The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-05
RELIGIOUS WORLD
What the CurllCh Fold are Thinking About and Doing-
Religiouse News From Elsewhere

nor drink until they had killed p...
takes the front rank. 1t was am .,-
wise vow and an un-Mosaic vow. ...,
though ostensibly made in the int.r..-
of the ]aw'of Moses. The gIarir- t.-
consistency of this never appealc. .
the forty, or their colleagues. .,
somehow bigotry and passion seemed
always to lack a sense of humor
Low Politics i'll High Places.
Once a mar began TO follow poL..-
rather than principle, or ambition
rather than truth, he sets out on
way whose end he canno f~oresee. \
tragic life story was revealed in Ppnn-
sylyania a few weeks ago 10y til.
maudlin confession of a tWenty-year-
old suicide. At the age Of ten rs
began to steal money from his m0th~
er. He increased his thefts through
out the years, ilnpoVerishing his "a
rents, until finally he wound ND l.
numbering his mother. There is nov
On trial before a civil court, as he has
been for months in the pillory Of pub
lie scorn. a college man whose rels4-
ious and artistic ideals were famous
because, rather than travel the toll
some way Of industry to success. hs
made alliances with corrupt politj.
clans. Now he has won national no.
toriety by the accusations of graft
made against him, Even more tragic
is the case Of the ministers who once
were nobl messengers of the Word
and shepherds of Gods flock, who
have d~egenerated into ecclesiastical
politicians. Some of them have a.
tanned high office, out at the expense
of their honor and spiritual integrity.
For they have made compromises
which have been as the selling 81
their souls.
Astounding as it nay seem, it was
yet not inconsistent with their rec
ord hat the high court Of justice and
religion Of the Jews, the SandhedTin.
should lend itself to the murderous
plot Of these forty ruftians. We find
that the Council entered heartily int,
the diabolical scheme which aimed to
pass the death Of an untri-i
prisoner. Such were the men who
were supposed to be the spiritual eN.
amples and leaders and e~xpounders
of truth for the Jewish people. In
deed, it is safe counsel in all times
for the plain people to guard zeal
ouslv the purity of the highest Offices
of the Church.
A Relative to the Rescue.
n scheme was a plausible orr:
and it locke to the plotters as II
naught could foil it. With forty pairs
Of hands ready to be dipped int"
blood. and with the eccieSias-
teal n social and official power Of
Jewry ready to deliver him within
fedcn OF lnOSo ndnUS, Paut S cnaflCtf
of escape seemed indeed small. But
there were other human factors not
reckoned on. In the long run, when
q man is hardest pressed. he is likely
to find help from his own kindred.
Strangely enough. the Christian
Church in Jerusalem does not appear
in this narrative. When Peter was in
prison we find that it was in turmoil.
and prayer was made without ceas-
ing. On this occasion we are not told
that the Church used its human or its
spiritual influence for Pauls rescue.
It was a nephew of Pauls, the son %
his own sister, young, alert. and &C
tive, who caught this whispered story
of the intended assassination Of his
uncle. Forty mems secret is no Sc
cret and 1T is not surprising that ,
leak developed.
The youth behaved skilfully. fla
took the story straight to Paul. Tho
latter, a man Of the world. knew that
it was not a tale for underlings, S"
he secured an interview with the COM
mander for the young man. The lat
ter heard all the details, and then.
placing the seal of siNnce on the
nephew's lips, sent him about rs
way.
With Rome, to purpose was to at.
Stralghtway we hear the operation -
the smooth-running machinery OF the
Roman government, is its wheels be
gin to turn preparatory to taking PAU
to the capital. Captain LySias did not
know it, but the most important work
that ever came to his hand was the
delivering of his victim of mob Ia"
one stage on his way TO the Eternal
City.
That same night and with incredt-
BILE sWiftness and silence. two hum
dred l~nfantrymen, seventy troopers,
and two hundred lancars were equip
ped to accompany Pau to CaeSarea-
What a court of honor for the loWIE
prisoner! With them they bore =
letter to Felix, the Governor of Caes-
area, explaining the case. That was
a mere detail that did not bother
Paul. He was on the way to the fui-
fllment of his mission. AS he would