The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-08-02
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What Church Folk Are Think
ing Abont and Doing
(Ry William T. Ellis.)

the present weeks study Tor tne
Sunday schools is a passage wherein
Jesus examines for two maihs =
the childIike heart, and spirit OF
sacrifice. In connection with the f1cst
incident he uttered the familiar and
beautiful words: Suffer the little
children to come unto me, ana tne
second incident is known to scholars
as The Great Refusal'-the case OF
the Young nan who refused to sur
render his wealth to the poor at the
behest Of Jesus. The two stories con-
stitute a contrast in riches: the way
the world looks at life and the way
Christ looks at it.
The experiences of Jesus at the
illustrated his teaching
His life spoke before his lips. He
was en- route from Galilee to Jerusa-
lem: and he might have claimed
what travellers seem to rgard as
their right-the privilege of being
self-ergrossed. What shocking stories
of selfishness are told by those who
have had opportunity to observe
Travellers! Rightly or wrongly, the
impression is abroad in Europe that
Americans are the most assertlVe
self-seeking and inconsiderate of all
tourists. Note we'll the Jesus way:
he travelled to give, and not to get;
to serve and not be served. so we
read that on his journey he lavished
his life Upon ali who had need, meet
ing the multitude in patient sincerity
and healing the suffering that were
brought to him. Childlike in his
ingenious giving forth Of himself.
Jesus the best of all ebukes to
our calculating sophistication.
The Test of the Children.
THAT judgment which children
have Of you" once said Rev. DR..
James A. Worden, you may taxi as
a slice of the great judgment day
It Is proverbial that dogs and chill
dren make few mistakes in their es-
innate Of character. The condolences
of childhood are more to be coveted
than the congratulations Of the great.
Posterity has preferred to take Jesus
at the estimate of the children rather
than at that Of the wise and eminent
OF his time. Mankind would not will
ingly lose the picture Of the gentle
Nazarene surrounded by ofice-sklm-
med dark-eyed boys and girls.
There is profound meaning in the
familiar fact hat Jesus was the
friend of children. They draw near
to him sure of sympathy: for he had
that deep characteristic of the truly
great, the child-like heart. And he i'm
parts the same Characteristic. His
friends all show a like token. Whoever
companies with him grows like a child
in this respect. Men value the arts
and ways of worldly wisdom, intense
sophiStication is a prominent trait OF
modern society, but Jesus puts his ap-
prevail upon simple sincerity. 1t is
hard wen for a world which has sat
for nineteen centuries at the feet Of
Jesus to realize this, even as it was
for his disciples, who rebuked those
bringing children to him. yet Of such
is the kingdom"
The Stream and It's Source
Wonder flows the river Forth, in
Scotland. 1t is a stream to be forded
or damned or diverted; anybody may
serious lyaffect it at this point. Travel
for two hours and you come to the
mighty Ford Bridge, where the stream
flows more than a mile wide. Who
now can dam it or turn it or purify
it? No truth can be more common
place han the one which this illus
trates. If we mean to do ausht with
the streams of human life we must
begin near the source.
Rather strange. Is it not, that the
keen interest Of the wise and altruis-
tic is enlisted by the Young Mems
Christian Associations, the college
guild houses, the brotherhoods and
the other mems movements, While
the organized Sunday schoo work
Is wonderously neglected by them?
Few comparatively, of the strong
est men of the Christian Church are
identified with the Sunday school.
All honor to those who have poured
out ~unstintedly of themselves IN this
service; and double honor to the
legion Of everyday men and women
who make up the rank and file OF
Sunday school workers. But is it not
an indictment of the sound judgment
and clear perception of the religious
leaders of the day that 50 small a
number of them really know or care
anything about the one organization
which holds more of hope for the
future than any other?
Social problems are perp1aAing
the Church. Let us have common
sense enough to begin at the be
ginning-which is with the children
for their solution. There are
signs that at length the Sunday
school is coming to it's own. Strone
and valiant men, like H. Clay 1'rum
pul! and B. F. Jacobs, now gone te
1helr reward, have not labored il