The Washington herald., 1909-07-17
An Old Picture Of To-day.

Acts. xviile4
No phrase better describes the life of
the Western World to-day than the famil-
lar sentence Of Dr. Luke: NOW all the
Athenians and the strangers sojOurning
there spend their time in nothing else
but either 10 tell or to hear some new
thing" That is present-day society.
That is our modern city life. That IS the
genius OF the village woman's club. That
is the twentieth century newspaper Our
times are madly bent upon discovering
the latest sensation IN earth or heaven
or on Mars. or in the mysterious ether
that envelops Us.
Let Il be frankly confessed that a large
part OF the world to-day is engaged in a
desperate endeavor to ward or inevitable
1adedness. our search for novelty is but
an attempt 10 escape from ourselves.
Dilettantelsm is a hallmark OF our age
Enthusiasm IS accounted bad form. Con-
viction does not compOrt with culture.
A self-satisned sitting apart and a cyni-
cnl survey OF the passing show is the
favorite attitude OF the modern man and
woman.
THE ANCIENT CENTER OF CULTURE.
All this was even more true OF Athens
than Il IS OF to-day. when Paul found
himself in this one OF the three great
metropollses OF the world Athens had
glory and pride. 1t was still a great city
and had been a greater In its prime 1t
sent forth more great men IN one hun
dred years than al the rest OF the world
could show IN five hundred" There were
Socrates. Plato, Aristotle, DemOsthenes,
Aescbylus. Sophocles. Aristides. The
mistocles, Phidias, Keno. Epicurus. Thu
cy6ldes. XenOphon. and Pericles CUl-
tured Paul, the university man, must
have felt his nerves tingle as he moved
amid the sculptures and architecture SO
closely associated with these great names
His present problem was how to arrest
and arouse this effervescing life OF Athens
upon n greater theme than ever before
had come 20 its attention. He saw this
visit 20 Athens as one OF the great Op-
portuuities Of his life. He proved him
self worthy TO stand with the best Of the
Athens teachers by his eloquent speech
He was not merely a missionary OF the
new faith: he was a great cosmopolitan
and philosopher. His address was adrOit.
adaptable and skillful-an application Of
his own principle OF being all things 10
some" For to Paul there must have
come the vision OF an Athens converted
10 Christ. with all its art and skill suf-
fused by a new vitality and a new pur-
pose. He dreamed Of the tremendous
abilities OF this queen city placed at the
service Of his Master. Small wonder that
he coveted this jewel for his King
A GREAT SOULS INDIGNATION.
people that consistently gives itself
TO pleasure-seeking as It's chief aim is
bound 10 atrophy its capacity for at in
tense. emotions The pleasure-seel1er
gradually becomes able TO look unmoved
upon the most terrible spectacles. Moral
degeneration inevitably follows in the
wake OF putting pleasure first.
Into every such community q great
soul enters as Paul entered Athens and
finds himself deeply stirred with indig-
nation. II is no credit 20 a Christian
that he cannot get angry. Christ was
tremendously moved by the iniquitOus
spectacles which He beheld. and His
greatest apostle had a similar capacity for
abhorrence. He found Athens-beaUtiful,
cultured. graceful, artistic, Athens
crowded full Of idols. A Roman poet had
declared that II was easier 70 find gods
than men In Athens
These shrines and figures Of diyinitles
which lined all the highways represented
not merely error. but, what was worse.
they stood for indifference. When a peO-
pie have many gods they cannot be loyal
10 any one god. This multitude Of del
ties spoke elOquently OF the light-minded-
ness OF the Athenians. They. ike some
modern Successors. were not particular
as 10 what men believed They could
say, as is so often said to-day. zone re-
ligion IS as good as another" Such a
statement reveals vitiated power Of
thought. The s0-called tolerance which
possesses no convictions, ts merely a
state of mental deblitatiOn. Every great
man believes something tremendously. A
fair indictment of much modern edUca-
tion IS that it only goes far enough TO
cut the nerve Of conviction.
n contrast with the Athenian way, we
can hear Paul as he preached in the syn
agOgue- How this eloquence must have
blistered the Jews who had become in
ured 20 the sights Of Athens With what
terrific words did he recall them 20 the
standards OF Moses and their own pure
faith. The very presence OF such an in
tense and vital character as Paul IN
community IS a tonic
STREET PREACHER.
The man who believes something which
he feels belongs TO the whole world. and,
believes II with a deeper earnestness than
his regard for the proprieties OF for life
itself. cannot be kept bottled up within
the forms OF conventional procedure.
No synagogue could hold Paul IN the pres
ence OF Athenian conditions. He went
morning. noon. and night 10 the public
square 70 debate upon these profound
truth OF which he knew himself TO be the
custodian. Even the Stoics and Fpicureans
who resOrIed thither were stirred 10 some
fresh interest at the prospect Of a new
doctrine. New thought" had never so
attractive a sound 20 modern Athenian as
did the rumor OF a new teaching to these
idlers in Athens Of old.
Paul became a fad. even as the tur-
baned Indian bebu who visits America
becomes the fad with idle women. They
wanted 10 hear more OF his doctrine
not because they fel; It to be important.
but simply because it was new. Their
interest was purely speculative. They
desired 10 titillate the weary nerve Of in
terest They were early members Of the
tribe OF church FOUNDERS who weary OF the
preaching and worship and work Of any
single congregation. and spend their time
IN going from church to church 10 taste
the style OF different preachers
OK MARS HILL
Paul was succeeding in his purpose.
He wanted TO awaken the interest Of the
city in himself, that he might transfer
that interest TO the Christ whom he
preached. Then. as now. the problem
Of awakening a whole city's interest was
no small one. No one has written the
heart-break Of the preacher Of the gospel
who comes 20 a great modern city bur
dened with the message Of God TO the
people, and then Is compelled 10 watch