er organized, the greatest need to-day being more with the true
spirit to act as visiting friends.

It is this same great principle that has given birth to our college and
university settlements and our neighborhood guilds which are so rapidly
increasing, and which are destined to do a great and efficient work.
Here a small colony of young women, many from our best homes, and the
ablest graduates of our best colleges, and young men, many of them the
ablest graduates of our best universities, take up their abode in the
poorest parts of our large cities, to try by their personal influence
and personal contact to raise the surrounding life to a higher plane. It
is in these ways that the poor and the unfortunate are dealt with
directly. Thus the classes mingle. Thus that sentimentalism which may do
and which has done harm to these great problems, and by which the people
it is designed to help may be hindered rather than helped, is done away
with. Thus true aid and service are rendered, and the needy are really
helped.

The one whose life is built upon this principle will not take up work of
this kind as a "fad," or because it is "fashionable," but because it is
right, true, Christ-like. The truly great and noble never fear thus to
mingle with those poorer and less fortunate. It is only those who would
like to be counted as great, but who are too small to be so recognized,
and who, therefore, always thinking of self, put forth every effort to
appear so. There is no surer test than this.

Very truly has it been said that "the greatest thing a man can do for
God is to be kind to some of His other children." All children of the
same Father, therefore all brothers, sisters. Man is next to God. Man is
God incarnate. Humanity, therefore, cannot be very far from being next
to godliness. Many people there are who are greatly concerned about
serving God, as they term it. Their idea is to build great edifices with
costly ornaments to Him. A great deal of their time is spent in singing
songs and hallelujahs to Him, just as if _He_ needed or wanted these for
Himself, forgetting that He is far above being benefited by anything
that we can say or do, forgetting that He doesn't want these, when for
lack of them some of His children are starving for bread to eat or are
dying for the bread of life.

Can you conceive of a God who is worthy of love and service,--and I
speak most reverently,--who under such conditions would take a
satisfact