Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-02-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON AND
YOUNG PEOPLES MEETINGS
News of Interest to Church Goers BY q
Writer Who is An Authority on Religious
Subjects. The International Lesson for
Next Sunday.

tons at the root
A Social Service Religion.
Mr.. Man-of-the-Street airily dis.
cusses this as individualistic; he goes
in for human "uplift," social serv-
ice" and welfare work" 1t is a good
modern mode to be interested In TIE
down-trodden. Women in silks and
diamonds join hands with factory girls.
Shirt waist strikers find themselves
whirled about in automobiles. Now
that it is the popular thing for men
and women to espouse the cause OF
human betterment we find persons
going downtown for a time to live in
the college settlements; thereby al
fording themselves picturesque topics
for dinner table conversations for
many long months. In plain words, a
deal of this social" talk is mere
faddism: 1t is as trusly passing
fashion as tho mops of store hair
which some women are nowadays buy
ing to clap on their heads as the latest
thing in coiffures. OF course men
| should be brotherly; and Of course re-
| ligion should so express itself. But
F, brotherhood is simply impossible with
out Fatherhood.
The most social service any man can
render his generation is to get right
with God himself and then to help his
neighbor to get right with God. No un
thinking sneers about the individual
istic and selfish character of such a
creed should deter person from seek
ing first the Kingdom thus. Individual
obedience to the word Of the Master is
the keynote of this lesson. 1t is the
only way the Kingdom OF Heaven
grows.
Thou must be true thyself, ere thou
the truth canst teach;
Thy heart must overflow, ere thou an
others heart can reach"
The true heart, in right relationship
with God, is the center of recon
structed social order. Men will never
be in right relationship with one au-
other until they get into right relation
ship with God. That may be written
down as an eternal verify Moods,
modes and manners change: this truth
abides forever. The heart right with
God is the first necessity.
The Test Of Time.
Good old Dr. Charles F. Deems lay
dying. long seige of paralysis had
brought him low. But at the end he
managed to whisper. MY faith holds
out That is the glory Of the Chris
tian religion: it stands the ultimate
tests. Jesus antedated by about nine
teen hundred years the modern ad
vertisers who stress the argument OF
"The Test Of Time The familiar
figure of the house built upon the rock
which tie storms could not shake, was
used to illustrate the unshakableness
Of the obedient life established upon
Jesus Christ.
Like The humdrum ways Of honest
thrift, compared with the rocket glare
of high finance, so the life of simple
obedience to the commands of Chris
may seem antiquated and old-fogyisb
Yet it stands. Better sure foundation
than ornamental gables or plate glas;
windows. A big building on one o
Philadelphia main streets collapsed
, a few months ago without word o
warning. Such is the fac OF many {
prominent life. The strength Of an,
structure lies not in it's outward ap
pearance but in it's hidden parts. Life
is very brilliant and snowy today: thu
art Of display seems to have been car
ried to the limit but still the old, OLE
lesson needs to be taught over ant
, over again to the world, that the ent
!, tests all: and that the only sure build
ing is that which is founded upon tn
rocks Of obedience to Jesus Christ
the best foundation for society and TO
an individual life.