The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-16
~ WILIIAM n. ELLIS.

John the Baptist Matt. 11:1-1s.
BY WILLIAM r. ELLIS.
E-THE president of the Unlteo
IN nj States in a recent address al
Newark opened his heart,
showing the disbursement
that comes to a pubIlc man
That the president should De
aensitiye to the barDs of the news
papers and rublicists came TO some
persons as Il surprise; yet II may DC
questioned whether every strons Ll1n
does not have his hours OF depres-
sion, when he would willingly give up
his work and retire to ooscurlty'
Elijah had it under the juniper tree
The second Elijah, the brave ana anu 1 reS
ged John, wno had dared the ven
Reance of the powerful Pharlsees ana
the tyrannous and lecherous Aerou:;
had an attack of "the blues thaI
gives us this passage IN the sospel
which has been assigned as the sun
dav school lesson for the present WEEK.
Theologiaus have talked ABOUT
Johns eclipse of faith: they IorgoL LIE
r,hysical factors. Many man THINKS
he is suffering from religious depres-
sion when it is only torpid nVer OF
<1verwork that ails him. A rev n nouns
in the open air and Sun sunlsn Jo I'M this
xviIderness IMAM with the bark on,
this Bedouin of the desert. was no"
shut I'D in the grim fortress OF Msc
arus. In the darkness ana Ioneltne 80
of the dungeon to which HEROES nate
6e6 szsirned aim he had perhaps sue
1s1iYubed to mcrbidness- IL was one %
the occasions which test the stI0IAg yIis
men. He fed on his own nearc 5llS
111inhfnn became confused: ne neeQeo
4ta strong winds of the desert TO DIV
the cobwebs from his brain. ne De-
ran to distrust himself and his past
Srneriences. He had doubts to the
<-oTnln~ One 10 whom he hAd DorhS
-Vritness by the Jordan Events nao
not developed according to MS pro-
gram.
Isolated souls are always subject to
tha Sanrer Of distorted thinking. That
s~ why single men and women are 80
]rone to become queer; ana II Is
one of the reasons why 1T Is not goo9
for man to be alone. JONI .lit,, ofSer
people. So does everybody. liners a
= time to go apart from men, a anu
there is time to Ieea the o pei7 Every
lonely. seoueStered Christian snou1o
count visit to q convention OF d
conference as essential as clothes OF
food. There are many men IN ny IN
America who are deeply enveiopeo IN
ssthe biues'': let them go to the Ma
tfonaI Mems Missionary CONGRESS IN
Chicago in May or to the W1rlu
sSTndav school convention In Wasnlng-
for- q few weeks hence, or to any one |
Of the great ecclesiastical gatherings
of next month, or to the Worlo 5 MIS-
sfonarv Conference in Edinburgh, anu
learn how many are the n Its eaTIsa is |
Lord, and what victories his cause Is
having.
when a Man Is Down.
John in prison had the good sense to |
take his doubts straight to Jesus he
did not brood over Them IN secree: %
definite questions, and put fairly Tor
ward for answer most doubts dlsap-
pear. John vas a man OF action; 80
he sent two discip1es-thank God 1or
these unnamed friends, who stand by
in the hour of adversityi-sover into
the cities of Galilee where Jesus was
itinerating alone, the twelve pelns ao-
sent on their mission.
In prison, his spiritual vision mo
Ynentarily clouded, lonely and restless.
great John nevertheless had no WORD
for himself. He did not send an e ana
not cry, 40 Wonder Worker, get me
out of this vie PLACED" Never a whim-
per or a whine was heard proceeding
John was still the servant of the King
dom. He cared more for that great
Coming than for himself. The SUI
preme idea Of his mission stu still. dom ION
oitous about Gods truth. This noble
Instrumentation which today finds,
n parallel in the Russian
prisons. contrasts with the conduct OF
n convicted PTttsburg CRATER, who re-
Gently from his prison sent out within
per1ng appeals for pity and assistance
to his friends.
The great question of John is the
burning question of today: "Art thou
TAG that cometh, or look we for an
other?" 1t is a question more impor-
tant than the tariff question, the labor
question. the wman suffrage question,
or the question of the high price of
;'sfili struggles in the Ages breast
VITA q; dsepsning agony .0y t Of guest T4a
Or hook we Cor the Christ to be?'"
The Unanswerable Proof.
factions speak louder than Words
avs the proverb. Jesus did not answer
John with argument, but with deeds.
re Is the doing that convinces. Beware !
Of The man "ho talks s, Of love but not
fesses loyalty. but votes for the other
man: of the neighbor who praises
your wares, but buys OF another mer-
chant: of person who lauds Jesus
and the Church, but does not work
for either. There is q whole sermon s
on the text. "Be ye doors of the word"
Baptist He simply pointed to the
things Accomplished. "Go your way,
and tell John the things which We do t
have good tidings preached to them" !
sight, and the lame walk, the 1epers 1
are cleansed and the deaf hear, and t
the dead are raised up, and the poor /
have good tiding preached to them" t
That is the present day vindication [
Of Jesus and MS teachings. The ques- j
tfonings concerning religion which {
trouble many persons are not to be
in the theologicai seminar
les, but on the mission field, and in
the city slums, where men are being I
made over into newness of life. A
recent remarkable book, 'Twice- Born
Men, which the author, a psycholo-
gist, calls "a Footnote in narrative to {
Prof. William James Varieties in Re- i
igious Experience and concerning t
which Professor James handsomely c
Nc< n is Grfau%iff1 ms " q