Читать книгу A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin - Бенджамин Франклин - Страница 52
A SUGGESTION.
ОглавлениеWE are not inattentive to the suggestion that we are wearing ourselves out in holding protracted meetings, and that we should devote ourself wholly to the management of the Review. We have thought of this matter much, both before and since we saw the suggestion, and find it not so easy to determine what ought to be done. The tendency is to find pleasant positions, occupy them, and go on easily and smoothly; to settle down and preach for churches, get professorships in colleges or high-schools, edit papers and evangelize the world by proxy. In other words, the popular idea is not to go but to send some one to preach the gospel. If we were to sit down in our editorial chair, at home, and write the most stirring articles about the great work of evangelizing the world and urge men to go, we fear they would inquire, “Why do you not go?” We aim to be an example—to go ourself, as we urge others to do. We see no other way to give force to the appeal to others to go.
The demand for preaching is such that we can see no possible way to excuse any man that can go. We have, therefore, rather concluded to go while we can.
When we shall go hence, we desire that any who may refer to us may see that while we said go we also went.
We are perfectly aware that we could, in some respects, make the paper better to devote our entire attention to it; but, that we could, in every sense, give it the spirit and power that we can when we are in the field and among the people continually, we still hold in doubt. We desire to do all we possibly can for the cause, while it is to-day.