Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-07-07
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z IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD !
u -@ !
" What the Church Flk Are Thindns About and Doing. I
% News From Vasnrs LandL Suggestive Words From Many Mes. q
d !
!: ...Svnday School Lesson and Youn6 Peoples Topic. !
Y Commenh by William 7. Eh. y
MllaSM ifllNI MIMI INlIIH all6NS ls6M III Nh N MSNnNS

commens, BY William 7. Ella.

nature by kings of in our
own time.
The short-sightcdness and stupidity
of the answer they wanted Rehoboam
to return TO the people did not seem
short-sighted and stupid TO these self
centered young men. My little finger
is thicker than my fathers loins." The
poor fool. The utterance is just like
the word of some half savage ruler of
u petty state. too small to understand
his own smallness. And now. whereas
yoke I will add In your yoke: my father
chastised you with whips but ] will
chas,ise YOU With scorpions"
THE iNSolENcE OF PRIDE.
For three days the people assembled
in solemn conclaNe to hear the kings
Judgment. How full of optimism and ac-
bate and n~eighborhood discussion these
three days had been, The GROVE that
gathered was akin In the crowd that
n,lssed about Independence hall on
that memorable morning in 1I'b. re
hoboam was another George III. He
lacked tact and he lacked sense. Self
inflated, he dared insult the people
whom he had wronged. showing his ut
ter unftncss for the art of governing.
Tho king answered the people rough
H." which was bad policy AZ well MS
bad Soft and cunning speech
might have saved him from the disas-
ter which was hanging over his head.
Peoples rights may b" d~isreSarded
cor safely than their feelings. IN
justice is more tolerable than insult.
The murmur. quickly growing into a
roar, with which the verdict WAS re-
ceived. would have warned any ruler
less foolish than Rehoboan,. But the
king h~earkened not unto the people,.
therein showing that he knew naught
whatever of the principles of govern
inent. 1.-The just consen: of the gov
erned' is a far-reaching truth of which
he was ignorant.
TO YOUR TENTS. OHFtSRAEL."
The gathering broke up and the king
returned to his palace to be fiattered
;tfresh by the l.otheads who had gath
cred about him. The old counsellors
turned away in sadness to prepare
themselves for the torn which they
saw rapidly gathering. and the multi
tllde talked til" one theme, goaded
thereto by the insults they had re-
ceived, rebellion The king had assert
ed his rights, they would assert theirs.
So after counsel among themselves they
made formal answer and issued Il com
mand to the eleven tribes. ITO your
tents. Oh. Israel So the great national
concllve dispersed again to meet.
One mans conceit and lack of judgment
had rent the nation i'm twain. h chill
drcn of Israel we're no longer one ma
ton. The fathers sin and sons folly
had made an irreparable break. RehO-
boam did not understand the serious
ness of what was passing any more
than Car Nicholas understood the real
conditions prior TO the outbreak of the
war with Japan. He sent "a messenger
To the people. none other than the chief
of the taSkmasters. Adoram. the most
odious character i'm the Kingdom. and
him the people stoned TO death. The in
cident transformed the indolent king
into Il coward. He made haste to get
ia his chariot and to flee to his palace.
He was not willing to meet the people
and take back his judgment. humbling
himself for the kIngdom's sake. Great
Ell than the unwisdom of committing
an error is h perversity of continuing
III 1t.
A PROPHECY FULFILLED.
We must take Il back step in the
story TO learn something OF another
character who now takes first place OH
the scene. Jereboun,. This man had ma
tive strength of character: by sheer
force of ability he had risen ia the place
of honor under Solomon. He displayed
such conspicuous qualities of kingliness
that jehovah. forcseeing what was
coming To pass. sent his prophet
Ahiniah to anoint him for his crown
thai he yet would win. AS soon as Solo
mon saw that there was more kingli-
ness in Jereboam than in himself he at
nice sought 10 kill him. Very often the
MAI in power will not tolerate any 9TH
or success for his fellows than that
they shall be good subordinates to
him. Many a man has awakened pow
erfui opposition to himself from those
about him by the superior attitude he
look upon possible successors standing
around.
Jereboam escaped to Egypt. He no
longer had a place at court, bu he had
rather a place in the peoples memory.
So when the kingdom was divided aud
II new king vas needed. Jereboam was
summoned to assume the crown for
which he had shown himself it-an
early instance OF the self-made man.
Rehoboam. with only his own tribe
of Judah left to him, although Ben
jamin, for reason of policy, soon
gave him allegiance. planned wal
against the newly organized northern
Kingdom. God would not permit this
fratricide. however. telling them that
the division was but the outworking of
%prideful. had to see the bulk of his
kingdom pass from beneath his scepter,
unable to raise :, preventing hand.
FOR COUNTRY'S SAKE.