Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-21


children he seems to love his books
the best. Night after night he is pour
ing over Ciceros 'Philippics' and Gait
lines Arrangement He has read and
reread every line which the later poets,
like Virgil and Horace, have written
Why can we not send him up TO one
Of the Roman schools and have him
educated to be a great orator and
salesman "Well, mother" I hear
the husband say, perhaps we can do
II. julius ought to be educated. Per
haps we can economize a little closer
at this end so that the boy can spend
our money at the other end for an edu
cation"
Thus SEQ the centurion, then
very young man, enter one OF the
great Roman schools. | see him
caught there in the maelstrom Of sin.
see him, like the prodgal of Christs
parable, become the victim Of all kinds
of evil associations. see him, like
thousands and tens OF thousands Of
young students today, who come from
pure, true. consecrated Christian
homes in this country. enter the large
universities of some Of our great cities
and then plunge headlong into all
kinds Of sinfulness. Then I see the
young man. besotted with drink and
evil excuses Of all kinds, return to
his old home and say: Here l am.
mother. Here | am with health gone
and character gone and noble spiritual
| ideals all gone. Here am. You sent
me from the pure associations Of my
sisters and my rural home. Here / am
n moral and spiritual degenerate"
Starts Life Anew.
! Again the scene changes. I believe
this young man. disgraced and socially
ostracized at home, makes up his mind
to start life anew In one of the distant
Roman provinces. This has been the
natural course for thousands of young
men OF all centuries who have dis
graced themselves ut home. Then they
try to make new start in new
world among strangers You who have
been western miners in the old seven
ties know what I mean. There in those
western mining camps it was the well
y
into the history of his neighbors.
When Sam Houston. the brilliant
young governor of Tennessee, married
J to one OF the famous beauties of his
state, suddenly felt that he was dis
graced what did he do? Though only
thirty-three years of age, he at once
resigned the gubernatorial chair and
plunged into the wilderness of the far
west There, in the wild, unexplored
regions OF Texas. he began life anew
When we read again of Sam Houston
It IS not as sam Houston, the governor
Of Tennessee. but Of Sam Houston. the
president of the Texas republic. Thus
as we imaginatively study the life OF
this Roman centurion. see him in dis
grace leaving his fathers home. Their
see him next In the faroff province
Of Judaea. There. In the Roman camp
of Governor PLATE, l hear him say
"The gods helping me, I will yet make
something good out Of my life. Yes
have broken mothers heart and
made her hair white as the driver
snow and killed her with grief. but
will yet make her, If she is alive II
another world. proud OF her waywart
SON" This centurion of my text may
have come from one of the purcst ant
the most refined homes of all rura
Italy. Then, by the student life Of
lecentlous Rome, we see his moral ant
spiritual life completely wrecked II
this faroff Roman province of Judaet
he Is earnestly and prayerfully tryin;
in the Roman army to make man GU
of himself
Again the scene changes. 1t Is nov
about the year 80 A. d. This Is tn
time when all the Jewish world is per
picked and in doubt about a Nazaren
named Jesus. We are now In the Ro
man barracks Of Jerusalem. This i
the officers quarters. Before us sit
the well developed figure of an office
about thirty-eght years of age. Thi
Is the former youth of whom we hav
been speaking. now broad shoulders,
Roman centurion. He turns to one o
his brother officers and asks: "Tiberius
why are they making such fuss abou
this man Jesus? Who is he? Is he
I. thief or an insurrectionist? Has h
murdered anybody? Why does oil
Caiaphns, the high priest, hate him so
Tell me something about him." The
I. think see Tiberius turn and sharpl
look about him. l begin to surmis
! that this Tiberus is a Christian. Pei
haps he was the Roman centurion VIII
was once stationed in Capernaun
y about whom Matthew wrote, who ha
t, a beloved servant dying from an ar
parently incurable disease. This ser,
4 ant Christ healed. You know the story
Then think hear that Christian Ger
turion tell Julius, his brother office
( all about this Jesus. Julius" says h,
e "Christ never did any one any harm
+ All he does Is to heal the sick and ope
e the eyes Of the blind and brush ava
s the lepers' scales. Yes julius, his mil
q sion Is to heal the broken bodies an
. to cleanse us from all sin"
II Captain julius Ponders.
II Methinks | can see Captain Julir
y sitting there in the Oman barrack
His head is resting on his hand. The
hear him say: "Oh, Is Jesus all that
v Is his mission only to help the poo
= and the sick and the suffering? Is h
} mission to cleanse sinful men from a
,, evil past? How my dear mother won