he fault of the
moral sentiments of the ancient sages that they were never carried out
in practice. Many fine precepts respecting right conduct had been
uttered, but these were not realized by the great mass of humanity, and
were put in practice by very few people. They had seldom been
vitalized by humanizing use. Hence Christianity appeared in strong
relief in the presence of the artificial system with which it came in
contact. It had a faith and genuineness which were vigorous and
refreshing.

The Christians practised true benevolence, which was a great point in
these latter days of selfishness and indifference. They systematically
looked after their own poor and cared for the stranger at the gates.
Later the church built hospitals and refuges and prepared for the care
of all the oppressed. Thousands who were careworn, oppressed, or
disgusted with the ways of the world turned instinctively to
Christianity for relief, and were not disappointed. The Greeks and the
Romans had never practised systematic charity until taught by the
Christians. The Romans gave away large sums for political reasons, to
appease the populace, but with no spirit of charity.

But one of the most important of the teachings of the early church was
to dignify labor. There was a new dignity lent to service. Prior to
the dominion of the church, labor had become degrading, for slavery had
supplanted free labor to such an extent that all labor appeared
dishonorable. Another {273} potent cause of the demoralization of
labor was the entrance of a large amount of products from the conquered
nations. The introduction of these supplies, won by conquest,
paralyzed home industries and developed a spirit of pauperism. The
actions of the nobility intensified the evils. They spent their time
in politics, and purchased the favor of the populace for the right of
manipulating the wealth and power of the community. The Christians
taught that labor was honorable, and they labored with their own hands,
built monasteries, developed agriculture, and in many other ways taught
that it is noble to labor.

_Christianity Influenced the Legislation of the Times_.--At first
Christians were a weak and despised group of individuals. Later they
obtained sufficient force to become partners with the empire and in a
measure dictate some of the laws of the community. The most
significant of these were to abolish the inhuman treatment of
criminals, who were consid