The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-01-18
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

BY /. ELLIS.
Life strategy should he every per
sons st1dv. Few plan their lives eff
fectively: we master all arts except
the highest one, the art Of living.
Many men drift through the days
with no conscious effort TO dlrect
their powers into the best possible
n A little effort to get out
of the accustomed rut, is all that
stands IN the way Of some persons
success. A change of location is
often necessary to improve ones pow
ers, despite the proverbs to the con-
trary. 1t is hard for a great life to
win out amid small and sordid and
go from Nazareth to Capernaunl to
find a fertile field for the sowing of
his life.
Everybody should seek to discover
his Capernaum. The great West is
full of prosperous people who, had
they remained in New England viii
lagos, would have developed into in
teresting but futile ~"characters,"
without scope or vision. Thousands
Of young men are undergoing slow
atrophy of soul in restricted and I'M
congenial positions. when. had they
but courage to venture into some new
field, they would find happiness and
ample when he turned from the hide
bound bigotry of Jerusalem, and the
suspicious, unreceptive prOvincialism
Of Nazareth, to the cosmopolitan city
of Capernaum, where men had learn
I'd, by contact with the outside world,
the lesson of the open mind.
Jesus a City Man.
There was an urgent practical rea-
son why Jesus should make Caper-
naum the scene of his mission, n
his message. John had fallen into
Herod's clutches. While Jesus re-
manned in Herod's territory he ran
the same risk. 1t was prudent for
him to &C to the city by the sea. The
move also fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy,
which Matthew quotes. 1t was writ
ten in Sod plan for the Messiah that
he should early reach out to the Gen
tileS.
Art and literature love to depict
Jesus amid the green fields, and by
the side Of the ~shimmering lake.
Nevertheless, it must be remembered
that throughout most of his public
ministry he lived and worked In the
city. Here we find him making his
home in Capernaun1, the second most
important city in Palestine, a busting
centre Of caravan routes and an n
portant mart of trade The Son Of
Man~loVed to mingle with men. While
he knew lonely mountain meditations
beneath the diamond stars, he ais
loved the feel of human crowds.
SWeaty toilers thronged the streets
that he delighted to walk; the fish
market was as attractive to him as a
landscapes; the chatter and dickering
that accompanied trading opened to
him Visitas into the hear Of man.
Depth in philosophy can be learned
only by dwelling close TO men in OBJ
~servation, and apart from men in
meditation.
Two Preachers: One Sermon.
There is a real apostolic succession
III ali preaching of truth. Like the
flaming Highland cross, which wa )
passed swiftly from clan t. clan. and
from village to village, tie word Of
truth is carried On by many messen-
gers. Truths preachers may fall by
the way, even as John was now held
in duress by Herod, but the truth goes
marching on. The old wildnesness
cry of the Baptist was taken up in the
teeming city by the Greater than
John-"Repent ye: for h Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand" Doubtless the
Baptist was depressed in his dungeon;
but his message was goin on. God
never fails to supply a messenger for
everyone who is taken away.
The unity of all religious effort is
beautifully set forth in this incident.
Men come and men go, but the work
goes on. There is no man in~dispensa-
bic TO Gods truth. They who now
serve in apparent success, are but the
heirs OF others who may have served
before them in apparent failure. Some
foolish evangelists and pastors are ac-
customed to write to the church
papers about the success of their
nelds' with the implication. 7 did it."
What absurdity! In things spiritual
it cannot be measured where one
workers influence ends and he
others begins. Who dare say how
much Of John the Baptist's preaching
persisted in the cry, Repent Vet"
which Jesus n throughout Gal
lice?
The Cali to a Career.
What makes life dreary is the
want of a motive" said George Eliot.
Macaulay repeated the same thought