The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-26

with his grief: sorrow de-
mands solitude. The cousin.
friend and forerunner Of
Jesus brave John the Bap-
list. had been fOully murder
ed by Herod. The news drove Jesus
away from the multitude into desert
place apart. This was his right; but
when he was called upon to surrender
his right by the higher claims Of ser
vice. he yielded. Humanity's needs
pursued him even into the solitude.
giving him no time even for grief - he
had no leisure so much as to eat.
The incident raises the question
whether a mans time is his own or
not Has one right to his own life,
OF is that life merely his in steward
ship, to be at the command Of every
cause or Individual needing it2 Plainly,
this Tea chers conception of life was
that 1t was but a talent to be admin
istered, and that the claims Of his fell
lows were superior to his own claims
upon himself. The question becomes
rather a practical one as the vacation
season draws near. 1t IS important
that tired bodies and minds have rest.
Nevertheless. the vacationist must hold
himself ready for service. Wherever
there IS need, there duty calls. It has
often been true that a man on his va
cation has found, as Jesus did on this
occasion, opportunity to do some of his
greatest works.
There was another reason for this
seouestration which Jesus sought; he
was calling his own intimate friends
and apostles about him for conference
and instruction. Just as the death Of
a dear one draws all the remaining
members Of a family closer together.
making a family reunion common at
the end Of almost every funeral, so
Jesus gathered his apostles close to
himself to talk over family matters.
He heard of all that they had been do
ing and saying. and he found that they,
like himself, needed to be apart from
people for a time. Although the sum
mons Come We yourselves apart into
a desert place. and rest awhile. was
the command of Jesus, it did not hin
der him from assigning to the apostles
the practical work in connection with
the feeding of the i've thousand.
The Ever Present Needy.
Like bIoodhounds on a hot trail, so
the world pursues those who have aught
to give to it. The helpers can never get
away from the needy. The common
people, with their multitude of wants,
logged the footsteps of Jesus so that
he could not escape them. On this &C.
casiCn. he took ship from Capernaum.
and went over to the northeastern shore
OF the Lake of Gaiilee- They followed
atOot around the northern end of the
lake, and arrived at the open space near
Bethsaida J6ifus, almost as soon as he.
Popular interest in him was increased:
by the fact that the Passover pigrln-
age was under way, and the highrcad
across the head of the lake teemed with
devout Jews bound for Jerusalem.
Jesus had healing and wisdom. and
wondrous way of sympathy which was
more than either healing or wisdom, and
this the people coveted The popularity
of Jesus may be partially explained by
a familiar analogy: as a crowd of his
fellows is always around a certain type
of man or as some girls are usually
gathering. so Jesus attracted to hiun-
self, by his self-forgetfu and his
helpfulness ana personal winsomeness.
the multitude of people. The hundreds
of troubled young people who write TO
the editors of the ethical columns Of tha
daily newspapers, asking how they may
become attractive, are answered here.
The unsel6sh, the self-forgetful, and
the helpful are as magnets to other
people.
That the world had right to his life
more right than he himself had-was
acknowledged by Jesus. His teaching
was, No man liveth unto himself -
Therefore despite his heart sickness and
loneliness. he still had compassion upon
the multitude and healed them and
spoke to them of the kingdom of God.
Instead of turning them away in i'm
patience or with rebuke, they We're to
his benignant eye sheep not having a
dwelt deep in his heart went out to
them in yearning.
A Bread-and- Butter Problem.
Mans spirit is tethered by a short
rope to earth. We cannot soar far