Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-01
RACE QUESTION AND RELIGION.
The international Sunday sehooi Los
con for April 4 ls "Peter and
Cornelius" Acts 1o:1-4s.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.


BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
The race question In its acutest and
gravest form IL not to be found in the
southern states, or IN San Francisco
or Vancouver; but on the other side
Of the world, where the oriental and
the African come into contact with
the white man. Especially serious
and ominous IL 1t tn China, because
the European and American theirs
have, on the whole. insisted upon act
ing toward the natives Of the country
~ II the latter were inferior beings.
| The entire anti.foreign sentiment IN
lack Of brotherlinesB In the conduct Of
the white men in China. The case in
India ID similar. The Justice Of Brit
aims rule oan scarcely be questioned,
but the Indian has been irritated and
made rebellious by the refusal Of
many white men to treat him as
brother man. The attitude OF the av-
erage "sahib" toward the native has
exasperated the proud Indian to the
point Of open rebellion
Nor Is the race question modern
issue. It existed in the first Christian
century with an intensity equal to
anything known at the present time.
The Greeks and Romans looked upon
the whole outer world as "barbarians.'
The Jew regarded all Gentiles con-
temptuously They were beyond the
pale The caste system at which We
shudder in India. was Just as strong
and bitter and unbrotherly on the part
of the Jews Of old.
A Levellng Gospel.
Christianity undertook to draw just
one line Of division between men, and
that not a horizontal line. but YER
teal. All other social and religious
systems had apportioned men into up
per classes. middle classes and lower
classes. Christ drew a vertical line,
on one side of which were the good,
and on the other side the bad Into
the intense class consciousness of the
day, and In spite Of natural DISPOSE
ton Of Jewish Christians. the relig-
ion Of Jesus projected conception OF
brotherhood. 1t Judged men only on
the basis Of their attitude toward
Christ. AS the appeal to the Gen.
tiles later expressed 1t: There can
not be Greek and Jew, circumcision
and uncircumcision, barbarism, Soy
/
Christ Is all and in all.
Serious controversies agitated the
, early church over this question. Pail
7 had to withstand Peter to his face
! The Jewish church had its faith and
l vision screly tested in the effort to
: admit Gentle Christians on an equal
3 footing. Yet this was the triumph OF
I the early church. 1t abolished all so
7 cial lines. Rich ard poor, slave AMI
U freeman, Jew and Gentle, became
= brothers in the one common Lord.
The Heathen's Vision.
7 On the outskirts of the Jewish faitf
: there dwelt large company of mer
y and women who were not strictly pros
u |, elytes, yet who believed in the one
J. God Among these was certain Rom
an military man, Captain Cornelius
!, He was not churchman In full stand
4 ing. But the record runs that he wa!
} "a devout man, ard one that fearet
J. God with all his /. Q, who gav'
= much aims to the people, and prayed
3 to God always" Cornelius was III
advanced type of the men who are t
be found in every nation who reac]
y out blind hnrds to the Father Of u
+ all He is an arly monition to Chris
g tians everywhere that they should il
B. terpret most literally all the cropping
II and strivings of the ancient faiths AFT
u er a spiritual life as an aspiration tt
IL wards the true and living God.
0, To Cornelius came a Vision, biddin
!; him summon Simon Peter, who woul
e. instruct him more fully in the thing
Q, of the spirit. The picture is wort
n meditating upon. 1t was not mysti
II nor seer nor "holy man to whor
e the vision came, but to practice
man of affairs, soldier. The powe
Il Of vision Is not denied to any man i
4, any sphere. The sad truth Is tina
e men shut their eyes to visions whic
3 are all around them. How few of tn
Id hurrying merchandizers who thron
n New York's public ways takes time &c
ID moments thought Of the vast socia
political, and spiritual problems thu
er are incarnated on every side {
IT. them! It is by the man of vision thu
m these perplexities are to be solves
IT. And only as a powerful proportion {
d. the people are possessed Of the gi
Is of vision to which they are obedier
a can we hope for a solution Of the tef !
OF ing problems of our time. TennysCn
as exhortation is still widely applicable
IS young Mariner,
lr. Down to the haven,
OF Call your companions,
m Launch your vessel,
Is Crowd your canvas, u
And, ere 1t vanishes
Over the margin,
After 1t, follow 1t,
Follow The Clean.
TO Some Curious Condolences.
While Cornelius was being given
vision In Caesarea, Peter was r
ceiving another vision in Joppa. The,
ar condolences of the spiritual and phi
ay steal world are profoundly suggestiv
in they hush into reverence eve
ca thoughtful mind. Only the Grass al
1c- the ignorant disregard them or ire
CHI them lightly. Gods bells all chime
ng tune. There is such thing as {
IN, vine concatenation of events. God w
he working in Caesarea and in Jopp
OIL The same omniscient and omniprese