The plight of mankind, the condition and circumstances under which we live
and labor are truly disheartening, and the darkness of prejudice and
ill-will enough to chill the stoutest heart. Disillusion and dismay are
invading the hearts of peoples and nations, and the hope and vision of a
united and regenerated humanity is growing dimmer and dimmer every day.
Time-honored institutions, cherished ideals, and sacred traditions are
suffering in these days of bewildering change, from the effects of the
gravest onslaught, and the precious fruit of centuries of patient and
earnest labor is faced with peril. Passions, supposed to have been curbed
and subdued, are now burning fiercer than ever before, and the voice of
peace and good-will seems drowned amid unceasing convulsions and turmoil.
What, let us ask ourselves, should be our attitude as we stand under the
all-seeing eye of our vigilant Master, gazing at a sad spectacle so
utterly remote from the spirit which He breathed into the world? Are we to
follow in the wake of the wayward and the despairing? Are we to allow our
vision of so unique, so enduring, so precious a Cause to be clouded by the
stain and dust of worldly happenings, which, no matter how glittering and
far-reaching in their immediate effects, are but the fleeting shadows of
an imperfect world? Are we to be carried away by the flood of hollow and
conflicting ideas, or are we to stand, unsubdued and unblemished, upon the
everlasting rock of God's Divine Instructions? Shall we not equip
ourselves with a clear and full understanding of their purpose and
implications for the age we live in, and with an unconquerable resolve
arise to utilize them, intelligently and with scrupulous fidelity, for the
enlightenment and the promotion of the good of all mankind?
Humanity, torn with dissension and burning with hate, is crying at this
hour for a fuller measure of that love which is born of God, that love
which in the last resort will prove the one solvent of its incalculable
difficulties and problems. Is it not incumbent upon us, whose hearts are
aglow with love for Him, to make still greater effort, to manifest that
love in all its purity and power in our dealings with our fellow-men? May
our love of our beloved Master, so ardent, so disinterested in all its
aspects, find its true expression in love for our fellow-brethren and
sisters in the faith as well as for all mankind. I assure you, dear
friends, that progress in such matters as these is limitless and infinite,
and that upon the extent of our achievements along this line will
ultimately depend the success of our mission in life.