r; I am a merchant; I am a mechanic; I am an artist; I am a
musician; I am a farmer; I am a common laborer. Before me I see women
who say, I am a dressmaker; I am a milliner; I am a teacher; I am a
clerk; I am a bookkeeper; I am a typewriter; or I am a lawyer's wife, or
banker's wife, or doctor's wife, or merchant's wife, or preacher's wife,
or mechanic's wife, or farmer's wife. You think of yourselves according
to that position you occupy to make your living, or according to the
relationship you hold as wife, mother, daughter, or according to the
family you are a member of. Then again you all esteem yourselves
according to the degree of comfort, luxuries, health, money or property
which each of you may or may not possess. Also whether you are young,
middle aged or old.

"Dear brothers and sisters, I do not rate you nor judge you nor look at
you in any way according to your conditions, age, sex or environments. I
look at you to-day not as you look at yourselves, but I look at you all
as spiritual beings, pure and perfect; nay, I look upon you all as
being still more than that, for I look upon you all as being the
manifestation of the One great Infinite Spirit.

"Let me make it clearer to you by an illustration: In a certain province
of an Oriental country it was customary at one time for any young lady
who was distinguished in any way for her beauty or her riches or her
titles or her accomplishments, to set a day for receiving her suitors,
and grant each an opportunity to tell what he had to offer her as an
inducement to her to become his bride. In this province there was a
young lady whose beauty of countenance and lovely form, language is
inadequate to describe. In addition to that, her sweet souled character
exceeded her beautiful form and her many accomplishments. So superior
had that character become in its spiritual manifestation, that many
stories were told of her healing the sick, of her spiritual words and
presence reforming the lives of many; and of her having knowledge of
things, persons and subjects that she had neither heard nor read about.
Her youth, her beauty, her spiritual gifts and her many accomplishments
became known throughout the length and breadth of the province, and she
had many suitors for her heart and hand. So a day was set for her to
receive them all, to hear what each one had to offer, and select the one
of her choice. A suitable room was prepared for receiving them. At the
farther end the