The farmer and mechanic., 1910-06-14
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What Church Folk Are Think
ing Abont and Doing

The Story-TeIIer by the Sea-The IN
ternational Sunday School Lesson
for June 10 is .'The Parable OF the
Sower" Matt. 13; 1-9, 1878.
By WILLIAM I. ELLIS.
The story-teiler has been hustled
from our times and the retailer OF
after dinner witticisms has taken ms
Mace. Even the chiidren's bedtime
story is often crowded out by the
press Of a hurried social life. But
the East still has time for stories tolo
with leisurely discurSiveneSs and 1uN-
ness. AS l write there arises before
me the recollection of a village in the
mountains Of northern japan, and the
story teller sitting as the center OF al
attentive group of adults. the diIi
hight Of paper lanterns rejected from
their alert eyes; while the narrator
companion accented certain points OF
the tale with vigorous thrummine
OF the samisen.
The orient. with it's love of a story
of imagery and of the play of fancy
contributed the audience to Wnlch
Jesus told stories by Gallllee's shore
This oriental Bible of ours is full OF
the pictures which mirror the lite
amid which it was enacted and writ
ten. These people love an illustra-
ton better than an argument &c
Jesus spoke to them in parallels
Earthly stories with heavenly mean
ings."
The Boat Pulpit.
This days stories. which will occu-
DIV the attention of the Sunday schools
for three successive weeks, were toto
to crowd gathered on the shore OF
Galiiee The Story-Teiler sat in a
boat out on the lake; pulpit, people
and place all aided to a natural and
easy telling of stories that touch he'd the
life Of the everyday folk. Is it any
wonder that the stories have come
down through the centuries redOlent
Of the very air of Galilee?
The tales of Jesus are the best
known stories in existence. They are
more familiar than the immortal cpl
sodes from the Arabian Nights
Aesops fables have no such conStltu-
ency The Greek myth ology, and the
folklore of every nation, may not De
compared with these in point of pop
favor in " hich these stories are held
is an indirect evidence of the in
f1uence which the teachings of Jesus
have upon the world. 1t was in full
fllment Of prophecy that the Master
spoke thus:
4 will open my mouth in parallels:
foundation Of the world
Sublimest truths may wear simplest
guise The hOmely parable may cover
the wisdom Of the greater philosopher.
Lessons From Life.
One wonders what this consummate
Master of the art of using lifes every
dayness for highest ends would say
were he to speak again in the age OF
xUir toll
egraphy. monographs and crowd
ed Newspapers. Surely he would
freight the machinery of our
material civilization with spiritual
messages. He would set an ex-
ample to all the laundering teachers
who are going to musty commen-
taries when the real world is thrilling
and throbbing all about them. The
peerless teacher was content to paint
truths portrait with the materials
nearest at hand. He did not send tC
foreign parts for feathers for his ar
rows Of wisdom.
From the gently rocking boat, lap
ped by little waves that could be
heard. SO great was the silence Of the
crowd. he looked on, toward the hill
side where farmer sowed. Per
haps it was from an actual occurrence
then before his eyes that he drew the
wonderful paRable of the sower. He
Caught In tnat most commonplace ac'
a beautiful symbol He saw the
spiritual significance Of the little, or
dinary things. What privilege tc
travel" cry the stayat-homes. That
depends. The real privilege is to have
seeing eyes. Thousands travel afaI
in his own village that the world
and see nothing; another sees SO much
throngs to his feet. It is all ques-
ton of eyes or no eyes. How Jesus
must have enjoyed the world in which
he lived! =
Everything Parable.
The suburbanite VINO rushes daily
Tor his train sees no meaning in the
tragic parhngs at the railway station;
nor in the big-eyed Immigrants; no1
in the bridal parties: nor in that won
dering boy fresh from the country
Well may we all pay for seeing eyes
that we may behold what is marth