The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-08
RELIGIOUS THOUGHT.
Gems Cleaned from the Teachings of
All Denominations.

0emS 0leaueQ 1rOm Lu0 46dcu1nSS OF
All Denominations.
The spirit of Christ is the great in
fact the only, unifying principle in the
human family.-Rev- DR.. N Luccock,
Methodist. st. Louis.
THE TRUE LIFE
There are two kinds of life advocated
by many Oeople-the simple life and
the strenuous life. The true life is
midway between these two FORMS
Rev. DR.. Henry Van Dyke, Presbyte-
rian, Princeton, N. j.
FAITH MAKES HEROISM
Take the list of the worlds great
heroes examine their records and you
will almost without exception find them
men who had great faith in God.-Rev.
John c. Horning, Reformed Church, st.
Louis.
VICE LIKE A SECRET WORM.
Vice is the secret worm which eats
at the vitals of nation Crime may
be punished. and it is punished. but it
is the secret vices which DESTROY the
nations. Catholic edueation teaches
how to combat these vices.-Rev. D. J.
o. Sullivan, Catholic, st Adams, VT.
DIVERSITY OF GIFTS.
PauTs idea that there is a diversity
of gifts is a viewpoint that every church
should secure and cultivate There
are many initiative societies, and most
of them were started by the church,
Rev. Frederick E. Hopkins, Congrega-
tionalist, Chicago.
IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
There is a story of an atheists child
who had learned something about God.
The father wished to expunge the
thought from her mind and he wrote
on piece of paper. God is nowhere"
He asked the child to read the words.
and she spelled out. God is now here"
The childs unconscious misleading of
the atheists creed startled him and
brought him to the feet of the God
whose very existence he had sought to
deny Wherever we are we are in the
presence. of God.-Rev. DR.. J. r. Miller,
Presbyterian, New York.
KEEPING THE FAITH.
1t was Paurs great joy as he neared
the end of his life that he had kept the
faith" But he did not keep it by put
ting it away in the safe deposit vault Of
his own inner consciousness. He kept
it by telling it to everybody he met on
the street, by carrying it from land to
land and preaching it under every con-
ceivable circumstance unto all sorts and
conditions Of men. And so the only way
we can keep that kind of faith and
trust in God that will be fountain of
good cheer and song in our hearts is by
serving our fellow men with unselfish
love--Rev. Louis Albert Banks, Metho-
dist, New York.
THE SACREDNESS OF LIFE.
Our laws protecting life should be bet
ter administered. Life is a sacred
thing. and we ought to guard the lives
OIL all, WnoIner 7IJcn poor. 1noTe
should not be one law for one class and
another law for another class. Wherever
courts exist we should seek to have
them act PROMPTLY in the administra
ton of law. 1t is a fact that there is
often strong temptation to mob vio-
lence. but there is no excuse for it
where we have courts and judges. 1t is
a fearful thing to take any mans life
without due process of law. Mob vio-
lence is murder committed by a whole
community. Any one who has ever
seen a poor unfortunate man lose his
life at the hands of a mob never for
gets the terrible scenes which take
place.-Rev DR.. David G.. Wylie, Pres
byterian. New York.
TIDAL WAVES OF GODS THOUGHT
In the great books of the past we hear
the tidal waves of Gods thought. He
it was who first saw the vision. splen-
did, which Mozart and Wagner which
Ruskin and George Eliot (which Lowell
and Longfellow later saw. What they
saw were the flashes of the flaming
sun, which we call God. These dream
ers and seers, the great souls of the
race. have brought more treasures to
us than can ever be digged out of ne
mountains. Shakespeare and Tennyson
and Goethe-they have given to the
world a vision of beauty as glorious as
the picture of heaven painted by the
seer of Patmos. Beauty and truth are
sisters of righteousness and goodness.
They are children of the same heavenly
IaLner--tfeV. Dr. (dInOen M OOlDeTu,
Methodist, Chicago.
THE RIGHT USE OF TALENTS.
The important practical point is
not how many talents we possess, but
how to use those which we do possess,
for equal fidelity receives equal re-
ward. The question is simply, Are we
doing our duty faithfully and unselfish
ly? God asks not are you United
States senator. or merchant or car
penter, or bricklayer, or physician
Occupation. if only it be honorable. is
of minor importance. He asks not are
you pope of Rome. or moderator of the
general assembly, or an unknown
Christian. Walter Whitman reasoned
that if we say Admiral with capital
A we should also say Halter with a
capital H. God asks only, How did
you use those talents which were given
you? Men ask. How much money is he
worth? God inquiries, OF how much
worth is his soul? The gardener who
prayed in the evening for Sir Walter
Scott, perhaps thought himself a one
talent man; but Sir Walter overhear-
ing the prayer was cheered and
strengthened for his message to his
readers-Rev. Dr. William Henry Ok