Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-11-23
Sunday School
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER go.
T|I-.s..It....-...s..@.


ana orins ~ inlo SupJSCtiSA SN'
9-27.
Man was created a living soui-a spir-
itral being inhabiting an animal body.
Why should not the soul have been Great
ed an independent thing? Why should it
be placed in a material bodyH Why should
it be so hampered?
OF course it is little we can know of
Gods reasons for His acts, but He has
given us some glimpses of His reasons
He has shown us, for instance, that it
was His set purpose that man should De
made subject to temptations through bus
body. Eor that reason the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil was planted
in Eden. For that reason, among others,
grape juice and other juices were made
liable to fermentation resulting in the
production of alcohol.
We can make this out clearly enough
that just as we develop our physical man
hood by exercising our muscles and by
overcoming obstacles, SO our spiritual
manhood must be developed BY conflict
with temptation and by forcing ourselves
to choose and do that which is right.
How far, how very far, restraint OF
the body should go, is told rs by Christ
He says that If we are tempted to evil oy
hand, or foot, or eye, it is better that We
should cut off the hand or foot, and pluck
out the eye than that we should allow
ourselves to be enslaved by temptation.
1t is a question of the souls life or
death this fight with the body for con-
troll. And it i. far better to win eternal
life with a MANNED body than that tho
nobler nature should die out of the man.
Sometimes there is a fictitious over
coming. A man for poor, or ignoble
reasons will pull himself together and
refuse to give way to temptations to
which he has formerly yielded. The prize
fighter is bent on winning in his next
fight. He has great incentive to win, for
there is much money and much glory FOR
the winner. So he gives up intoxicants,
and smokes very little he keeps his body
under control, and generally behaves him
| self all in order that he may conquer
his antagonist.
That is an extreme case. But you can
easily imagine many others in which men
for selfish purposes control their desires.
The wish to be well thought of and be
an honored member of society Will help
many to live rightly. That Is a good mp
tive in its way, but not the best, and 1T
will only affect "a mans conduct, not his
character.
Overcoming for mean or selfish reasons
is an overcoming that gives ah upPSsu
ance of strength, but there is no true
self-conquest in it; there is no enlarge
ment and enrichment of the mans spirit
ual nature. When the prize fighter is
done with his fight, he loses the incentive
to sobriety and goes back to his cups.
Likewise with the man who is sober
and self-controlled for the sake of his
business, or because he wishes the good
olinion of others there is no real good
ness in such self-control. The time may
com when that object will seem to him
Insufficient, and he will in one way or
another show that he is not actuated by
noble impulses. He may have formed
habits of sobriety and have no temptation
to become drunken. But, nevertheless, the
weakness of the force impclling him to
righteousness remains. and at best he
will only be apparently good because OF
lack of temptation.
There is but one real overcoming. There
is but one sure way to overcome our de-
sires SO thoroughly that we shall never
be in danger of falling. We must over
come Through Christ which strengthen
eth" We must strive for holiness: moth.
ing less. We must have it as our sr
!. preme desire to please God. 1T,
1t surely must be evident that any de
Isl sire IeSS sGuuh II SiSabC'A v SAO ~
weakness in time, and that when it doc
the self-control founded upon it will b
swept away. Let us then desire to y
holy as God is holy, and place no reh
ance upon goodness or temperance tina
are founded upon worldliness.
Notes.
WiIful Sinning.-What viii fdolatp
and mixing with heather nations, Cod
people had gone very far astray indeed
1t was no longer necessary that the!
should be tempted to do evil. They
sought out evil, and did it with avidity.
A National Curse-Here was a whok
nation SO given over to drunkenness tina
from being a strong nation it had becom'
the prey Of the heather nations about it
Indeed it's downfall and poverty weft
from within rather than from without.
Nation Punished.-Of course tn,
whole nation had to suffer for the sins O
SO many of the individuals of which j
was composed. Doubtless there were no
a few who had remained honorable; ant
sober. But these also may have been a
fault. They had cot protested loudl.
enough, perhaps, against the nationa
curse. They had attended TO their owl
business it may be. as if it was not tn
business of every man to pray and work
for the SaIVaUIOH Oh HIS Tilluit. asH
Wrong Headadness.-It is wonderful
what strange ideas men can bring them
selves to believe. But if YOU would sc,
the full extent of such peryersity 70,
must listen to a man trying to justif,
himself for his wrong doing. Then b
will call the plainest evil. good; will pu
darkness for light and bitter for sweet
He will represent the saloon as a ueces
sary institution and claim that nue.
good is to be gained by the drinking Q
intoxicants. He will be proud of hi
ability to drink intoxicants in quaint
ties without showing drunkenness. TruI
it is a very evil world, a world very ia
removed from RICH eoNs1ess That the fol
lower after strong drink lives in.
The Hor e-hoeinE Trust.
The United Horseshoeing Company ha
been incorporated at Trenton. N. j., wit
a capital stock of S2.OOO.O00 The con
pany will operate a chain of shops an
deal in tools pertaining to the trade.
Autos Bfdn,t XIII the Most.