Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-03-23

through whom to make the whole
world a people of God. Salvation for
the individual and for the human race.
The united kingdom did a great work
in this direction. But the time came
when there was danger OF Its failure.
Hence came the divided kingdom,
through which there was a double ex-
pertinent in the development of the
kingdom of God.
The period covered was about 80 years
B. c., 9S2 to S93. ~Thecountry was Pales-
tine, within its usual boundaries. The
course OF development runs in two
lines: The royal, the course as repre-
scented by the kings. the civil history,
and the religious development, repre-
scented largely by the prophets.
The kingdom Of judah was about half
as large as Israel. It's capital was Je-
rusalem, and the temple was the re-
ligious center. Large numbers of the
more religious people came TO Judah
from Israel. Judah was sheltered
from attack on the north by ~Israels
being between them and the nearest
and most dangerous enemies, while a
desert was a great defense on the
south. This position also saved them
from close contact with heathenism
and its d~egredations.
The leading kings were ~Rehaboam,
II years; Asa, 40 years; Je-
hoshaphat, % years. Under Asa
and ~Jehoshaphat there were great
religious revivals and religious
reforms, alternating with declines.
Here was a great struggle between
good and evil, and the good seems to
have gained. In a few cases there
were revelations from God. He did
everything he could to keep the people
obedient to his laws, and train them
in the religious life, that they might
be the kingdom Of God to bless the
world. There were a few prophets
of whom little is known say their
names. The conflict Of religion with
evil In Judah, though not ending In
complete victory, made a decided gain
for the right.
Why do we celebrate and praise our
forefathers? Not simply because they
were stout hearted. Many a %freeboot.
err and nan a soldier of fortune has
been that. 1t Is because they were
stout hearted for an ideal, their ideal
and ours, civil and religious liberty;
and whenever and wherever men
and women thus devoted them
selves to ideal and not ma
terial things, there the worlds heroes
are born, and born to be free.
Some blessings come to us, not In
spite of, but just because of, our hos.
tile environment. The stimulus OF
hostile climate produces the robust
race. Where nature always smiles and
everything is friendly there is no such
thing as benefcent discipline. and a
soft, languid race is perpetuated. The
a of the temperate zone owes his
superior physical vigor, his keener
mental capacity, his alertness, his in
~ventiveness, very much to the climatic
conditions under which he lives. He
is forced to activity, and SO he quickly
outstrips his languid neighbor of the
tropics.
The kingdom of Israel contained
9,400 square miles. 1t a a much
more fertile country than Judah. III
territory lay between judah and Syria
SO that 1t was in close contact OF
three sides with heather nations, whit
had the activity and physical qualities
Of tribes which loved excursions int
other countries for booty. OF the min,
kings parallel with the four kings o
Judah, 1t Is worth while to remembei
Jeroboam, 22 years; Omri, 70; Ahab
%. Jezebel. Ahab's heather queen
was the most influential factor in tn,
religious decline. The kingdom wa
subject to revolutions, and the min
kings Of this period belong to five dy
nasties.
The stories OF these he%ro-prophet
should become familiar in their mai
incidents to all the children, who ca,
see what brave, heroic men can dc
when they are in earnest for the righ'
Elijah preached God Almighty, hi
truth, his laws, his power to help, an
the absolute necessity of being loya
to him, II the individual or the natio
would prosper by a life worth the Ii,
Ing.
For all the children the teacher ca
make a most profitable review by
plan used by a successful friend. H
took a large sheet of heavy paper, sa
- by Is inches, and drawing a lin
down the center, on the left hand sid
wrote a series of questions In letter
80 large as to be easily seen by all th
class. On the right side of the line b
wrote the answers. These question
were given to the class. and they rea
p.uarstuoo or three timas Than m