The Tupelo journal., 1908-07-10

which was marked out by the sign
| posts of truth and righteousness.
And If the moral teachings of his
| father were impressive and sound, GER
tainly several experiences had come
with peculiar sharpness to drive home
the truths thus taught. 1t was when
he was mere lad scarcely old enough
to be intrusted with the important err
rand upon which his father had sent
him, and yet one which the exigencies
| of the case demanded, for there was
no one else to send, and word had to
be taken to the priest as quickly as
| possible concerning certain political
crisis which had arisen
l. Full of the consciousness of the i'm
Eortance of his errand, Joel trudged
forth, his devout little heart expand
ing with the thought that he was to
see and talk with the priest, the serv-
| ant of the most high God. 1t seemed
to him that of all things in the world
| he would like to be it would be a
| priest serving at the altar, and reading
the wonderful scrolls of the prophets
concerning which he had heard his IA
| Their speak. He wondered what
| the priest would say to him and
whether he would have time to tell
him any of the wonderful stories
which his father had told him the
priest knew.
Such was the current of his
| thoughts as the sturdy little fellow
| reached the door of the priest and
| knocked. No response came, and after
long wait, and repeated knockings,
| he timidly pushed the door ajar and
| looked within.
There on the floor lay the maudlin
form of the priest, while beside him
lay the jar from which he had been
| drinking, the red liquid flowing out
over the stone floor and looked for all
the world like the dark red blood from
the veins of the fallen man. With one
wild shrek of fear and excitement,
the little lad fed
He saw the men come in and lift
the form to the couch; he noted the
contemptuous looks and shakes of the
heads, and he understood just enough
to know that the priest was drunk.
Such was one of the early impressions
which had come to him to shock his
religious sensibilities and make him
wonder over and over again how one
who was in the Lords service could
fall so low
Other incidents occurred as he grew
into young manhood which made him
realize the corrupting influences that
were at work in the nation. Even in
the school of the prophets which he
had by dint of hard work and earnest
effort been permitted to enter, he
found the corrrupting influences at
work, the teachers for the most part
being more or less dominated by the
loose moral and political conditions
which prevailed. And because Joel
held himself aloof from participation
in any of the frivolous conduct Of
those in attendance upon the school,
he aroused the enmity of his teachers
and classmates, being dubbed a bigo:
and narrow-mfnded fool.
The crisis came one day wker he
would not help forward plans which
were designed to politically strengthen
the priesthood, but which was nothing
less than compromise on the part of
the priesthood with the evil which was
rampant in the nation.
Then there is no future for you in
| the priesthood" angrily declared the
officials of the schools, and it becem-
ing choice of yielding or being driven
forth homeless and friendless, he
chose the latter.
What was to become of him he did
not know. He knew that the regular
channels of religious service were for
ever closed against him, and that few
if any in the nation would sympathize
with his severe views in reference to
the religious life Of the nation. But
he had the comfort of the memory of
the loyalty of his father to God, and
he felt strengthened as he recalled his
teachings.
Il am in Gods hands. will wait.
Better to perish abiding his will than
to come to ease and prosperity
through transgression Of his laws,
either in letter or in spirit
Thus he waited, and under the bap-
tism of the fire of persecution that
ragged about him he came into that
rich experience which prepared him
for the prophetic message which he
was called of God to deliver later.
1T is we'll" he exclaimed. 1T does
pay to follow God and to sneak