The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-16
THINGS TO DIE FOR.
The International SundaE-SchOoi c
son for February II is.
the First Christian Martyr. ietS
Is: is: :.
By WILLIAM T.. ELLIS.

The whole world is laughlns az ~
british "suffragettes, and their queer
audacitjee. which have been lanolllS
them behind prison bars. Not every
body erceiyes that when a cause nas
reached the stage where It's adleieh.9
are willing TO suffer for it there IS no
turning back. Undoubtedly, behlnu
the reprphensible antics Of these Wo-
men lies the serious purpose 70 afouse
public attention to the cause "hlcii
they champion. Hencefof,h, equai
SURFACE for women is bound to be az
issue in British politics. Any cause
which reaches the stage OF aaFlhS
martyrs has passed through this eX-
detrimental period.
In this sunday school lesson We hnu
the young Christian church ADVANCED
to such dimensions and portentousness
thai it suffers its first martyrdom III
the cause of stephen the loVable.
Where the martyr blood first rails,
there is a great milestone in the pro-
gress OF any enterprise. The really
serious cOntemporaneouS significance
of this eN er-fascinating ancient story
is that there are still some things
worth dying for. Into the midst OF
our doctrjnaire and dilettante times,
with their f~rivolity and sup ~arfciality,
we have Projected this t~re.tenionS
story of a martyrdom for truth : sake.
Suddenly we are brought up 70 a
realization that there are still! great
convictions and causes NOR" precious
than lfr. Even more Directly. there
. is written on the very taCc
of this thrilling story Of the sto:lnS
of Stephen, the glorious truth thtt
Christ is worth living for aau worth
Making Heroes
All national leaders are concerned
with the problem of putting stuff ana
fibre in the constitution Of the oncom-
ing generations. HOW shall We make
.today's boys knightlier men than their
fathers? In the face of the effenainiz-
ing tendency of the times, it IS one Of
the grayest tasks confronting the twen
tieth century. Our day demands iron
in the blood of its men, How shall
we impart his depth Of conviction.
this courage for the sake of ideals,
this lofty idealis1n. which IS civiliza-
tons crown? Opportunity, here comes
stephen to the help OF some fiftee1
million young people in the Sunday
schools Of the continent. 1t is a poor
teacher indeed who does not give his
class on this occasion q new conception
of the heroism Of faith and Of The
sublimity Of suffering for conscience
sake. This is an occasion when many
BOYS and girls will be introduced t.
the long roll of martyr spirits who
ounted not their lives dear unto them.
selves for the truths sake.
The child or man who has never
learned to subdu a desire or a sens,
of comfort and convience at the dictate
of a conviction. is to be Ditied indeed
Such a one, instead of being a pilla'
of society. is a problem of society
Instead of being a lifting force, he i
a weight to be, carried. and a cOnstan
peril. 1t takes the stephen stuff t
make good citizens.
A Layman Who Preached.
This year, 1909. marks TO an ex
traOrdinary degree the emergence o
the layman into power in religion
work. The present Sunday school les
son shows how the early Church. whel
it's work grew large, made extensiv,
provision for service by the Iaity. TIL,
apostles themselves Withdrew from
work that could be better lone b.
men who had not their preaching com
mission So With greater care than i.
sometimes exercised by latter cOngre
cations, they chose seven men to serv
the Church in temporal matters. |
is probably true that if the strong an
prosperous churches Of our own tim
We're to make some such adequate Iii
vision Of labor, SO that the laity Nigh
bear its share of the burden of wait
ing on tables, visiting the sick, an,
caring for the temperatures of tn
church, the preachers would not fin
themselves tied down to the routin
trlVialities of errand BOYS or bushes
managers; and we should have bette
preaching in the pulpits, and bette
cooperation from the DeWs.
Secular though his end of the wor
was, SteDhen could preach on occa
sion. So the preSent-day laylnen ar
proving. There is a tendency, happil
being siren gthened, to man Outlyin
stations and missions, not by attempt
ing TO support in them a half-starve
mission preacher, but by working o,
quail1ied laymen to do the work {
teaching and of organization and &C
mlnlstration. I know a country churc
which reaches out in every directio
win it's half dozen Sunday-school
II mld-Week prayer-meetings, a
tanned by lay members Of til
pastor. = =
especially in the southern part {
me United States, the laymen are Gu
t nya'ins the habit Of going out two
W. TO speak upon missions. an
While it must be freely adrn;ttoa ~ ~