The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-26

The International Sunday School Les
son for March 81 Is IAN Easter
Lesson and Quarterly Review" Matt.
4:2s.
(BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.)
lad of nine, who is not
aware of the latest develop
ments of German thought,
KA& and so did not know that
wi one of these scholars"
has lately pronounced Jesus
q myth" asked his father at the
breakfast table a few days ago,
''Father, how do we know thaI
there is such a person as Jesus
thousand years. that maybe peo-
pie have just made up the story. How
can we be sure that it is true ?"
The father wanted 70 congratu,iatss
the level of this latest of the German
critics but that would have confused
and diverted the lad. so he answered
seriously, after this fashion,: "Son,
mat is one of the most important
questions in the world. Everybody
ought to ask it. For if there really
never was such a person as Jesus, tnen
everybody who is honest should give
mn Christianity Two thousand years
Is a long, long time, isn't 1t But
hundred years is not long, Is 1t! we
know all about the visit OF George
washington to the old house down
+he road. don't We? There are old
persons alive now whose fathers ana
mothers saw Washington. If there mad
never been such a person as George
Washington, we woulC not believe IN
him so soon after he was supposed to
live, would we? though persons
thousand years hence might.
The Small Boys Lesson.
well, that is the way it is with
Jesus. You remember what father has
told you about his visit to the cata-
combs in Rome, don't you? They were
dug within about hundred years OF
the death of Jesus. If Jesus had not
lived, there would not nave peen. IN
side of a hundred years, great many
persons who believed in him so much
that they suffered persecution for MIN;
and dug out those wonderful cata-
combs as places to hold church and to
bury their fellow Christians. Father
saw himself the pictures of Jesus as
q good Shepherd which those early
Christians carved on the walls, nearly
two thousand years ago. They were
fond also of carving the first two Greek
letters of the word Christ and the
fish, the Greek name Of which made
an acrostic for Jesus Son of God,
Savior of Men
lone of these catacomb Christians
was named Polycarp. He was dis
ciple OF the Apostle John, and he be-
came a MARTYR about the year 155.
He left writings about Jesus which he
learned from John. who learned them
from Jesus himself. There are many
other reasons which we call histor1-
cal, for believing in Jesus, but, you
see, don't You. that we have as much
reason to be sure that he was a real
person as people a thousand years
hence will have to believe that there
was a real George Washington? Some
day we may go to the catacombs to-
gether, and we shall then talk it over
First Facts, Then Think.
Considering this quarterly Review
q l. 20 in mi "a
facts about Christ should precede the
truth of Christ. Some persons are so
given to drawing lessons from the
Scripture that they neglect to lay solid
This present week is, opportunity,
both an Easter lesson and a review
of the past three months OF study in
the life of Jesus. So it is an occasion
children. and older persons as well, |
have doubts about the historical ac-
curacy of the New Testament and we
are unable TO meet the quest1onlngs
and criticisms of the most ignorant
ekeptic. Before we proceed to the
great Resurrection teaching, let us first
be assured that there was such per
son as Jesus who lived and taught |
and died ana rose again.
There are some matters that are out |
side the realm OF private opinion:
they belong within the domain of evil |
dence. A person must believe them
whether he wants to do so or not. |
The historical reality of Jesus is one
of these. Younger children should be |
given some such simple line of argu-
ment as opens this present article; |
for older classes there are more elab- |
crate proofs.
why the COnqueror Came.
The climax of the present lesson, as, |
indeed, of all Christian teaching, |
is the victory of Christ over death. |
That was his final victory. But his |
whole life may be studied as a series |
of conQuests. He has often been COM
pared with the other great conquer |
ors of history: Pharaoh, Xerxes, Alex |
ander, Caesar, Charlemange, Tanner |
lane, Napoleon.
But what a difference! Mr.. John |
Wanamaker owns a painting of gi- |
gantic size called ''The Conquerors.'' 1t |
IS OF compelling interest, and one re- |
turns to it again and again. There |
rides the hammered host of strong faced |
men, who have dreamed the dream of |
world dominion. All the men have
indicated, and others, are in that COM |
pany. But they ride through a lane
of dead. Stark and stiff, two lines of |
corpses stretch on both sides of them. |
It was by pam, loss. sorrow and death |
that they came to their power.
But imagine the Christ Conqueror's