hical individualist; the first
"laissez-faire" economist. When God asked: "Where is Abel?" Cain
answered: "What responsibility have I for him? My business is to take
care of myself. Am I my brother's keeper?" But the interesting fact
is that Cain had been his brother's keeper though he declined
responsibility for him. He refused to be responsible for his brother's
life, but he certainly was responsible for his brother's death. He
refused to be his brother's keeper, but he was willing to be his
brother's slayer. There are plenty of people to-day who are trying to
maintain this same impossible theory of social irresponsibility. They
affirm that they have no social duty except to mind their own business;
but that very denial of responsibility is what makes them among the
most responsible agents of social disaster. They deal with their
affairs on the principle that they are nobody's {177} keeper, and so
they are stirring every day the fires of industrial revolt. We are
passing through dark days in the business world, and there are many
causes for the trouble, but the deepest cause is Cain's theory of life.
"Where is thy brother?" says God to the business man to-day,--"thy
brother, the wage-earner, the victim of the cut-down and the lockout?"
"Where is thy brother?" says God again to the unscrupulous agitator,
bringing distress into many a workman's home for the satisfactions of
ambition and power. And to any man who answers: "I know not. Am I my
brother's keeper?" the rebuke of God is spoken again: "Cursed art thou!
The voice of thy brother crieth against thee from the ground."

{178}

LXXI

PROFESSIONALISM AND PERSONALITY

1 _Corinthians_ xii. 31.

The wonderful chapter which follows this verse becomes still more
interesting when one considers its connection with the preceding
passage. Paul has been looking over the life of his Christian
brethren, and he sees in it a great variety of callings. Some of his
friends are preachers,--apostles and prophets, as he calls them. Some
are teachers, some are doctors, with gifts of healing; some are
politicians, with gifts of government. The apostle speaks to them as
though he were advising young men as to the choice of their profession,
and he says: "Among all these professional opportunities covet the
best; take that which most fills out and satisfies your life." But
then he turns from these professional capacities and adds: "Be sure
that these gifts do