get
 him up on to the clean1 hard ground    
with you4 ,think it over4  ,the next    
day1 when his uncle asked him how he had
 made out1 the boy replied3 ,you know ,i
 thought about what you said1 about     
getting even1 so ,i told him we wanted  
him to pitch for us2 and he not only    
played a dandy game1 but he said he     
would get me a new ball4 ,the boy had   
found the divine way of getting even4   
,i am not concerned to apply this       
principle to the many corporate and     
social evils of our time2 for if only ,i
 can succeed in making clear how true   
and how vital it is as a key to human   
relationships1 and how central it was in
 ,jesus' teaching1 its wider application
 can safely be left to you4 ,creative   
love is the healing spirit most needed  
in the world today4  ,if1 in presenting 
those aspects of ,jesus' message which  

reached the hearts of the simple with a 
vitalizing power1 giving them a new grip
 on life and a sense of at-homeness in  
,god's world1 ,i have conveyed the      
impression that here is a safe and easy 
way out of life's difficulties1 ,i have 
failed in my task4 ,because a view of   
the world is true and because a method  
of approach is the only ultimately      
successful one1 it by no means follows  
that it is always a safe method for the 
individual4 ,indeed ,jesus abundantly   
reminded ,his followers that they need  
not expect less of opposition1          
antagonism and persecution than ,he     
,himself had received4 ,the following of
 the way of love would make for division
 and strife even in that place where it 
would be hardest to see it arise--in    
one's own home4 ,it could not be        
expected that evil corporately and      
socially entrenched would always give   
way before the power of redemptive love 
glowing in the life of one individual4  
,it might mean that the lives and labors

 of many would have to be spent to the  
utmost before love would achieve its    
victory4  ,it is indeed in the light of 
such a possibility that the social      
character of the gospel is doubly       
emphasized4 ,the kingdom has a meaning  
only when we realize that far beyond the
 individual triumphs for love that may  
be achieved1 there is a field that can  
be won only by the corporate            
faithfulness to the ideal of the group4 
,the individual may lose by all the     
worldly standards1 and his life may seem
 an ineffectual protest or gesture1 but 
it is the type of losing in which the   
soul is found and which sooner or later 
wins out for the group over the         
entrenched evil of ages4  ,in a decade  
in which1 following a more imperfect1   
yes1 even a sadly futile ideal1 millions
 of men have been content to give their 
lives1 we have no cause to feel that men
 will not be ready to pay the price4    
,they are even too ready to sell        
themselves for that which is worthless4 

,if they but knew1 to adapt our ,lord's 
words1 if they but knew the things that 
belong unto their peace1 but now they   
are hid from their eyes6  ,but why is   
it1 we are sometimes tempted to ask1    
that the way of love stirs up strife and
 bitterness8 ,does not that outcome of  
some of our endeavors argue a failure on
 our part to express the healing spirit8
 ,it may be that1 of course2 but is it  
not generally because that method is    
essentially an appeal to conscience1 and
 a conscience stirred1 but not          
completely won1 drives its possessor to 
an extreme of reaction8 ,it was no      
accident that some of our leading       
,christian ministers were the most      
bitter detractors of conscientious      
objectors during the war4 ,the very     
existence of the latter was a continual 
challenge to the consciences of those   
ministers4 ,they had to maintain their  
different attitude the more vehemently4 
,as some of our friends remind us1 love 
is not a mushy thing1 and it sometimes  

has to inflict pain4  ,the world is     
growing old in its sophistication4 ,the 
developments in scientific research1    
during the last century especially1 have
 led many to feel that in the           
ever-growing complexity of the life of  
the universe and in the ever-widening   
reaches of our knowledge there is1 each 
decade1 less and less place for ,god in 
the world and less and less occasion to 
pay attention to the words of a         
half-mythical ,syrian teacher4 ,but out 
of that very sophistication has come the
 reaction that is leading many to       
question the whole interlocking system  
of philosophy1 science1 industry and    
politics that sums up the universe in   
terms of material things4 ,it is time1  
they say1 that we began to cut loose    
from the machine and get down to the    
human heart that is the one vital thing 
in the world3      ,not kings and lords1
 but nations6     ,not crowns and       
thrones1 but men6  ,to such comes with  
new and convincing power that which has 

been hidden from the wise and prudent1  
the vision that this is still ,god's    
world1 in which1 for all the learned    
data we have collected1 there are still 
the almost untapped reservoirs of human 
possibilities awaiting not the test     
tubes of the scientist or formulas of   
the mathematician to bring them out1 but
 merely the spirit of redemptive love as
 we have learned it in ,jesus4  ,richard
 ,roberts has said it rather finely3    
,the story of ,jesus is 'the instance of
 love without a limit1' the love that   
will not let me go or give me up1 that  
flings down party-walls and overleaps   
frontiers1 flings wide the gate of      
friendship to the enemy1 the impulse and
 the energy that creates the sovereign  
loveliness1 the loveliness of a living  
society of men1 purged of enmities and  
discords and hatreds1 living out its    
manifold and abundant life in the       
unbroken harmony of unreserving         
fellowship4  ,if we can have the        
humility to see that there lies the     

heart and glory of the world1 we can be 
content to let the wise ones erect their
 houses of cards as they may1 while     
within the tottering structure we build 
the eternal ,kingdom of ,god4 ,we can   
then greet the new day with ,alfred     
,noyes3      ,it is the ,dawn6 ,the     
,dawn6 ,the nations     ,from ,east to  
,west now hear a cry1--     ,though all 
earth's blood-red generations     ,by   
hate and slaughter climbed thus high1   
,here--on this height--still to aspire1 
,one only path remains untrod1     ,one 
path of love and peace climbs higher4   
,make straight that highway for our     
,god4          99       99       99     
99       99       ,,the ,,christian     
,,life     by     ,elbert ,russell      
,,the ,,quaker ,,of ,,the ,,future      
,,time     by     ,george ,a4 ,walton   
,,the ,,christian ,,patriot     by      
,norman ,h4 ,thomas       ,,the         
,,christian ,,demand ,,for     ,,social 
,,reconstruction     by     ,harry ,f4  
,ward       ,,religion ,,as ,,reality1  

,,life ,,and ,,power     by     ,rufus  
,m4 ,jones       ,,heroes ,,in ,,peace  
by     ,john ,haynes ,holmes            
,,hidden ,,from ,,the ,,prudent     by  
,paul ,jones             99       99    
99       99       99      ,william ,penn
 ,lectures are published by the         
,young ,friends' ,movement4 ,copies may 
be     obtained from the ,headquarters1 
#aed ,n4 #aeth     ,street1 or from     
,walter ,h4 ,jenkins1 #adj ,n4 #aeth    
,street1 ,philadelphia1 ,pa4            
,paper-bound copies     at -- cents2 in 
cloth1 -- cents4