--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Rolapp, Henry H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 14 number: 10 published: 1911-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Henry H. Rolapp, "“Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself”," *Improvement Era* 14, no. 10 (August 1911): 859–860.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera14010unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera14010unse start_page: 859 end_page: 860 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera14010unse publication_year: 1911 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself” IMPROVEMENT ERA Vol. XIV. AUGUST, 1911. No. 10 "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself." BY JUDGE HENRY H. ROLAEP. Christianity possesses no greater tangible test of true faith than a full and literal acceptance of this commandment. It calls for a life-long and world-wide exercise of man's most divine endowment, and measures that exercise by his highest conception of excellence and pleasure. Mere passive contentment with another's good fortune will not suffice. A full compliance with this law demands active interest in the individual and collective welfare of our neighbors; a searching for means that will enhance their happiness, will alleviate their misfortunes, and will modify the results of their errors and weaknesses. While it imposes no obligation to surrender that which is essential to our own welfare, yet it exacts an unselfish and just limitation of our needs and desires. It assumes the existence of a genuine willingness to give all men equal opportunity to labor for their own advancement,and prohibits the use of either situation or power to hinder them from making such endeavor. When rightly understood,' this commandment possesses no elements of personal privation. It only asks for that which will increase another's happiness, without diminishing our own. Whenever it calls for material aid, its requirements are limited to our 860 IMPROVEMENT ERA. superfluities, and even for that excess it compensates by increased contentment. And in serving a neighbor, physical help is the smallest factor, and very rarely the most beneficial. Timely suggestions and a joyful division of life's natural advantages are mankind's greatest needs. The cheerful giving of opportunity and encouragement is of greater value than giving money or goods. Helping another to walk is of more benefit than to carry him. Our neighbor needs our guidance more than our assistance. The road to prosperity and happiness is amply broad enough to accommodate all men, but it is not easily found, nor is its appearance always inviting. It has steep hills, calling for effort which will neither weary nor give up. It has crevices and pitfalls, to avoid which requires a strong will and a sound discretion. All along its paths are many side-lanes with alluring pleasures, where tarrying means delay in reaching the goal, and destruction of strength needed for the onward journey. To overcome these hindrances for himself makes a man humanly great, but to pqint them out to others, and assist them to success, makes him divinely great. He truly loves his neighbor who triumphantly persuades him that the blessings of progress are constantly in sight to the persistent and careful traveler, that the path of endeavor is strewn with stations of compensation, where intermediate payment is made for labor performed or achievements attained, and that even if overcome before the end is reached, there is infinite pleasure in having made the effort. Nor is any man required to stay at the entrance of life's journey, merely to signal each passing wanderer, or slacken his travel to wait for others who need no help. Yet, if on the way he uses his greater strength to push aside his weaker brother, or if by cunning he gains unjust advantages, or if he has failed to help a falling neighbor, or set aright an erring one, then he has violated the commandment of the Lord- But, if from time to time he puts up guide posts to help others discover footsteps which he has found successful, if he smooths the rough and lights the dim places, if he gives timely warning of difficulties encountered and how to overcome them,then he has correctly interpreted the intent of the Master's commandment. And having thus shown love to his neighbor, but still possess-