The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-04
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.

gan 10 make excuse. Luxe H. 10
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
ZT IS the diners and not the dinner
that makes q banquet great.
Every night in the year theresare
given, in the great cities, dinners
that tax the resources Of the
most skilled chefs, with unlim-
tied money at their command. Yet the
world pays no attention to these So
the Sabbath dinner, given by a pros
porous Perean pharisees two thousand
years ago was in itself no different
from scores Of other dinners at which
wealthy Jews sat down on the same
day. But it had a Guest who made
the meal immortal. It is only man
that makes an occasion great; mere
things cannot. The fame of this par
tlcular dinner rests on the table talk
Of the Nazareth Carpenter.
A small barrier near the source may
turn a streams entire course; SO
slight remark-it may have been
merely SNUG religiousity and cant; 1t
may have been a sincerely pious ejacu-
1at5on: or possibly 1t was tactfully ut
tered to cover some confusion caused
by the pointedness OF the preceding
speech Of Jesus-led to the delivery Of
the familiar parable of the Great Sup
ger.
A Famous Feast
The story Of the great supper is COM
pact, teFse, cameo-lilxe. yet crowded
with portentous meaning, so that in its
entirety, as well as in some of its
phrases, II is one Of the worlds
familiar bits Of literature. It was on
this wise; And when one of them
that sat at meat with him heard these
things he said unto him. Blessed is he
that shall eat bread in the kingdom of
God. But he said unto him. A certain
man made a great supper and he babe
many: and he sent forth his servants
at supper time to say to them that
we're bidden Come for all things are
now ready. And they all with one con-
sent began to make excuse. The first
said unto him. I have bought field.
and I must needs go out and see it; /
pray thee have me excused. And an
other said, I have bought five yoke of
oxen, and go to prove them; L pray
thee have me excused. And another
said, have married a wife, and there
fore cannot come. And the servant
came and told his lord these things
Then the master of the house being
angry said to his servant, Go out quick
~ into the streets and lanes of the
city, and bring in hither the poor and
MANNED and blind and lame. And the
servant said, Lord. what thou didst
command is done. and yet there is
room. And the lord said unto the ser
want, Go out into the highways and
hedges, and constrain them to come in
that my house may be filed For I
say unto you. that none Of those men
that were hidden shall taste OF my sup
per"
DisdainfuI Guests.
When an oil acquaintance a few
weeks ago declined President Roose-
velt's invitation Il dine with him in
the White House. because he did not
have with him his evening clothes. the
fact was considered important enough
to be telegraphed over the continent.
Yet this mans declination arose from
no lack of interest in the dinner or of
respect for the president. Among men
who spend most of their evenings
dining out there are frequently heard
expressions of petulant annoyance
over the interminable bother of dress
privilege of fine dinners; they are too
common So the white lies that are
told to escape social obligations are
counted venial sins in society
Turn back the pages of the book
twenty centuries and we find the same
sort Of falsehood being spoken and
acted in connection with the feast
which Jesus described. The great
man Of whom he told had made plans
for feast and had sent out eastern
fashion, the preliminary invitations to
The prospective guests. These had
been received and accepted But when
the event drew near and the meat was
on the fire, and the servants had been
sent out as is still the Oriental Gus
tome, with the message to the favored
ones. come, for all things are now
ready" then. to the chagrin and dis
comfort of the host, the guests began,
with one accord, to make excuse.
Excuses That Would Not Hold Water.
Man is not at his biggest and best
when making excuses. An invariable