The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-31
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS


wherein the cowerdly crowd stood by
and watchI the helpless ones perish
This is an ugly phase of drownings
which is usually kept from public
view; we prefer to print the reports
of heroic rescues. In its inexoraoie
presentation of human nature the daily
naper must occasionally show up the
truth that there are multitude o.
craven. selfish feAr-smitten hearts IN
the world. The heroes are pro-
in the minority today, although not, Iet
us hope, in the ratio of two to tWeiNe
ever. as they were when IsraePs spies
returned from Canaan to make rePoLt
&c Moses and the pilgrim host Whlcn
ne led
A critical point in the new nations
history had been reached. After De
wildering variety OF wilderness exper-
fences 1t had at last reached polnt
called Kadesh-barnea, at the edge OF
the Land or Promise The goal was
in sight The Canaan long Detore
promised to the patriarchs, ana the
dream and desire of their Egypt-bur-
de11ed descendants, was before their
seet Now was their hour of oppor
tunity to go in ana possess the land.
The Preacher and the Facts.
Like a cautious leader, however,
Moses wanted first to be IN possession
OF all possible information concerning
what lay ahead of him This was a
modern enough procedure to satisfy
all those modern scholars who think
they have outgrown Moses This is
the day of investigation; heaven and
earth the waters under the earth, the
innermost workings of the lowest creA-
[. res that crawl upon the earth, and
e, en- the corporations which rule
above the earth, are being probed in
the interest of modern science. the
fact is king today-which Is we'll. Ac-
curate data should be the basis of
every advance, a lesson which religion
should learn from Moses from the
scientists, and from the Teacher who
said. I'VE shall know the truth, and the
tElt1a shall make you free"
But the facts should be facts.
heard a pulpit demagOgue move ten
thousand persons to tears and laughter
and hand-clapping last Sunday. with
what he called a presentation OF the
Kingdom of heaven. Afterward the
people thronged him, congratulating
him on his wonderful sermon, and his
phenomenal array of facts Concern
ing the latter one nearer had been
quoting to himself, TT is better not to
know so many things than to know
so Iteny things that are not So" The
rams missionary facts had been, to
my personal knowledge. mostly gross
and Iudicrous miSstatements. He had,
Willingly or unwittingly, misrepre-
scented conditions abroad and at home
50 seriously as to mislead utterly any
person who had not other and more
trustworthy sources of information
That sort of thing has been entirely
too common in the pulpit and in the
religious press. f.All sorts of pleasant
nc-irn has been passed around as
facts. for the sake OF the cause. Illus
trations that illustrate nothing but re-
ligioEs gullibility are common, as
every reader of the church papers
knows. Isolated instances OF mission
airy success are magnified until they
convey a meaning that is equivalent
TO falsehood. A few weeks ago a vet
Gran Picking missionary wrote to the
missionary magazine of his own de-
nomination protesting against the mis-
statement in its columns that China
had ordered the observance of Sum
day. So 1oath was the editor to sur
render so palatable a morsel of news
tina; he suggested that perhaps the
missionary at Picking did not know so
much about conditions there as did the
man in Bostoni In the same class is
the famous temperance anecdote
which makes ex-President Harrison
gag that the members of his college
class who had been moderate drink
ers had died drunkardS-a cruel SLAM
der upon honorable and successful
men which President Harrison never
uttered This point might be enlarged
Upon to the extent of a column, but
Ii is enough to say that there is grave
reason why all representatives of re-
ligicn should look we'll to their facts,
after the manner and admonition of
Moses.
One characteristic which marks the
western portion of North America
from the eastern is the pioneering
spirit of the former. 1t is much on
the move. Change does not alright
IL. Upon occasion it is willing to pull
up stakes and start for a better coun-
try. The Oldest section of the United
States has been seriously afflicted with
a contrary spirit. Now the pioneering
people, as the pioneering individual.
fc oil DIR
tans had plenty Of faults. but we for
get these in contemplation of their I'm
perial work. Cecil Rhodes was not
exactly the sort of man to hold up
as a model to a Sunday school, but no
body can withhold admiration for that
splendidly courageous and audacious
spirit which conceived in world-terms.
Shortcomings those old Jews had in
plenty. but they were moving on to
possess a new Land; and that is what
makes history.
If q study of this lesson should in
SIRE some young spirits with a new
vision of daring and conquest on be-
half of the Kingdom of Heaven
'nshua AMI Caleb Will have repeated
thSir success of millenniums ago. For
tho Christianity of today sorely needs
Z mcve out and capture new coun-
tries. Even geographically that state
ment is true. The sphere of missions
is sinfully restricted by the unheroic
and unimaginative spirit of the church
at home. The battle-cry of the Lay
mems Missionary movement, concern
ing the evangelization of the world in
tnis generation, I'VE can do it and we
will" needs to re-echo through all the
churches.
Similarly. in the days social life,
there is manifestly an opportunity for
religion to dominate new and import
ant spheres. The powerful labor move
ment should be captured by religion.
The rapidly growing movement toward
See ialism awaits the control and ci-
rec tier of Christianity The daily
new spsper press, the--most potential