The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-28
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A
| is word people will hear when they
will not listen to go"
A Builder King.
| Productiveness is the final test of a
man, as of people. What have
they ever done? Where is the art
or science that they have given to
| the world 90 is a question I have had
flung at me often of late concerning
the Turks. The question is the one
instinctively asked about everybody.
Jehoshaphat could answer it, for he
was a builder. He strengthened the
existing cities and garrisons, and he
also established new ones. The
person who gives the world new rat
trap, a new broom, a new idea, a new
bean, a new poem, a new kind of
soup, belongs to the glorious company
of the builders. He is in the class
with Jehoshaphat.
With the wisdom of a truly wise
ruler, King Jehoshaphat established a
just judicial system in the land
would that he might return to the
same land today to do likewise. A
company of educated Syrian men were
pouring into my ears their country'S
woes and their chief plant was sum-
med up in the cry for justice. A venal
judge, a weak and corrupt court, is a
far worse scourge to a nation than
justice that the East has always been
weak, so we honor the king who
made law to run equitably throughout
the land.
OF course Jehoshaphat blundered in
his alliance with Ahab; ell of US blum
der when we become polite, and sub
Stitute worldly wisdom for simple al
legiance to the right as we see it. The
friend of God has no need to worry
about keeping on good terms with
n0WRTf11l earth.
favor is more potent than any Ahab's
army.
When he was thrown back on Je-
hovah by his own helpleSsness in the
presence of a mighty foe Jehoshaphat
learned that the Lord has a word for
all his fighting saints: Fear not ye,
neither be dismayed by reason of this
great multitude; for the battle is not
yours, but Gods
From Aliens to Patriots.
Terse Comments for January 20, "a
Missionary Journey Around the
World" 1. Missions in North
America North and East) Jonah
8:1-10.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
OF late years the churches have
made vigorous effort to grapple with
what they call the city problem.
Church extension and the city mission
committees, of varying efficiency are
common in all denominations. Preach
ing places, which ordinarily develop
into full fledged churches, follow the
growth of population. Rescue mis-
sions are maintained in the congested
sections. The foreign population is
given special attention. Nevertheless,
city mission work will still be said
to be in the experimental stage. No
body thinks that the remedies equal
the needs. There is a vital some
thing still lacking, so that the life of
the average city may be said to be-
less religious than the life of the same
number of persons in the country.
The church must provide more than
prayer meetings for people if she is
to meet all their proper needs.
There are now about forty repre-
sentatives of denominations and re-
ligious organizations stationed at Ellis
Island to meet immigrants upon ar
rival, and to extend to them all pos
sible sympathy and assistance.
Patriotism joins with religion in con-
straining the churches to action with
respect to their immigrants. The very
genius of the nation is imperiled by
this invading army of foreigners ex-
cept they be led into an acceptance of
the Christian ideals of this Western
world.
The religious forces of North Amer
lea are only now awakening to the
Importance of one of their greatest
problems; namely, how to merge the
vast alien population into the Chris
tan life of the new world. Frankly
only the most shallow and perfunctory
efforts had been put forth, until re-
Gently, toward the solution of this
question. Nor has there yet appeared
any adequate statesmanlike method of
dealing with the Immigration flood.
The nation needs immigration Of
the right sort. Rudyard Kipling's ex-
hortation in the Northwest that An
glo-Saxon immigration be encouraged
has set great many persons to think
ing. He is on the right track; it is the
man who says "do," and not the one
who is forever crying "dcn't" who
takes rank as an empire builder.
Between patriotism and home mis-
sions there is no very great differ
ence. Both are nation building pur-
poses and passions.
without human life to act upon.
without the relations Of men with one
another, Of master with servant, hus-
band and wife, buyer and seller, cred
itor with debtor, there is no such
thing as Christianity. With actual
things, with humanity in its every
day dress, with the traffic of the
streets, with gates and houses, with
, work and wages, with sin ana poverty.
with these things and all the things
and all the relations and all the peo-
pie of the city, Christianity has to do.
and has more to do than with anything
else -Drummond.
Even if a man is personally indif-
ferent to the claims of the church. he
will admit, in his serious moments.
that the pillars of patriotism. the pill
lars of society, and the pillars of good
| government are founded in religion.
| National indigestion is as great
a peril of the state as of the individ-
ual The acuteness of the immigration
question is awakening many indiffer-
| emit persons to the Importance of
home missions. For next to the pub
| lie schools, there is no agency so i'm
] r,c,z:t,r,t tha church in the asSiIli-