The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-24
nv William I. Ellis.

iefiea The dire poverty of a great
rurtion OF the race Is beyonQ me
reach OF tbs imaginauon OF the Wen
fed Western world. This actuai nun
Ger of men and women and little emu
dren is one Of the new arguments lof
foreign missions that Is being ire
u.eufly heard from the p~reS@nt-QaF
platforms, 1t betokens tor the ne"
spirit Of philanthropE which possesses
civilized man,
1t is a historical fact that the foi-
lowers OF Jesus have been foremost
in initiating his cNaTnple IN ieedllS
the hungry. As today the
Of all Sunday schools are turned TO-
ward MS two great miracles, or the
feeding Of the five thousand. ana
Ct the feeding Of the four thousand II
is we'll to remember that his cAurch
* sill doing a he did Does Il famine
break out in China or India or Japan
or Armenia? 1t is thu Christian ma
tom, and especially Christian NoFtn
America. which are sWiftest TO re-
spond. The fact is rather startling
that Christian nations do not nave
famines: SO brotherly Is the practical
outuorking OF the gospel.
The Compa sSionate Heart.
The reason for those two Wonderfui
miracles lay in the compassionate
heart Of the great Teacher. Weary,
and eager for rest, he yet forgot him
sci III SCI II nat ~ -
plebian throng, with their ~unthjnking
inprovidence. He might have rallied
at them for their careteSSnesS but
Jesus was never cynical; and BE- al
ways regarded the muldtudes with
feelings Of tender sympathy. and
not as the abbfe." The ecclesiastical
leaders OF his day looked contemptu-
ousIy upon the masses and cried.
This multitude, which knoHeth not
the law. is accursed." But Jesus saw
them as sheep with the fleece torn
off. bleeding and unable to rise up"
and his heart cried yearningly and
~pttyingly. Come unto me. all We thar
labor and are heavy. laden, and /
will given you rest
Tina IS the Christ spirit, wherever
found. 1t is gloriously common in the
world today. That is why immemo-
rial abuses are coming TO an end, and
d new mood of humanitarianism Is
sweeping around the world. The
twelve-hour day. and the ~seven-day
week in the steel mills IS doomed by
this spirit. SO is child labor. 50 are
the unSanitary and oveTburde nsOne
hours Of woman's labor in mill and
store. Likewise the unlivab1e tene-
nlents and the white slave evil and
the drug and liquor curses are to be
slain by this same gentle hand, which
is as strong for shifting as it IS smooth
for soothing.
A woman who is busy and honored
in a beautiful suburb of a great
city said the other day, II feel that
il Is scarcely right for US to be win
our prosperous, comfortable, happy
lives out here in the sunshine, arnonS
the flowers and the green trees. while
SO many people are dwelling in power
~. congestion and misery in the big
city. ! feel that I ought to be With
them. trying to help them. 1t surely
Is not Christian for VS. to go on in our
own way, forgetting them utterly
a Motley Congregation.
Some Chrfstians-yes, and let it be
said with shame, some preachers. also
pride themselves upon the exclusive
social quality OF the membership Of
their church. They boast of the dis
1t is a rare minister who can refrain
from telling the visiting clergyman OF
the number of the best people" who
are in the congregation.
you spoke to blank millions OF
dollars, this morning." IS a not I'M
onn remark to speakers who are
guests in rich churches. Pity the mes
senger of the Most High who has TO
speak to dollars. Unless he is address
ing humble, receptive and contrite
hearts, he might as well baWl his mes
sage to the rocks or the waves.
That Is q poor congregation which
does not have in it representatives OF
the poor. the defeated. the sorrowing,
the afflicted. Consider the congrega-
tons to whom Jesus preached, ere
ne fed them with material bread.
What a motley they were
plain folk together, with a generous
sprink'ins of vagabords, loafers, beg
gers. blind. lame. lea and sick. 1.-THE
poor have the gospel preached to
them'-this was one of the proofs
which Jesus himself gave of his mes
s~iahship.
Wooden Necktes-and a Homily
From many sides light streams upon
this lesson Of feeding the hungry. as
we mediate uDon it. Jesus here deals
with an economic problem. The cues
ton Of the poor has always perplexed
progressive society. Today, it may
be asserted with unqualified boldne ss,
h Nazareth Carpenter, who never
enunciated a theory Of economics, is
doing more to ameliorate the poverty