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The first Church in England-where you may see today the remains of Queen Bertha's Chapel

What Boys and Girls Can Do For the Empire of Love

You

VI.

U may call it an Empire or a Kingdom or a
Republic, but they all mean the same thing

-a society in which everybody will be controlled by the spirit of good-will. The first famous soldier of the Prince liked to think and talk about the Kingdom of God, and he said this means righteousness and peace and joy. A society in which everybody is fair, and nobody does anybody else an injustice, that comes first. Unless you have justice you cannot get peace. Just so long as men are unjust to one another, just so long will there be hard feelings and quarreling. But if you can establish justice, then you can have peace then joy comes also. without peace, just as you out justice. If you get the first you get the second, and if you get the second you get the third.

peace, and if you obtain But you cannot have joy cannot have peace with

Now the way to get justice is to get a loving heart -a heart like the heart of the Prince. When our heart is full of good-will we do not want to wrong anybody. We want to do to each person as we should like to have that person do to us. That is the kind of disposition which the Prince likes to see in all his followers. When we act that way, we are said to keep the "Golden Rule." The Prince was

always loving, and hence he was always just, and being just, he never threw stones or used a sword, and having always a peace-loving and tranquil heart, he had a happiness which was so wonderful that his followers could not understand it. Even when wicked men had decided to nail him to a cross, he did not become gloomy, but his heart continued to sing, and he promised to give his soldiers the very same kind of joy which he himself had.

And so we may say that the Prince came into the world to establish the reign of love, and that his soldiers are enlisted in a long campaign, the object of which is to extend the practice of justice, and the blessings of peace and joy. What can boys and girls do in this great campaign?

At first it might seem that they can do nothing at all. In the first place, they must stay at home. That is where boys and girls are supposed to belong, and it is not permitted them to go out of their own town. In the second place, they are not old enough to do important things which big folks are able to do. They cannot make speeches or write for the magazines and papers. They cannot talk to a congress

man or a member of the President's cabinet. Nobody seems to care what boys and girls think, nor does the world pay attention to what they say. They can do a few chores around the house, and they can study their lessons at school, but beyond this what is it possible for them to do? The case seems to be hopeless.

But we must not come to conclusions too quickly. Situations are not always so dark as they look.

There is a boy mentioned in the Old Testament who once had nothing but a sling and a few pebbles, and all the men felt sure that he could do nothing for his country. But he did. In the New Testament we are told of a boy who had nothing in his basket but two sardines and a handful of crackers. Nobody knew that this boy was in the crowd, but when by and by the Prince wanted to accomplish one of his big works, this boy gave him the very assistance which he needed. We must never get discouraged because we are little, and because it seems that there is nothing important which we are able to do. If we only use what we have, there is no telling what the Prince may be able to do through us.

War is one of the mightiest enemies which the Prince has ever fought. It is the Goliath who has strutted up and down the lands defying everybody and bragging. Men have fought him with all kinds of weapons, but thus far they have failed to kill him. Possibly the tallest and strongest of all the giants will finally be overthrown by the boys and the girls. The Prince one day said that there were things which are hidden from the wise and prudent-I think he must have meant the big folks who think they know everything—and are revealed to babies. By babies I have no doubt he meant humble-minded human beings who realize that they are weak and ignorant, but are willing that God shall use them in carrying out his plans. The Prince was one day greatly cheered by some boys who sang for him in the Temple. He is always glad to have boys and girls stand

up for him, and let the world know that they are on his side.

Here then is the first thing that they can do for world-peace. They can enlist in the army of the Prince. They can let everybody know that they are on his side. They can sing hymns of praise to him in the church, and can fight for him in the school and on the playground. They must fight for him first in their own hearts. Everything in this world begins in the heart. That then is the first fort to be captured. If this fort is in the possession of hateful feelings and spiteful thoughts, these must be driven out. Only a friendly disposition must be permitted to make its home in the heart. Each one must cultivate a neighborly feeling. Every day a little time must be given to feeding the feelings of friendliness and good-will. So long as we have a quarrelsome disposition, we can never fight successfully on the side of the Prince. Our own heart must be conquered before we can hope to conquer the hearts of others.

If our own heart is friendly and sweet, we can go out and kill feelings which are hateful and bitter. Some boys like to go out into the woods to kill snakes, and others like to hunt for gypsy moths. It is far more fun to hunt for grudges and quarrels and drive them out of the town. In every town there are dozens of bitter feelings, and scores of hateful criticisms among the boys and girls, and upon these the soldiers of the Prince ought to make war. Some boys and girls like to stir up trouble. If two boys are threatening to fight, other boys will stand by and

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