The Washington herald., 1909-03-27

The International Sunday-school Lesson Tor ApiA
4 is Peter and Cornelius. Acts xl-1a
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
The race question in its acutest and
rravest form IS not 10 be found In the
Southern States. OF 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 is it In
China. because the European and Ameri-
can there have. on the whole, insisted
upon acting toward the natives Of the
country as If the latter were inferior be-
ings. The entire anti-foreign sentiment
in China may be traced TO the simple
lack of brotherlinessf fn the conduct of the
white men in China. The ease in India
IS similar. The justice of Britain's rule
can scarcely be questioned. but the IN
dian has been irritated and made re
beIIious by the refusal of many white
mep to treat him as brother man. The
attitude of the average "sahib" toward
the native has exasperated the proud
Indian to the point Of open rebellion
Nor IS the race question a modern Is
sue Il existed in the first Christian
century with an intensity equal to any
thing known ar the present time. The
Greeks and Romans looked upon the
whole outer world as ''barbarians The
Jew regarded an Gentiles contemptuously.
They were beyond the pale. The caste
system. at which we shndder in India,
was just as strong and bitter and un-
brotherly on the part OF the Jews of old.
A LEyELING GOSPEL
Christianity undertook to draw just one
line of division between men, and that
not horizontal line, but a vertical AL
other social and religious systems had
apportioned men into upper ciasses. mid
die 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 dis
position Of Jewish Christians. the religion
o. Jesus projected a conception Of broth
erhood Il judged men only on the basis
Of their attitude toward Christ As the
appeal 10 the Gentiles later expressed it.
There cannot be Greek and Jew, cir
cumcision and uncircumeision, barbarian,
Scythlan, bondman and freeman; but
Christ is all and In all
Serious controversies agitated the early
church over this question. Paul had 10
Withstand Peter TO his face. The Jewish
Church had IFS faith and vision sorely
tested IN the effort 10 admit Gentle
Christians on an equal footing Yet this
was the triumph Of the early church. II
abolished al social lines. Rich and poor
slave and freeman. Jew and Gentle, be-
came brothers in the one common Lord
THE HEATHEN's VISION.
on the outskirts of the Jewish faith
there dwelt a large company. OF men and
women who We're not strictly proselytes<
yet who believed in the one God Among
these. vas a. certain Roman military man,
Capt. Cornelius He was not a church,
man In fun standing But the record
runs that ne was "a devout man. and one
that feared God with all his house. who
gave much aims TO the people. and prayed
Ia God always" Cornelius was an ad-
vanced type Of the men who are 10 be
found in every nation VINO reach ouy
blind hands 10 the Father of us all. He
Is an early monition 70 Christians every
where that they shoald interpret most
nberally an the groupings and strivings
cs the ancient faiths after q spiritual life
rs an aspiration toward the true and
living God
To Cornelius came a vision. bidding him
summon Simon Peter. who would instruct
Rim more fully in The things Of the
spirit The picture is worth meditating
upon. It was not q mystic or a seer
nor a holy man" to whom the vision
came. but 10 a practical man OF affairs. a
soldier. The power Of vision is not de-
MED 10 any man i'm any sphere. The sad
truth is that men shut their eyes 10
visions which are all around them How
few OF the hurrying merchandisers who
thFong New YOrk's public ways take
time for moments thought OF the vast
social. political. and spiritual probl. ms
that are incarnated on every side Of
them. II is by the man Of vision that
these perplexites are 10 be solved And
only as a powerful proportion Of the peo-
pie are possessed OF the gift of vision
10 which they are obedient can we hope
for a solution Of the teeming problems
Of our time. Tcnnyson's exhortation is
still widely applicable:
o young Mariner.
Down 10 the haven.
Can your companions,
Launch your vessel.
Crowd yuur canvas.
And. ere IL sauishes
Over The margin
After H. follow II.
Follow The Clean.
SONrF CTRIOUS COTNfTDFNf,FS