From the Pharaohs to Alexander the Great, to Julius Caesar to Napoleon Bonaparte, and so on to our own day, the human concepts of place and power have, in varying degrees, dominated much of human thought, and spun their tangled threads into the nature of the human race. Loud has been the clamor, mighty has been the temporal effort, not only of these well-known types of men, but also of a vast multitude besides who have sought the same selfish ends. They all listened to the same voice which said, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me;" and this serpentine voice has been the whispering lie which has caught the unguarded ear of the less noble throughout every age, who, not detecting its subtlety, have fallen victims to it, and reaped its empty reward.
Where are now the power and place of the Pharaohs, the Caesars, and their like? Nothing but crumbled ruins and musty manuscripts can resound their echo to the weary searcher. They exist not; they have reaped the dry and tasteless fruits of a temporal greatness, and "the place thereof shall know it no more." All the while, the truth has been talking to the receptive, the willing and obedient hearts of all ages, and in gentle whispers this spiritual utterance has taught the way of life to those who have been willing to hear. Of these receptive ones, God has been raising up a people who "declare plainly that they seek a country" whose "kingdom is not of this world." Such types as Abraham, Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and the noble reformers, such as Wycliffe, Luther, and Wesley, together with the faithful truth-seekers of all generations,—all these sought "a city which hath foundations;" and, surely, they were "kings and priests unto God."
How beautiful have been the unselfish acts of these selfless ones, who sought not their own but others' good! The unselfish efforts of the true seekers for the spiritual concepts of place and power live to-day in the hearts of mankind, constituting a record of true accomplishment. Our dear Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, as a result of having lived this unselfish life, speaks with demonstrated authority when she says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 238): "What has not unselfed love achieved for the race? All that ever was accomplished, and more than history has yet recorded." In the same article she says, "Yet the good done, and the love that foresees more to do stimulate philanthropy and are an ever-present reward. Let one's life answer well these questions, and it already hath a benediction. Have you renounced self? Are you faithful? Do you love?"
