Courtesy and Unselfishness

Courtesy and Unselfishness It is Paul, in that inimitable chapter on charity, in I Cor- inthians 13, who practically declares that all gifts, however excel- lent, are valueless without love. Let us read that chapter once a day for a few weeks. He compares charity with a great many wonderful things, and then defines it, giving some of the in- gredients that go to make up love or charity, and among these according to Drummond, we find patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, kindness, unselfishness, good temper, guile- lessness and sincerity. In other words, Paul's exact explanation of love or charity is that it, "suffereth long, and is kind; en- vieth not; vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, belie\eth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." And in the third division of the chapter he explains that it never faileth, it is about the only thing that lasts, and is at least the greatest of the three e\erlasting Christian graces, Faith, Hope and Charity. "And now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity." All these elements which go to make up love are practical, in that they can be put into daily use and practice by every member of the community. Such are supremely the elements of courtesy and unselfishness. Much thought might be spent upon their meaning and practicability; suffice it to say, they imply love in society, love in relation to our association with our fellows. As Paul puts it, "Love doth not behave itself un- seemly, seeketh not her own." It means that courtesy should be practiced in every action, in all the little things that pertain to our daily association with our fellow men, if we would learn to love them. The one great secret of the ability to be unselfish, polite, and courteous is to love. If one loves, no matter whether he be untutored or of the highest of society, he will not behave himself unseemly, for the lover will not do things in an un- gentlemanly way. Hence, Paul's definition of the courtesy and unselfishness of love: "Lo^e doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own." The example of Christ's love stands be- fore us as one of the grandest in history. His life was an il-

568 IMPROVEMENT ERA lustration of the principle that there is little happiness in hav- ing, but much in giving. This is rather contrary to the ideas of the generality of the race who think happiness consists in having and getting and being served by others, rather than in giving and in serving others. Christ declared, "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant : even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." God our eternal Father served and suffered, owing to his love for the world of mankind, when he gave his Only Begotten Son that men who would believe on him should not perish, but should have everlasting life. How shall we learn to love? Through putting into practice the elements of love which Paul so clearly defines. Opportu- nities confront us every day of our lives. Through taking ad- vantage of these in ceaseless practice we shall learn to love. There is much turmoil, contention, selfishness, discourtesy in the world at the present day among peoples and nations. As Latter-day Saints we cannot afford to follow in the way of the world, but rather must discipline ourselves in the practice that shall create in us the love of God and man. Jealousy, anger, pride, selifishness and discourtesy, are characteristics of the love- less soul, and indicate the ill temper which seems now to direct the thoughts of mankind, all of which are contrary to the Spirit of Christ. His deliberate verdict was that it is better not to live than not to love, when he declared, "Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." The business of our lives is to have love fitted into our characters and to take advantage of every opportunity to learn how to love God and our fellow men. Practice makes perfect. Courtesy and unselfishness are prominent elements of love with which to begin. — A. The Trend of the Race" This is a book on the study of present tendencies in the biological development of civilized mankind published by Har- court, Brace & Company, New York, 1921. It is written by Sam- uel H. Holmes, Ph. D., of the University of California. Quoting from its pages, (227-228) we are told that the mag- azine, Physical Culture has collected expressions of opinion from its women readers as to the qualities desired in an ideal husband. The first requisite was health, then financial success, paternity, appearance, disposition, education, character, house- keeping and dress, followed in the order named. A like inquiry