Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-08-20
RIVALS, YET FRIENDS.
The International Sunday-school Les
son for August 20 Is, "The Friend
ship of David and Jonathan" l Sam
20.
By William r. Ellis.

would naturally be expected to crop
out with increased virulence in Sauls
son, Prince Jonathan, for the latter
was heir apparent. AT the worst
David could only succeed to the throne
on which Saul had once sat; but
Jonathan he could keep off the throne
entirely. If ever there were reason for
Jealousy, 1t would seem to be in the
case of Jonathan. He was the natural
successor to the crown; yet David's
head had been anointed to wear it.
AS refreshing as an ocean breeze on
hot August day comes the revela-
tion-a type Of what, happily, we
sometimes find in this old world--that
men are often nobler than we expect
them to be. By all the worlds stan
dards David and Jonathan should
have been engaged in feud; instead,
we find them affording one of litera-
lures finest examples of friendship.
Wherever the language Of civilization
has gone, there the shepherd youth
and the kings son proverbially repre-
that the world loves. Brave and self
less Jonathan risked his fathers royal
wrath for the sake of his friend; and
to him he cheerfully relinquished his
claim upon the kingdom.
Millions Versus Wealth.
The strenuosity of these times
initiates against the formation of deep
true friendships. Many men are too
busy to bother with affairs of senti-
ment. A man may make a million in a
hurry; but 1t takes time to make a
friend; and friend is the best for
tune The loveless lives Of some
multimillionaires would lead mankind
to pity them were the plight Of their
hearts truly known. Gold has never
been able to buy love. And whose Is
poor in heart is poor altogether. By
the standard Of real and abiding val
ues, bankbooks and stocks and lands
do not weigh very heavy.
In contrast, how enviable was
Jesse's son! A fugitive from royal
| wrath, condemned to an outlaws life,
subject to deprivations and hardships
and misunderstanding, harried in
spirit and hunted in person, he yet
was rich in that he possessed the
best riches-a friend with a royal
heart Station matters little In love;
Jonathans standing was of small mo-
ment, as compared with his spirit. He
was prince of friends; which is high
er rank than to be a prince In estate.
Loyal, lavish, lovable, Jonathan
was both beacon and refuge to the
storm-tossed David When life seem
ed hardest to the latter, and least en-
durable, he found refreshment and in
spiriation in the company of his
hearts comrade He could have said,
with later poet, in explanation of
| his life, 81 have a friend"
One Soul, Two Bodies.
| This friendship came near to meet
ing Aristotle's definition of friendship
as zone soul abiding in two bodies. I"
For the record runs that Jonathan
'loved David as his own SOUL" And
David himself cried "Thy love to me
was wonderful. passing the love Of
women" Ordinarily, the complement
tary friendship is that between man
and a woman; occasionally, though,
| two virile men conceive for each other
an affection that is "strong as death. :"
The favorite instances of friendship
| in literature have been those of man
| for man.
Such friendship is an interchange
of life Each shares his highest self
with the other Ideal friendship is
only lived in this upper air of 1dealism
no matter how practical its manifesto
tons The best friend is the one who
helps man to be his best self. That
is why religion plays such large part
in friendship; two men who hold the
great verities of eternity in common
find that their friendship Is profound
| ly Influenced by their faith, and their
faith by their friendship. The two
| be really one. Even the slangiest Of
moderns would scarcely call these
sturdy Hebrew warriors "mollycod-
dles;" yet David and Jonathan were
sincerely and profoundly religious.
There was a third party to their conf
pact Of friendship-God.
A Friend as Prize.
A fine big word that has been found
much in bad company of late is "af1n-
fly" There is danger that since lust
and lawlessness have been wearing
this cloak the unthinking may come
to lose faith in the genuineness Of
that high passion, which, seemingly
acting by no laws but the souls initia-
tive marks two persons as destined
for each other. The mysterious cleo
trio current of love flashed from iona
than and David, overlapping all bar
riers of rank and natural conditions.
| They we're af1inities. Out of all the
men in the kingdom, each found him
self drawn to the other as a bosom
| friend.
Both young men were in position
to have many followers and admirers.
Each seemed to have had only one
friend. In our young days we speak
| loosely about having Ghosts of
friends;" really we mean acquaint-
ances. Judged by the high standard
now before us, few persons ever have
many friends; a man is rich who has
one A friend is prize of life, and
happy is he who wins one at any
price. No man has lived in vain who
has achieved friend. A gift for low
] ing, and for getting out of ones self,
and for entertaining great admirations
with sincerity underlying all. is an in