The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-29
What the Church
Doing.
THE NEW PATRIOTISM,
The international Sunday-SchOOl Les
son o July A is "PauIs Second
missionary journey - Antioch to
p%hilippi.' Acts IS: So; IS: Is.
By William T. Ellis.

ism is an evidence Of the changing
spirit of our times. These first days
Of July in the United States are Law
0red by memories Of the D~eclaration)
Of independence, and in Canada by the
observance Of Confederation Day.
Once it was common to heah at
Fourth of July celebrations in the
States the most blatant Spread-eagle-
ISM; but this belicose strutting and
growing ~barnyard fashion has given
way to a more serious and dignified
mood. The best patriots are feeling
keenly their obligations as world cit
liens, and they are studying their re-
lations to all other nations. The
American spirit is expressing itself
by a new, frank facing Of the days
internationalism. Canada never held
so truly national q gathering as that
which met in Toronto a few months
g to consider Cauada's missionary
policy with respect to herself and the
hole earth, Americas Christian
manhood is likewise to come together
next spring in a meeting that may
easily take rank with the great his
tory-making assemblies OF the ma
tons formative period
The springs of patriotism go down
to the depths of the spirit. 1t is easy
TO speak of country ard of God in the
one breath. There is q straight line
connecting the patriotism of the year
1908 in this new western world with
the Sunday-SchOOl lesson Of the day.
For the later marks the advent of
Christianity in Europe. The great
historic step was made which carried
the Gospel out of Asia into the land
which was for nearly twenty centuries
to remain its strength and center.
Doubtless on the journey from TrOas
TO Neapolis, nobody paid particular
attention to an iucOnspicuous little
Jew and his small band of companions
WhO 6ay- affav 6ar Urarn caon in mast
earnest converst upon some serious
themes. Yet that was a greater day
for Europe than when Xerxees, or
Phillip of MacedOn, of Augustus
marced their legions Owe this edge Of
Europe. So today it stirs ones mag
visitors gallery at Ellis Island. and
watches the stream of immigrants
passing before the inspectors, and
wonder which of these unkempt, big
eyed boys carries in his cloth bundle
a new epoch for America.
A Travelling Teacher,
Philippi, whittier Paul was bound,
is now a heap Of ruins, scarcely heed
ed by the obscure Turkish village near
its site. Most Of the names of places,
and the places and customs them
selves, that become familiar to PauIs
ears and eyes have passed away.
Still The air is rent with the echoes of
shots and shrieks Of awful massacre
of men and women throughout the
region traversed by Paul'S company
on his second missionary journey, all
for the sake of the Name which he
preached. Asia Minor and adjacent
Europe-What we may roughly call
the Pauline neighborhood-are in a
tuInult and uproar that attract the at
tenton of Christendom. The wise
reader of the daily newspaper cons the
cable dispatches in the light of these
Illuminating dispatches from Holy
Writ; and likewise the student of the
Apostolic Church is not unmindful OF
me later acts that are Handspring in
this region.
1t had been q half dozen years since
tdul had made his first missionary
tooF throughout Asia Minor Now he
vas Settlng out again IN the same long
nd4d journey that Would consume two
VI tnree years more AS mere travel
~ouid SUCH a journey be worth while ::
pur restless age is over emphasizing
ny pressure and profit of travel in it
sell. No lives are more wasted tina
thoSe which are spent in wandering uI
ana down the face of the earth, fitting
rom spot to spot in an endeaVor to
9'lthulate Jaded interest. Travel fol
Il great is supremacy worth
while; but travel for travels sake soon
oecOmeS a WEAKNESS to the flesh. Pau
was sustained in his Journeys by the
CONSCIOUSNESS that he was bent on q
great mission.
rms time he was not accompanied
by Barnabas, for the latter wanted tC
take along his kinsman, John Mark
lnasmuch as the young man had prov
en- a broken reed on the previous
journey, Paul would not AXE him
again. The dispute which sent Pau
n BarnabaS or separate tours is g
comforting touch Of human nature
70 those who are inclined to think
that the Bible characters are all free
from human frailtieS. Paul chose, in.
stead Silas, and they went toeethe1