The Washington herald., 1909-10-09
A Great Man VS.. a CRATER.

AoNNL ~ ~ Lul4 AlAulAAl AAlNAN ANtAAf sANtNf -
The imperfections Of the judicial sys-
tenn in the United States have lately
been pointed out by President Taft HIM
self. Except in very rare instances.
these do not include corruption. At
times We learn OF judges who are swayed
primarily by ambition, social ties. and
pecuniary considerations: by all such
the administration OF justice is utterly
impossible. Pure water does not flow
from a foul spring. An instance OF
the effect Of bribery upon the charac-
ter OF a Judge is the case OF Felix, be-
fore whom we find Paul standing in
the course OF his adventures.
Felix was a CRATER. The graft habit
had so eaten into HIS whole nature. that
even when he came to consider seriously
the question Of personal religion. he still
could not shake OF the desire TO make
perDonal gain out OF HIS teaching; even
as many a man to-day finds the ruling
evils Of his life rising up before him in
church. as a veil 20 shut out the truth
OF God. HIS essential corruption had
so distorted the nature Of Felix (history
writes him down as the worst governor
Judea ever had) that he could not deal
justly with the prisoners before him.
The high, infieXible and even-handed jus
tlce OF the Roman courts was made
rnockery by this debauched and crafty
offlcial His story is one that should
bring home 70 the youth OF the Sunday
schools the blighting effects upon charac-
ter and destiny OF being swayed by any
other considerations than those OF honor
and Justice
GIANT AT THE BAR PYGMY on THE
BENCH.
In this Roman court room at Cesarea,
the capital OF the province OF Judea,
we see enacted a scene which history
has often been called upon to record
greatness and honor standing at the
judgment bar Of pettiness and greed.
Felix was a pygmy; Paul was a giant.
Felix was not worthy to wash the feet
Of this prisoner upon whom his lecher
Gus eyes leered so superciiiously. He
was serene and contemptuous in the
delUsion that power and position made
him great-an error that has not yet
perished from earth. Jesus had to stand
before PLATE: and truth and nobility
often finds itself arraigned before mean
ness and time-servlng politics. Mediocrity
often sits in judgment upon genius.
Boorish wealth sometimes is served by
true gentEty. The present lesson, with
its dramatic contrast In injustice. re-
minds us that
Honor and shame from no condition ns.
Act well thy part: -s.1ro all the honor lies
A cynlc. aware Of the facts, would
have found food for epigrams in that
courtroom scene. Knowing the shady
record of Felix. whose only merit seems
TO have been diligence In suppressing
crimes OF violence. so that
lie left q corssiT's name to other times
Linked TO one virtue and thousand crimes
the observer would have smiled inward
ly at the fulsome hattery OF the hired
Roman advocate. Tertullus. who was
doubtless employed for his influence"
with this Roman Judge The obsequious-
ness and servility of these proud Jews.
including the high priest himself be-
fore the naughty and cruel representa-
tive Of the hated alien dominion must
have been a delight TO the cynic Even
such a one could not have failed TO
show interest In the sophistry-punctur-
ing statements OF the plainly clad and
badly-battered hereto at the bar, whose
adventurous career had been enough to
stir cynic's blood. Anybody accus-
toned TO measuring men could see that
the merits Of the case, as well as the
personal greatness. all lay with the little
Christianized Iew from Tarsus
THE DEBATE IN COURT.
A stormy petrol was Paul There is
no denying that wherever he went COM
motions seemed 20 follow. That was be-
cause he was a personality. and preached
a gospel which, when presented straight,
always makes a stir Commander Claud-
ius Lysias. Of the Jerusalem garrison.
L
OF Paul; after rescuing him from a
mob, he had folled the plot Of forty
assassins by sending the prisoner on by
night TO Cesarea. There, after five days.
Il delegation Of leading Jews. including
Ananias. the high priest. attended by a
Roman pleader named Tertullus, fol-
lowed to prefer charges against him.
The lawyer was sycophantiC. He fat
tered Felix without regard 10 the facts.
He called Paul "a pestilent fellow "a
mover Of instructions among all the
Jews throughout the world" "a ring
leader OF the sect Of the Nazarenes."
and a profaner OF the temple II viii
be noted that he did not call Paul a
leader OF the Christians" II was the
pagans who gave that name 10 the fol-
lowers Of Jesus. and not the Jews: to
the latter II was an offense, for Christ"
was their sacred word for the expected
Messiah So they used the despised
name ''Nazarenes." which is Illuminated
by their proverb, 'Can any good thing
come out Of NAZARETH"
When the prisoners turn came 10
speak, ne showed himself as suave. pol
ished. and urbane as the Roman LAWYER
But with this difference: Paul in perfect
self-pOSSessiOn. proved himself the better
diplomat and orator by his self-restralnt
in his opening salutatiou; he kept within
the facts, which Is always the way OF
master. DR.. w. Smith says, There
IS scarcely q more striking contrast in
the records OF oratory than that between
the fulsome harangue OF the hired ad-
Vocate, Tertullus, and the manly sim
plicity OF Paul's defense. His own at
titude toward Roman magistrates was
invariably that Of a respectful but in
dependent citizen" The prisoners incl
sive mind quickly stripped the non-es-
sential charges from the essential.
THE WAY WHICH THEY CALL SECT"
The notion is prevalent that foreign
missionaries devote a great deal Of their
time to attacking the beliefs OF the
people among whom they live. Men who
should know better have declared pub
hcly that II is in bad taste for mis-
siOnaries TO combat idOlatry. AS q mat
ter OF fact the missionaries are most
diligent and tactful in seeking a point
Of contact with the native thought and
belief. l have heard a missionary in
Japan quoting the Japanese classics at
preaching service. 1t is a general
rule TO follow the Pauline way. as the
great apostle exemplifed it at his trial
before Felix He went into considerable
detail 20 show that in all points except
one he believed as did his Jewish ac-
Cusers 1t was good strategy as we'll
as the flower OF Christian courtesy. for
him 70 identify himself with the faith OF
his adversaries The Christian way is
20 seek points OF aRreement. rather than