The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-12
az wuLIAM II. ELLIS.


William James, of Harvard. has recent
ly said, 1t is quite obvious that a wave
of religious activity, analogous In some
respects to the spread of earl Christian
itv' Buddhism and Mohammedism, is
passing over our American world.
Throughout history there nave oeen
these waves of religious interest, Varl-
ously expressed. In King Solomons
time this spirit lowered in the erection
of the great temple, the glory or Whlch
marked high water in Jewish rituahstic
worship.
not take the form of church building,
although the magnificently simple
church of the Christian Scientists IN
Boston, the great cathedral or St Johh
the Divine in New York. and the sump-
tiol1s cathedral now building in Wash
tnRtcn, are evidences that men still de-
light to honor God through sumptuous
forms and towering stone and beauti-
full paintings and stained-glass win.
doIs More significant of the temper OF
the time are the "cathedrals OF WORK
the ONCE buildings which are nowadays
being erected as denominationaI mead
quarters and as mission houses. for
human service, evangenstic zeal, the
spirit of brotherhood and expressions OF
the spirit of civic righteousness evoke
today &he religious fervor Whlcn IN sol
omon's time concentrated UPON ZIG
great temple.
A Churchman Who Was Not Good.
There has always been deal OF
scorn expressed for conspicuous cnurcn-
men who's zeal for personal righteous
ness does not equal their ardor Lor tne
concerns of organized religion. Hypo-
critic is the mildest word that crltlcs
find to describe this type. Perhaps
some persons suppose that TINS sort o.
man has come into existence along WIN
our modern swollen fortunes. Yet even
the great King Solomon was such
one.
David's son is best known for the
temple which he built. That was his
chief gift to his kingdom. The splenoor
of that creation is the SHINING event
OF his reign. To the end of time 500
mon will be known as the man VINO
elected wisdom (although ne dlo nor
always employ it,, and as the builder
of the glorious first temple of the jews.
His own conduct was not so beautiful;
he was an ease-loving, oppressive, sell
woes upon his subjects. and, despite the
great temple, which bore his name. ne
led them into idolatry.
brave word of truth needs to pc
snol<en concerning Solomon, and all VINO
have Rince followed his example OF DO
ing munificent deeds in the name OF re-
ligion without conforming their own
lives to the plain requirements OF Je-
hoyah These times are ready TO
sneak that word For God is not to be
bribed by gifts, nor f1attered by pat
ronage. nor won by good deeds. osteh-
tatiously performed with the right hano
first obligation which Jehovah lays
upon anybody, high or low, Is to OBEY
mis- law: from a reckoning on account
of that obligation he cannot be diverted
A beautiful church, noble phllan-
thropy, is no substitute for a clean ire
The Church and the Skyscraper.
The historic churches along lower
Broadway, in New York, are being
dwarfed, enthusiastically, by the sur
rounding office buildings. Let no one
confuse the relative importance or the
two on this account. We nave not yet
got 10 the point of Defeating new ONCE
buildings with solemn ceremony ana
ritual. The church stands for the hlgh-
est expression of man $ lie; the ONCE
building represents him on lower
scale A church represents the perman-7
ent spiritual ideals. 1t embodies the
IoftIest human aspirations: nation
best expression of It's religious senu-
1nent represents that nation at its best.
The apex of IsrasPs career was Its
temple building era.
A canny old Scot in Toronto, q
capitalist, whose conversation showed
that he regarded everything from the
standpoint of the dollar, was arraign-
ing the churches and ministers to me,
a few DAYS ago, and then he suddenly
gave his whole case away by admitting
that he himself goes to church every
Sunday, and that he believes in the
church. OF course. Religion Is the
saving salt OF society. Real estate
men in unabashed commercialtsm,
confess that the presence of church
enhances the value of their property.
Whose helps to build a church, or TO
maintain one. Is contributing directly
to the social welfare Of his neighbor-
hood and to the general stability or
his time and his nation. Nothing has
bound the heart of successive genera
tions of Jews to Jerusalem or helped
to solidify their national con-
seriousness like the presence Of the
temple.
As the Orient Builds.
Anybody who has travelled through
the east, and especially through India,
can appreciate somewhat the mag
nidcence of Solomon's temple. There
is no architecture to equal the Tai
Pyramids, In all this western world.
1 have seen Oriental palaces and
tombs and mosques and temples which
reveal a richness OF architectural
IMAGINATION, a sumptuousnesS OF
scheme. such as our western builders
seem never to approach IN their wild
est flights. Not the Vatican itself, nor
any of the cathedraIs of Europe and
America that l have seen. conveys to
my mind so good an impression of
what Solomon's temple must have
been like, or contained. as does the
stately marble Temple OF Heaven"
in Picking.
FOR seven years Solomon's work
men wrought, land there was neither
hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron
heard In the house" From the I'M
foreground quarries-still shown the
visltors-the finished stone was borne
to the building, and there fitted in
place The narrative of the con-
struct1on of the temple and its EN-
bellishmefts Is fairly bewildering to
the present day reader. The best that
most OF us can gain Is this general
impression OF largoness, strength,
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