The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-01-04


is from our duties on earth
This of course no one can demon
strate. But l have long since ascer-
tanned that l either must lose the COM
pass, the chart and the rudder which
might guide my ship of life through it's
earthly course or accept as a pilot the
only one who has ever thrown light
on the darkness which surrounds us.
on the mysteries which puzzle us, on
the doubts that beset us; the only
One: Jesus Christ. Men Of the world
may be perplexed at the stubbornness
with which Christian people hold on
to the Man of Nazareth. Goethe ask
ed Lavater point blank: why do you
decorate your own favorite?" He was
amazed that to his Christian friend
such great thinkers as Shakespeare,
Moliere or Plato were only satellites
around the great star Of Bethlehem
But the truth is that outside Of Christ
we have only opinions. Socrates may
dream Of Immortality. Voltaire may
write witty epigrams. Epictetus may
philosophize on right and wrong. But
after all their opinion is but the bubble
of human brain, a notion, a fad.
tale that is told. Christ alone among
all that were born Of women taught.
not as the scribes, but as one having
authority. Greater than His creeds
were His deeds. AS He taught, so He
lived. In Him we saw reflection of
God Himself. Aye, the truth which
He revealed turned the Roman empire
upside down and gave us an entirely
new civilization. This is SO generally
admitted that this year 1904 marks
moment
Il am chiefly indebted to Christ be-
cause He gave me a point of view. Up
to the time when l made Him my mas
ter l was absolutely adrift. Life to
me was not only tale that is told
but d tale told by an idiot. Human ma
ture is weak and temptations are
strong. Truth l longed for and found
nothing but Agnosticsm. Love seemed
a bright star in the horizon of life. but
the star turned into a falling meteor
All things crumbled into dust. What
does this mean? Is suicide the answer
to human despair. or is it to eat and
drink and be merry? The nineteenth
buttons. Omar Khayyan became q fad
and suicide q common occurrence.
This was coincident with the rise Of
unbeiief. For IS not TennysOn right
when he says I would rather be the
most miserable being On earth with a
God above me than the most fortunate
without Him.
Il feel that without the gospel of
Christ there is nothing in life that is
worth while. Surprising a man lives
to make money. Well, death is already
on the way to tell him that this money
is only borrowed and Il at all he has is
limited to a little grave. Or here is
another young man who lives for his
family. Well. in few years sorrow
will enter the house and those who
loved will be separated perhaps for
ever. Or here is a thinker who lives
for self-culture. Well it is only a ques
ton of time when his little brain will
be dissolved in dust. Shallow Drained
people may dream on from year to
year feeding their souls on the husks
which were resignated for swine. But
deeper minds will look through the
shams. They crave for the bread Of
life, for the light of the world, for
treasures which neither moth nor rust
can corrupt.
ITO the Christian life is not merely
a tale that is told. 1t is the ascent |
of the soul to it's Maker. We may |
not be able to live without sin, with |
out sorrow, without death. We may
have to share with the nom Christian !
all the miseries of earth. We cannot |
annihilate the slums. end poverty and !
replace the rags with royal purple. |
But Christianity gives convictions |
which empower us to overcome the
difficulties. When a soldier fights for
his flag, he thinks little of his danger |
of the bullets, the wounds, the suffer- |
ing. With him the one idea is victory |
and in that idea he fOrgets all impe- |
diments. When a mother goes after
her lost child she is little concerned |
about society, about her comforts. |
about her hardships. She is looking
for her lost child and all else dWindles |
into insignificance. And that is in
deed the reason why Christianity is |
superior to the life without faith. The
Christian realizes that he is here to |
develop his character. This is his
one, his supreme purpose. Tempta-
ton crosses his path. Sorrow enters
his house. Failure kneels at the door.
Sometimes he OvercOmes and some
times he is overcome. But whether ne
conquers or is conquered for the time
being, he has learned to rise above cir
umstance. With him the one question
is paramount. Has this failure deep
ened by experience, has this temp
i fl1TC