The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-06-02
ric suaOav SCHOOL.

90 ~ IAAt
~ suirit; scrs ing tho Lord -Hosa l.il
IuF BOOK OF r~ccLEsiAsTIs.
rrr NAME. Ecclesias;cs. or kp
x.s.,b Ecclesiastes is the Greek trans
-. of the Hebrew Kohcleth. a
~iven in the S~cptuagint. IL means
rr;.ner one who calls an assembly to-
~..her. 10 teach OF talk u them. and
- nav be called q preacher; or =
n.,nher Of snch an assembly who
,.,.es par, In its discussions, IA thus
sr-aaks 10 th.m-
AUTHORSHIP AND DATE.-It lies on
a. surface that the writer Of the book
vho. though he does not introduce the
,,-c az solomon. identities himself
,rhap f:ia-iol with the historical son Of
pavid. was either actually the king OF
Is--el whose name was famous for
..vislom and largcness Of heart" or
th:.,. for some reason or other, ne
sdop.ed the dramatic persona'ion OF
liz character a. q form of auroorship.
II solomon YVES the author, the date
would be about 1000 b c.
I" The tendency OF modern scholarship
Is 10 the opinion that the book OF -
elesiastes was written by some IN
Known author In the Persian period,
after the exile. and later than Ezra and
nehemiah. In this case the author. In
his quest for the highest good, lets the
exnerience Of Solomon utter its teach
inrs in chapters !, 2. as II he would say:
This is what Solomon says to us This
is no deception. but a dramatic persona
,,on Of character which has at all times
been looked upon as a Legitimate form
Of authorship. With some writers OF
The highest genirss.as. . e.. with Robert
Browning and Tennyson. a monologuc
or s~oliloquy of this character has been
= f~avorite form OF composition The
speeches in Herodotus and Thucydidcs,
the Apologies written in the name OF
Socrates hy Xenophon and Plato. the
Dialogues To Plato throughout. are in
stances in which no one would dream
~ imputiny fraud to the writers. though
iu all these cases we have. with scarce
IL the shadow of a doubt. the thoughts
and words OF the writers and not OF the
men whom they represent as speaking.
The Purpcse and Plan--Thc object
Of the book is to guide uen IA the
search for tie highest good 1t is a
series Of pictures Of the varying ex-
pcriences in searching after the best
life. From the many sources from
which men are continually seeking the
best good. crrne the voices of expert
crcc. giving their testimony None OF
them can satisfy the soul; none can
tell where the weary soul can find rest
Emit al last is learned the lesson that
what is sought is found in a simple en-
icyment Of simple pie. sGres. a patient
cons;anc, under heavy trials. h"artfeit
sc.ofion to the service Of God. d an
rnwavering faith in the life to come
Note in what sense mani of the sayings
are true. in such a book as this Ihey
arc not always truths in themselves.
any more than the words Of satan In
The book Of job can lie quoted as
truths. They are actual experiences
Tley are true pictares Of the way mel
spca'- and feel
We viii follow in general the a =
ranrement cf DIR. Cox. The conient'
az. or NAV be distributed into a pro
lorre. four acts or -ectiv.-- rno al
epilogue. In the prologue kohe!eti
states the problem to be solved
Sub;cct-The Guest of the Chic
Good. FIRST Section. lie to e.oc. Here
In are given the teachings of the cx
perieu q Of Solomon, the wisest AM
riches. man of his age searching for IN
Chief Good in Worldly Wisdom an
fleasur.. Every enjoyment that none.
could buy. that wisdom could devise
THAT kingly power could control. tina
could import from foreig
,ands-ali these were found by hin
and vet failed - satisfy his soul. Not !
beautiful gardens. not in palaces nc
sn WING. not in music. not in the trea.
pre, of kings. not in the CONSCIOUSNESS
Of worldly wisdom. could he IND n
chief good: and. looking over his e.
rer;encc. he could only say: "l'ehol'
an i ~anity and vexaiion Of spirit
Second Section. Chaps 8. 4 ;. tn
CUES, is Pu-s ned IN Business and Poiti
al Life. lie begins by showing tn
there is a time for everything VIM
Is the use, then. Of laboring hard sim
everything is settled? Then he loo'
N the wrongs OF men, and these weie
OF his spirit Is 1t worth While
labor when success but leads TO env
and cuts him If from the companio
ship Of his fellows How was II WI
fic religious life Of his time? Did
tni anything more satisfying Their
The answer was hat he found hoiio'
ness. Journalism. hypocrisy. frivolo
excuses and dreams taken for rcalitl
ivcrs. ~. From the religious lie
tur.. Cd 70 fhc political, ana there a
all was anomalous and disheartenir
This is also vanity"
Third Section. c:i to s:i5. The Vu'
in Wealth and on the Golden Me;
The man who makes riches his ch
good is hauntcdby fcars and pcrpiexit
tc:iGD. His sonl caniot be satsi
with riches (G:T). MOI . he fore'
what is really good. nor know who v
possess his wealth sc:iol. Failing
wealth. lie seeks what good there Is
a modest competence t~':i-lil- IN
this is failure (s;l4. i5l. In this sect
are many wise sayings worth RENE
bering. rs III. ), s. 10: SILL. IL
Fourth Section. SIG TO ia:.. In
ser,io., ...rhc Ones. Is achieved. and