The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-17
IN TIE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What Church Folk Are Think
ing Abont and Doing
HERO. A COWARD, = WOMAN.
international Sunday Schooi les
son for tfay e is, The Death OF
Jobn the Baptist Matt. 14:i-l2.
Rv vTLIIAM It. ELLIS.

One mans backbone and another
mans lack Of backbone-thc two INK
cd bv z v0man's vengeance-caused
the tragedy which the worlds Sunday
schools study this week. king who
was not a hero. a wilderness ascetic
Who was a kingly hero. though IN q
dungeon; and an adulterous mother
who SCRUBBED not to debauch her own
daughter: these were the persons OF
the drama.
The story is, save for the character
of John the Baptist, as putrld as q
modern society novel. KING ftefoo,
degenerate member Of q c0rfupt
family, deserving his own wife. mac
carried off II guilty love. his brotheF 5
wife, who was his own niece. rms
Herodias bore with her to Heroo $
incestuous palace her beautiful daugn
ter. Salome. Ambition. intrigue, lust
and cruelty made their home IN these
marble halls of MacherLs: while I'M
~derneath, in a rocky dungeon, lay, I'M
cowed AMI regal, the grim n un-
compromising prophet from th4
desert, John the Baptist, imprisoned
because he had dared to rebuke h
shameless sin OF the profigate Herod,
A Nurderer's Conscience.
We come to this incident by way OF
the wonders wrought by Jesus IN
Galilee. Herod heard OF the works
OF Jesus, and at once his guilty con-
science suggested that this man of
miracle could De none other thar
John risen from the dead. The little
glimpse into the mind OF this pow
erful ruler as he sat on his throne
p~anoplied in state and authority. IS
revealing. It sets us to thinking
about the ghosts which haunt men.
The world may not suspect these: but
the remembered sins Of youth, the
crimes cloaked Vainly by the Excuse
they ali do" the evil deeds contem-
plated, but not wrought into reality
these are spectres that visit men and
n to remind them OF a sure
judgment to come.
To be i coward is q disadvantage,
Of course, and Herod was this. He
was afraid of Jesus, afraid Of Nerod-
las, afraid Of his guests, afraid of the
people, afraid Of himself Many were
the sleepless nights when he would
have exchanged places with the
meanest of his innocent prisoners. II
a teacher could only paint the horrors
of remorse In true Coiors, young peo-
pie woul be warned to keep their
records clear. as the dying Cough
counselied. OF all the fates to b
for life. or mayhap for eternity, to an
evil conscience, is the worst.
A Prophet Facing q King.
Ine king was contemptibfe; his
prisoner was enViable. What a royal
manly figure is that of the fearless
Nazarite, as he strobe, ciear-eyed and
unafIrighted, across the marble floor
OF the palace of Herod. Strangely out
Of place was this hairy ascetic In his
uncouth garb Of canels hair, amid
The sum Ptuousness of the royal abode;
but he nevertheless dominated the
scene. Oh, God, send such TO our
time. For the days need Is for pro-
phets-foreteliers, in dearest tone. OF
the divine will. IT is hard to find
suitable preachers for the rich
churches in the big cities; committees
scour two continents in vain. But ii
Is harder to find prophets, men of the
spirit, who, with deep, God-touched
vision, see the requirements of our
day, and with u~nwavering trumpet
tones, call the world back to its duty
There are such beyond a doubt. The
line OF John the Baptists, Savonarolas
Luthers, knoxes has not wholly fail.
ed. Else were our case hopeless. II
spite of this, the present generation is
by lack of free utterance'
from the pulpit. What DR.. Eliot call.
ed the peril Of "the secret influence
threatens society. We are all becom.
ing part Of a corporation conscience
HOW can We speak out against thi.
rich political or business offender
when he is such q good fellow person
ally, or When his Wife'S family be1one
to our church, or when we are botl
members Of the same fraternal order
or political organization. Such ar,
some of the chains with which tn
tyrant evil binds our modern pro
phetS.
Notwithstanding this, the John tn,
Baptist way, in all it's sublime heed
lessness and disregard of the practica
considerations involved, is the way 70
the man of God. Otherwise, we shall
never have a. FREQ nl1nit n froa nracc
and a free teachers chair. Colrag,
to stand for truth is the supreme ca
pacity and achievement of mortal
John the Baptist fuIfIls IowelIs de
scription:
Count me DER earth's chosen her0e
They were sous that stood alon.
While the men they agonized 70
hurled the contunelious stones,
Stood serene. and down the futur