The Washington herald., 1909-10-09
Doubling Castle.

Ierso comments upon the Christian Endravor
Topic for October II. Pilgrims Progress series
! n Doubling Castle Ps., XliiI5. hKiiiI2O:
Kings xi1l-s.
The classic story OF Pilgrims Prog
ress" is full of names that are more
familiar to newspaper readers than is
the story itself This was found TO be
especially so when the Christian En-
deavor societies last month studied
I Vanity Fair" Now we find Christian.
his friend Faithful having been slain
at Vanity Fair. with another pilgrim,
named Hopeful. in an encounter with
Giant Despair and Doubling Castle
familiar names both. This adventure
befeH them because they tried TO take
short cut 10 their destination, through
By-Path Meadow. Before their eyes, a
man named Vain Confidence" fell into
pit prepared for unwary travellers. and
so, beholdng. they escaped his fate and
turned back; which was no easy matter,
for flood had arisen and darkness had
Overtaken them. Lost in the night, they
fell asleep. little dreaming that they were
In the territory Of the Giant Despair.
That terrible ogre caught them. however.
and carried them of 20 his castle Here
they were held prisoners for four days
in a nOisOme dungeon.
When courage is gone. then honor goes.
and all is gone.
The appalling increase IN the number
Of suicides all over the world IS one of
the darkest signs on the social horizon.
1t should startle into thought and ac-
ton every teacher Of religion. Has
Christianity 50 lost its hold upon man
kind that there is no fear for the future
Of sen-murderer And has IL failed
TO supply the Joy that makes life worth
living, amid all conditions? The Bishop
OF Durham recently made a striking
arraignment of his nation In an article
in the London Standard upon The
Decrease Of National Courage" He
boldly avowed that the old spirit Of
Anglo-Saxon stubbornness and unfinch-
Ing endurance is dying out, and that the
nation is decadent. He buttressed his
position largely by the increase OF sui
cides and the general growth Of the
power of Giant Despair in the realm. He
says: The nobler sort Of courage in
the face Of life is getting rarer. is wan
ing and ogi-S down. The fact is one
Of grave and formidable Importance, a
symptom OF far-reaching processes of.
degeneration In common character"
The ultimate issues Of statesmanship
reside in the moral character and spir-
itual ideals Of the people That is OBJ
yious, uuism. If the people lose heart
and cease to be brave and heroic. then
the worst of all invaders, the Giant
Despair. has captured the nation. Stout
hearts, buoyed by confident faith IN
God and IN themselves. are a treasure
and defense for any country beyond all
reckoning. Thus 1t appears that re-
ligion has the final word to speak con-
cerning nations destiny.
Lack Of faith in God speedily results
In lack Of faith in SELF and the conse-
quence is-despair.
When Christian, rendered helpless by
the blow he had received in the dun
geon Of Doubling Castle, considered
whether or not It would be better. after
all, to follow the advice OF Giant De-
spair. and make way with themselves.
his companion Hopeful recalled not only
the slnfulness of seif-murder. and its
cowardice, but also the victories that
Christian had won in the past. over
Apollyn, the Slough Of Despond, Vanity
Fair, and the Valley of the Shadow of
Death II is proper for a person 10 for
ufy himself for his present by his past.
History-general and individual-is the
best exhortation. All the stored up ex-
perience Of mans past should rally to
his help in the hour Of need.
A mans greatest enemies are those
within his own breast. If he can master
fear and doubt and despair. all other
foes may easily be routed.
Only after bitter dungeon experiences
did the Pilgrim remember that he carried
Key In his bosom that could open any