The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-01

most crowded utterance out of his
throat. He trembled with agitation
But he stood up and began to cry,
above the roar of the throng. Thou
son of David, have mercy upon mel
He knew not at just what instant the
Healer would be within hearing; but
he resolved to call so long as there
was a possibility of his voice reaching
Jesus.
Right here the lovers of convention
atty appear; they are always present
To them It was more important that
there should be nothing out of the
ordinary, no violation of conventions,
than that this offlicted man should be
healed. Many people would rather be
proper" than pure. They love cor
rectness" above character. To them
the mode" means more than the
moral law. Now there are times to
observe the conventionalities and
times to ignore them; Mrs. Grundy is
a good servant but a bad mistress The
hour had come for Bartimeus, depend
ent though he was upon popular
bounty, to disregard what people said;
and to assert, as he had a right to do,
his one vital. all-important claim.
Of course Jesus heard him; the Lord
never fails to bear that sort of spirit.
At the summons of Jesus the blind man,
casting aside his precious outer gar
ment, ran heedlessly toward the voice.
Asked what he desired, he swiftly gave
voice to the wish that had always dwelt
deepest in his heart, Lord, that I may
receive my sight" Such faith always
prevails, and Immediately the miracle
was wrought. In delirium of JOY,
while the PEOPLE marveled, and gave
God the glory, Bartimeus followed his
Deliverer as a grateful disciple.
The Original MAN Up a Tree
All this happened on the outskirts of
Jericho. The news of the coming One
ran before through all the city, sum
moning everybody out to line the main
street. Among the people was a rich
tax-gatherer named Zaccheus, despised
and feared of all the good Jews in town
de was handicapped for sightseeing by
shortness of stature. If Zaccheus had
been as little by inside measurement as
he was physically he could never have
seen Jesus. The crowd keeps hosts of
the small from attaining their coveted
desires. But not this little publican.
He was not the sort of man whom diff
hculties could deter; and as the Spartan
mother who advised her son when he
complained that his sword was too short
to add step to It," so he sets the
commendable example of adding a trees
height to his natural deficiency.
It was not dignifed. of course-that
was a bad day for Mrs Crundy-bt1t
while the crowd stared, the rich publ
can gathered the tail of his robe in his
hand and scooted ahead Of the multi
tude and, like small boy, though with
less agility he Skinned M a friendly
ed, though he had never heard the
proverb, are things to be overcome"
Well for the young person possessed of
the Zaccheus spirit
Jesus saw the man in the tree Of
course; he never fails to recognize any
special effort to reach him. What must
have been the publican's amazement
(eVen thrugh he was of calling not
given to embarrassment when the head
of the procession halted under his tree,
Jesus greeted him with "Zaccheus.
make haste and come down, for today
I must abide at thy house,
The Critics Appear.
More quickly than he had gone up,
Zaecheus FASTENED down the tree win
unspeakable joyfuIness. He who had
been used to being spurned by the re-
ligious people of Jericho was the re-
cipient of the special favor of this great
Rabbi
Tongues began to wag. as might he
expected. This last act was more I'M
conventional than any that had gone
before that day The critics did not ap-
prove Christs choice of host, for FAC
cheus was a sinner and a social and re-
igious outcast Little the Master cared.
He saw only that this was a sincere
seeker after him. and his opinion was
justified by the publican's prompt dec
laration that he would give half his
goods to the poor, and if he had wrong
fully exacted aught of any man, he
would restore II I0urIoId. When man
gets right with God he wants to get
right with his fellow-men. That is why
the government has a Conscience
fund" that is ever being added 10. The
revival of religion in Wales mas been
accompanied by a revival Of ethical
ideals; tradesmen with bad accounts
have been among the first to profit by
it.
The great need and desire of FAC
cheus' heart was met by Jesus in the
assurance of salvation And to the
carping critics the Lord made answer
by repeating the keynote of his message
still the Good News for all rnen-s'The
Son of Man IS come to seek and to save
that which was lost"