Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-07-23
Sunday School Lesson And
Young Peoples Meetings
What the Church Folk Are Thinking
About and Doing Religious Mems
From EveryWhere.

conquered foe,
The incident Is an early prototype
of many modern reform experiences.
Some citizens set out hot against the
Amalek Of political corruption, and
they overthrow the evil power. But
the sight of the loot Is too much for
them-the chance to secure Office and
honor and power and other personal
advantage blinds them to their first
duty. They win a victory over Agog;
but they suffer a defeat in their own
characters.
Saul's head had been so completely
turned that, upon Samuel's approach,
he scarcely realized his offense. True,
he INDUCED In lies as to the purpose
of his spoil, declaring, coward fash
ion, that the people had gathered 1t,
and adding that he meant 1t for So
fee. ~Falsehood's an easy sequence
OF disobedience and selfindulgencs.
Moreover, Saul exhibited that surest
and saddest sign of moral decadence,
inability to discern the %culpability Of
his own misconduct. He really seems
to have been unable to realize the
Nervousness of his disobedience. Pity,
most Of all, the person who has lost
the OF sin.
Witheringly, the sentence Of doom
came to Saul, piercing his pride and
%pretence, as the prophet cried Can
swering the excuse that the loot was
to be used in worship; ever as cor-
ruptly gained wealth is sometimes
employed to endow universities and
philanthrop1es), Behold, to obey is
better than sacrificed"
That is the word for the times.
There is no substitute for obedience.
TO do what God commands Is of far
more Importance than to build a
church or build an orphan asylum.
The Lord Jehovah cannot be bribed,
even If everybody else can. Rejection
from the estate of kingly honor Is the
fate of every one who will not yield
obedience to his duty and to the King
of kings. When, in everyday's news.
paper, we read Of modern Sauls going
to smash, we should remember that
ITO obey is better than sacrifice"
and that there is danger Of disaster In
ceasing to be little in ones own eyes.
THE SCHOOL HOUSE AS A cITA-
e-- --=E
Terse Comments on the Uniform
Prayer Meeting Topic of the Young
Peoples Societies Christian En-
deavor, Baptist Young Peoples Un-
ion, EpWorth League, etc,-for July
20, "The Educational Aspect of
Home Missions" II Chron. 17:1-e.
BY William T. Ellis.
This great western continent has
ever been given to oyermuch boast
fulness; yet it really has a reason
for intelligent pride in the place which
popular education has held in its his.
tory. The early settlers came to these
shores seeking intellectual and relig>
ious liberty. They r~everenced educa-
ton. AS the old saying has 1t, 'They
planted a church on every hilltop
and a school mousse in the valley" The
genius of the new world, that subtle,
elusive spirit which makes this like
unto no other land that now is or ever
has been, may be understood only as
n stands uncovered in the presence
of the u~npretentions school house
which has ever been found on the ma.
tons expanding frontier.
Between patriotism and home mis-.
sions, that is no very great difference.
Both are nation building purposes and
passions.
An era of idealism seems to be
dawning in the land. The revolt
against the sordid selfishness of ma.
terial power is both widespread and
genuine. People perceive that the ma.
tiOnal ideals are menacing. Whence
now, is to come the strength for this
new and militant patriotism? From
the church and from the schools. Pol
itics may be debauched; the judicial
ermine may not always be kept spot
less; public journals may lend them
selves to private ends; but religion
and education stand true and uncor.
rupted. By their faithful adherence
to the loftiest conceptions of national
duty and destiny, a race of strong
true patriots is assured. Because Of
their steadfastness 1t has continued
true in this land that the good have
outnumbered the bad, wherever the
issue has been fairly Joined, to rout
the plunderers. The strongest citadels
of patriotism are the church and the
school house.
Illiteracy cannot coexist with q
pure type of aggressive Christianity.
On the occasion of the semi-cen
tennial of the United Presbyterian
denominations, Rev. ]. T. McCrory
made a striking address upon the
civic responsibility of the church
With courageous f%aithfulness he
pointed out the failure of a merely
emotional or Spiritual" evangelism to
remedy social or political conditions
He cited the case Of Philadelphia
Within three years the two foremost
evangelists on this continent have
conducted great and expensive and
world-famous revival Campaigns" in
Philadelphia. Practically all the
churches were united and the news.
papers gave hearty and sympathetic
support. Yet one discernible influence