Page:The stuff of manhood (1917).djvu/175

 spinner of silk dreams thinner than the filaments of the silkworms of southern France. But Pasteur's thoughts were the richest source of wealth in France. "Pasteur's discoveries alone," said Huxley, "would suffice to cover the war indemnity paid by France to Germany in 1870." True wealth is inward resources, the love of God's world, of truth and holy thoughts, friendship with the living and the dead, the possession of the Son of God and His words which are spirit and life, and of His Spirit "whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; ye know Him; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you."

And all this wealth may be ours without going anywhere for it. No man brought it to Him. "I have meat," He said. So He calls us to be rich. We do not need to go anywhere for it. No man needs to bring it to us. It is here. It is Himself—the Bread of Life. Can we also say, "I have it—meat to eat, of the world unknown, within my soul, within my soul"?

To be able to say that is our great American need. I will not say that it is a greater need now than it has ever been because we have deteriorated and need to recover the element of spiritual idealism in our national character. We have not deteriorated. Doubtless we have lost many things that it would have been well for us