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Show I TRUE SELFISHNESS. ' ' ! : T As the world grows in wisdom human hearts, rather than human minds, arc more and more realizing real-izing the great truth that in seeking the happiness ; of others are we most likely to find it for ourselves, j In the light of all-knowledge there is no conflict between self-interest and the broadest philanthropy. Selfishness, as we use the term, is, not selfishness at all but ignorance of our own welfare. Nor is the reward of philanthropy chiefly in the consciousness of having dono gooel deeds. The benefits are objective ob-jective as well as subjective-material as well as spiritual. - . 1 - j In the youth of the world men thought only of the welfare of their immediate families and were in a state of active or passive war with all other families. In the first cities the inhabitants had no interests of sympathies beyond the frowning stone walls, save to conquer and enslave the' people of other cities. With the broadening of the human mind that followed the dawn of the Christian era common languages established more extended ties and the: fraternal spirit exteuded throughout whole nations. It must be confessed, however, that this integration integra-tion of interests and broadening of sympathies is still incomplete, and for that reason we lack many of the material blessings that naturally fellow true, philanthropy. Though a man may build a fine house he is not content if a hovel stands upon one side of it. and a miasmatic swamp on the other. When he has removed the hovel and turned the swanfp into a park he is, if a person of taste, annoyed by the unpleasant sights, sounds and odors in the next block. He may succeed in beautifying a whole street or a suburb, but so long as he mingles with his fellows his senses are unpleasantly affected by ugly sights and discordant sounds. He cannot evade them. .The newspapers bring them. to his door and force them upon his consciousness. No more can he escape the evils and misfortunes that befall other men. If he ignores the disease that afflicts others, he may. find the epielemic dipping dip-ping in through his own portals. If he imagines that the want and distress of others does not concern con-cern him he may find his house looted bj a burglar or fall before the revolver of the desperate -highwayman.. Every evil that concerns others will react upon him. If he would be secure from those things which distress the senses aud reduce the total ;f his individual happiness he must make his home beautiful beau-tiful and his family happy. But he must not forget that the world is his home and that the human race is his family. |