The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1895-11-14

tions of many things which grow indis-
tinct to older, DINNER eyes. A child be-
lieves old legends and fanciful fairy tales
By the same faith he penetrates the mys-
teries Of religion. The gospels become a
series of pictures before his clear eyes.
You have heard of the little Swedish girl
who walked one night with her father
under the blue skies dotted with stars and
who finally said earnestly, Papa, have
been thinking that if the wrong side of
heaven is SO beautiful, what will the right
side be?'' Christ said, Except We become
converted and become as little children,
ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of
heaven Does he not make those two
conditions Of equal importance-s'e Except
We become as little children" What
would we not give for the trustfulness of
the little girl who sweetly said, 81 have
loved Jesus ever since l can remember and
He has loved me always" The child ma
ture grows toward Christ as the flower
toward the sun. Children live in heaven S
borderlands. We keep nearer heaven by
working with and for the children s'whOse
father in heaven | do not mean that
told about children in Sunday school are
doubtless true: The boy who was given
five cents to send to the heather and who
felt that he had a right to keep it for
himself because that was what his Sunday
school teacher had called linn. The boy
who read Bible stories and perverted their
application as, for instance, when a weary
mother said, 'Johnny do you know that
it is very wrong for little boys to throw
stones. Never let me see you do 1t again.
And her precocous son sweetly respond
ed with well nigh irresistible logic,
"Mamma sposing David S folks had been
so particular, wouldn't it have been bad
thing for the Israelites?" And the boys
do not monopolize all human nature S
store of natural depravity even though
one little girl said with a mournful sigh,
Il wish | was boy, cause girl always
feels SO wicked when she does anything
wrong an boy don t. Boys just goes
right along an has good time" No,
boys are not the Only ones who need
spiritual enlightenment. There was the
little girl who defined sins Of commission
as sins l ought to have committed and
didn't and still another who when ask
ed by her teacher what she must do in
order to be forgiven, promptly rejoined,
II must SIM
By close association with Sunday school
work we grow in knowledge OF Cod S
truth, which is the best and highest wis
dom. Men have not yet found a book
wiser than the Bible. We shall grow in
grace as we grow in knowledge Of God $
word. Faithful study of its pages must
yield us a rich harvest Of mental might
and spiritual strength. Great men have
been its students. Shakespeare showed
his familiarity with its pages Ruskin as
boy learned long chapters from the
Bible and each year read it aloud from
cover to cover The heroic life Of Charles
Gordon, The martyr of khartoum, was
shot through and through with it's pre-
cepts as gold threads are woven in and
out OF some rare fabric of crimson. Park
hurst has wrought a miracle by its aid.
If Endeavorers want such men as Ruskin
and Gordon and Parkhurst to be reared
in their midst, we must call the Bible to
orr aid. But we must study it Alright.
Historical, literary and geographical in
vestigation is good, but the ultimate aim
OF our study must be spiritual discernment
and the salvation OF souls. You have
perhaps heard how in Meadowvile one
hot Sunday farmer Peters and his city
boarder discussed the scholarly discourse
they had Just heard from city preacher
iii tie village meeting house. The city
huartlel said, ''Fine sermon, wasn't it9''
Qu"th farmer Peters, ssMebbe.'' The
buarder continued, ''Why. that man
knows more about the Bible, he has
made a deeper study OF Biblical geog-
laphy and history, than almost any other
minister in this country elias he
now.' gently inquired the shrewd farm
er. ''W ell, there, reckon the trouble
must have been with me. You See l. d
calc lated | sh d hear somethin' about the
way to heaven, an l only learned the
WAY from Jerusalem TO .jelicho.7 We
should study the Bible lie such way that
we may be able to minister to hungry
hearts and yearning souls.
Some one has called employment ma
lures physician The more we do fol
God and man, the more truly healthful
shall we Endeavorers grow. Thus alone
shall we attain the Christian Endeavol
ideal, the full grown man, the stature OF
Christ Jesus.
/ At Baalbec in Syria lies the largest
hewn stone in the world. 1t is still in
the quarry, has been lying there for cen
turtles, ready for transportation. In the
/ great Temple OF the Sun near by is the
empty space in the wall awaiting still tc
be filled by that huge block. The block
! is an object of wonder to the traveller, Blu,
serves no real purpose, has never filled
the place for which it was intended.
In the temple Of the Lord, too, are
many untitled inches, inches in the
church, in the Sunday school, inches OF
usefulness, nobility, heroism. Perhaps
/ Endeavorers can fill them. 1t is moi
enough for us to be good we must be
! good for something.
| We are always doing something. Many
OF our societies have Sunday school com
mittees and these committees are grow
ing in Importance and efficiency. They
1 put themselves under the direction Of the
Sunday school superintendent and pledge
themselves to help him in all possible
ways. A few weeks ago almost all En-
deavor societies took as the subject OF
their prayer meeting, GLOW may we help
the Sunday school and get help from it?'
Our present Sunday school superintend-
ent at home is an active member of the
\ Endeavor society. In that meeting he
and our former superintendent gave oul
society some pointed, practical advice
which was truly helpful to us.
poses Of service.
X We Endeavorers can help the Sunday
school. The Sunday school brings the
child to Jesus. Christian Endeavor undel
the leadership of the church can train the
child to work for Jesus Christ in Hi