The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-07
a HEROES VALEDICTORY.
The International Sunday School
Lesson FOR December IL is "Pauis
Last Words" II. Tim, Ais.
By William Il. Ellis.


The Cherry Mine disaster has stirred
q continent. The imagination OF the
dullest has been caught by that PIC
ture OF the men down in the b~lacknesS
waiting. waiting, waiting Tor the emo
What heroism was that which kept
them from frantic and futile e~ndeaNof,
in grim resolution. And their last mes
sages-ah, there, the revealing.
ScrawIed on odd bits Of paper in the
darkness. what were these last mes
sages to loved ones about? God. most
ly. When u man IS face to face with
death the depths OF his nature rise
to the surface, and the real man STANDS
forth. The end tests all. It proves
that man, in his truest self. is mex
tinguisllibly religious.
The letters that have been brought
up from the Cherry minc have gwen
the world q glimpse into that death
chamber. Here. in this lesson, we
catch a fleeting view of another I'M
derground dungeon. where q man
awaited death. This is the Mamertime
Prison in Rome-still shown to tray
ellers-and the occupant is Paul, the
aged, the gray-faired hero Of many
battiefields. and a greater force In
human history than lustful. pride
crazed Nero on the throne. This is
Pauls second Roman imprisonment.
No more does he have his own hired
house. The yiais of persecution have
been opened upOn his head. and he
will not leave his dungeon until he
goes forth to his death.
When visited the Mamertime
Prison. one OF the Observation-Disclosures
Of Rome's many historical spots, the
guide. a quiet. reverent fellow. told
the story OF how the spring Of water
in the dungeon, which is still flowing.
sprang m~iraculously into existence to
satisfy the prisoners thirst. That ~
ony a legend, of course. but IN a higher,
truer sense there has been flowing
from that underground prison cell a
stream of living water that has meant
refreshment and life to
parched souls. Behold, twenty-five
million members OF the Sunday school
are partaljng Of it today. These last
words OF Paul from the Mamerttme
Prison.
\ Request to the n
This is 4 last letter, a great hearts
farewell. As the Cherry Mine mis-
sives were indited to the fated mems
dearest. so the letter was written to
The one Paul loved best, his young
friend Timothy. his spiritual child.
How the aged warriors heart warmed
TO the youth whom he had reared In
the faith. There was none Of ages
cynlcism about Paul, and no lament
ing OF the good old days. or the
croaking that young people aren't
what they used to be-" Paul had warm
faith In Timothy. and looked TO him
70 carry on his own work. To that
end he seems to have tried to embody
his own life and ideals in the younger.
Happy is the fading life which sees
its life and powers blossom again In
a child. friend or disciple. The bes,
bequest anybody can make Is to pass
on to another his highest ideals vi
sions, task.
PAUL loved tho work above h;a bact
friend. To the last his thought wa
OF his mission. The duty to which
Coz has called q man takes prece-
dence OF everything. There Is some
thing heroic and majestic about Paui's
clarion call to his disciple to take up
his iabors for the church he loved.
1t suggests that dramatic scene. ten
years ago. in the city of FASTING Flu,
China, when the p%rircely Horace Tracy
Pitkin knew that he must die at the
hands Of the aforementioned Boxer
hOrdes. He called to him q trusted
native Christian. n babe him bear
his message to Mrs. Pitkin and their
boy in America. Tell Mrs. Pitkin how
/ died. Tell her that when little
Horace is twenty-five years old. 1
want him to return TO China and take
my place" That was the Pauline
spirit, which has carried Christianity
to World-conquest.
Paul and The Preachers.
In the light that is reflected from
the Eternal City. many things stand
out clearly. Then we see what Is
worth while II only we could regulate
our lives from the first with the wis
dom which we AVE at the latter end.
Paul saw essentials az he penned his
last words to his beloved Timothy.
And here we find him stressing. with
all the eloquence and force at his com-
Inand, the place and power of preach
Ing. Preach the word: be instant
In season, out of season: reprOVe, re-
buke. exhort, with all l~ong-suffering
and teaching"
That is better than q %socialized