Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-06-22

1000, 600 people have been known ts
gather at Jerusalem for that national
feast. You must not think Of those re-
glons as sparsely settled. The ancient
historian Josephus says there were in
Gallilee 200 cities, the smallest Of them
containing 5000 people. No wonder
thai amid the crowds at the time spoken
OF Jesus the boy was lost. His parents
knowing that he was mature enough and
agile enough TO take care of himself, are
on their way home without any anxiety
supposlng that their boy is coming with
some Of the groups. But after awhile
they suspect is lost and with flushed cheek
and a terrorized look they rush this way
and thai, saying: Have you seen any.
thing OF the boy? He is l2 years Of age
Of fair cowrlex.cn and has blue eyes and
auburn hair. Lave you seen him since
we left tie cityg' Back they
go in hot haste, in and out the streets, in
and out the private houses and among
the surrounding hills. For three days
they search and inquire. wondering If he
has been trampled under foot Of some Of
the throags or has ventured on the cliffs
or fallen OF a precipice. Send through
al the streets and lares OF the city
and among all the surrounding hills that
most dismal sound, "A lost child q lost
child And 10, after three years they
discover him In the great ten pie seated
among the mightiest re.igionists Of all
the world. The wslls Of no other build
ing ever looked down on such q scene.
A child IL years old surrounded by sep
tuagenarians, he asking his own Yuestions
and answering theirs. Let me introduce
you 10 sone Of these eccleaiastics. This
is the great Rabbin Simeon! This is the
venerable Hillell This is the famous
Shammai! These are the sons Of the dis
tinguished Betirah. What can this H.
year lad teach them, or what questions
can he ask worthy their cogitationS All,
the first time in all their lives these re.
l%igionists have found their match and
more than their match. Though SO
young he knew all about that famous
temple under whose roof they held that
most wonderful discussion OF all history.
He knew the meaning of every altar, Of
every sacrifice, Of every golden candle
stick, Of every embroidered curtain. of
every crumb of shew bread, of every
drop Of oil in that So cred edifce. He
knew al about God. He knew all about
man. He knew all about heaven, for he
came from it. He knew al worlds, for
they were only the sparkling morning
dewdreps On the lawn in front Of HE
heavenly palace. Put these seven Bible
words in 8 wreath of emphasis: Both
hearing them and asking them ques.
| am not so much interested in the
questions they asked him as in the ques-
tions he asked them. He asked the
questions not 10 get information from
the doctors, for he knew it ALREADY, but
to humble them by showing them the
height and depth and length and breadth
of their " ignorance. While the
radiant boy thrusts these sel f-conceited
with the interrogation
point, they put the frefnger Of the right
hand to the temple as though to start
their thoughts into more vigor, and then
they would look upward and then they
would wrinkle their brows and then by
absolute silence or IN positive words con.
fess their incapacity TO answer the inter
regatory. With any one of q hundred
questions about theology, about phileso-
ply, abou, astronomy, about time, about
eternity, he may have baked them, dis
concerted them, flung them Hat. Behold
the boy Christ asking questions and
listen when your child asks questions.
He has the right to ask them. The more
he asks the better. Alas for the stupid.
ity of the child without inquisitive-
ness! 1t is Christlike 10 ask questions.
Answer them il you can. Do not
say: Il can't be bothered now" 1t
is your place 10 be bothered with
questions. If you ore not able 10 answer
surrender and confess your incapacity, as
| have no doubt did Rabbin Simeon and
Hillel and Shammai and the sons of Be-
tirah when that splendid boy, sitting or
standing there with 3 garment reaching
from neck 10 ankle, and girdled at the
waist, put them TO their wits end. 1t is
no disgrace 10 say: II don't know"
The learned doctors who environed Christ
that day in the temple did not know or
they would not have asked him any ques-
tons. The only being in the universe
who never needs 10 say Il do net know"
is the Lord Almighty. The fact that they
did not know sent Keppler and Cuvier
and Columbus and Humboldt and Hers.
chel and Morse and Sir William Hamll.
ton and all the other of the worlds
mightiest natures into their life long ex-
plorstions. Telescope and microscope
and ~stethoscOpe and electric battery and
all the scientific apparatus OF all the ages
are only questions asked at the door Of
mystery. Behold this Nazarene lad ask
ing questions, giving everlasting dignity
to earnest interrogation.
But while l see the old t~heologians
standing around the boy Christ AN i'm
pressed as never before with that what
theology most wants is more of childish
simplicity. The world and the church
have built up immense systems of theol-
ogy. Half OF them try to tell what God
thought, what God planned, what God
did 500, 900, 600 years before the small
star ON which we live was created. l
have had many q sound sleep under GER
mons about the DEGREES of God and the
eternal generation Of the Son and dis
courses showing who Melchisedek wasn't,
and | give q fair warning that II any
minister ever begins a sermon on such q
subject in my presence | will pu. my
head down on the pew in front and go
into the deepest slumber ! can reach.
Wicked waste Of time, this trying 10
scale the unecalable and fathom the I'm.
| ~fathomable while the nations want the
bread Of life and 10 be told how they can
get rid Of their sins and their sorrows,
Why should you and | perplex ourselves
about the DEGREES Of Code Mind your
own business and God will take care Of
his. In the conduct Of the universe
think he Will sonphOw manap tO pe'