The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-07
THE TENTMAKER
AND MISSIONARY

The international Sunday School Les
son for Feb. 3 1.-THE Church at
Corinth Founded"-Acts 10. IN,
The greatest forces are often i'm
peceptible- in their beginnings. An in
conspicuous Jew once came down from
Athens to the splendid city of Corinth,
z,U00 years ago. Few in that dazzling
ana cosmopolitan city noticed him, for
ne visited none of the palatiaI dwell
lngS, and was not seen recommending
on the fashionable thoroughfares nor
was he to be found in the schools of
phlosophy, Or in the baths, or any,
where else that the prominent citizens
ana soJournerS We're to be seen. The
truth is, he had to work; he was en-
gagged in the humble calling of making
tents, and that left him small leisure
time. Yet that obscure tofIer was des-
tined to be the principal instrument in
oVerturning the life of that METROPOLIS
OF the world, with its 1000 inhabitants.
or the men who filled the public eye of
Nor1nth, all are unknown to the mass
or mankind today. But that tentmaker
mas first place in the worlds hall of
fame.
The Best "Good Society,""
When the apostle reached Corinth
ne hunted up some fellow craftsmen,
and found Aquila and Priscilla, a Jew
lsh man and wife, who, I'D to that time
mad doubtless been bewailing the cruel
fate which had driven them from Rome
but who henceforth blessed the en-
perors ed1ct which led them to know
Paul. Paul was a Jew, and he was by
trade tentmaker, here were two
strong ties to bind him to these exiles.
Fellowship, to endure and to be worth
Kindred interest. One reason why
much present-day society is shallow
and foolish and vain, is that it has no
other common basis than the possess
sion of wealth. All sorts of people,
with divers tastes, have money, so that
mere riches are an insufficient tie to
bind men and women together. The
society which affords. real and salts
factory fellowship, springs from COM
mon interest in serious things. There
is no good society" equal to that of the
men who are working together along
similar lines for high ends When a
few congenfal spirits, animated by
similar lofty ideals, get together, there
is good society, even though they all
together may not own a dollar or a
change of raiment. The best society
in luxurious Corinth was to be found
In the house of Aquila, after the days
|" work was done, when Silas and limo
othy dropped in to talk over matters
dear unto them all.
Laboring Man and Philosopher.
In our own democratic land there are
today an alarmingly large number of
men and women who look down upon
the man in overalls. Too many of cur
sons decline to do any work at which
they cannot wear linen collars. Men
choose ITO be ten dollar -a-Week clerks
rot nF hoy TO h 4
dependent mechanics. The present
day cOntempt which many show for
manual kabor is as foolish as it is
snobbish. In really great man there
never is d faint Of it. The world will
not willingly forget that the Redeemer
of mankind was a journeyman car
penter. His great apostle was but fol-
lowing in his train, then, when at
Corinth he supported himself by his
trade, stitching into his tents the pro-
fOundest thoughts of God that human
brain has ever formulated. In order to
be free from all suspicion of self gain,
which no propagandist can afford to
have attached to his name, Paul la
bored with his hands, and at times, be-
| cause business Ees dull, or for other
reasons, we know that he suffered real
want. This man, whose words are as
fulIkOf comfort as of power wrote out
of the depths Of a real and intense hui
man experience. That he made good
tents we may be sure, for we know
the kind of sermons he preached and
| the letters he wrote. Your father
blacked my fathers BOOTS sneered a
cad to a self-made man. I am sure he
BACKED them we'll" was the retort.
Paul is a good example for the per-
sons who think that they cannot un-
dertake any religious or philanthropic
work until they have first secured a
nif,4x to ooh I7ni1a
penses-often consuming more energy
in effecting an organization than
! would be needed to carry on the work
| itself That man should count himself
| highly honored who is able to do a
! definite Christian work While support
| ing himself. William Carey, the IA
| nous missionary and scholar, said,
/ MY business Is serving the Lord; /
| cobble shoes to pay expenses"
Religion and Riots.
An aroused church arouses the
| devil. Unusual activity on the part of
| Christians generally causes the forces
| of evil to bestir themselves afresh. So
| 1t was at Corinth. In connection with
| the visit of Timothy and Silas, Paul
| had a new spiritual eXperience-just
| what, we are not tOld-Which caused
! him to preach with new power and
| zeal. Even the most faithful Chris
! tians at times have similar expert
| ences, resulting in an access of eff
| fectiveness. In this case it caused the
| apostle to be bitterly opposed by the
| Jews. Whatever venom there is in a
| mans nature seems to show itself
| when he gets into a religious contro-
| Versy. Only the other day the papers
| reported a bitter quarrel in a Penn
| sylvania church over the use of indi-
| vidual communion cups! We all know
| the virulenee of the anti Semitic riots