The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-09


tinued and highest use Wisdom sacri-
fees the praise of today for the pros
perity of tomorrow. Good times in
youth are sweet. but not half so sweet
as comfort and pleasure in old age
Daniel, who was a student of his own
powers, was brave enough to take care
of his abilities for the WiseSt employ
ment he could make of them. He
risked being unpopular for the sake of
becoming powerful. The court of Ne
buchadnezzar did not know it. but
Daniel was planning better things for
them than they were planning for
themselves. They had no thought
above securing one of the conventional
coUrtiers to ornament the palace; Dan
iel saw the possibility of becoming a
statesman and a seer He rejected the
good for the sake of the best.
'sFft" for Big Fight.
The panic of the prince of eunuchs
when Daniel told him that he wanted
to go on a vegetable diet, instead of
being fed up like a prize porker, is
rather amusing. He, like nine hun
dred and ninety-nine persons out of
every thousand in the world, was
afraid of originality. He only knew
the conventional way of doing things.
He distrusted peculiar" people. So
does society. The world today is just
as inhospitable to originality as it was
in the court of Nebuchadnezzar five
hundred years before Christ. The
magazines and newspapers are afraid
of originality; so are the churches and
the colleges. Pioneers always have
had to combat the crowd.
1t is a great day for the human race
when a man appears who dares to be
different, who is not annoyed by be-
ing singular, and who has his eyes so
fxed upon the goal of great life for
himself and a great service for man
kind. that he disdains Mrs Grundy
and all her shopworn conventionalities.
He wants a hard fight and the thick of
the battle.
The Test for Temperance.
The Laboratory method" of modern
scholarship was proposed by Daniel
and his friends. The prince of eunuchs
wanted him to live on rich wines and
foods. All these were contrary to his
upbringing as Jew. He preferred
the abstemious diet. Millions of per-
sons in the world live on vegetables
and vegetables alone, and Daniel knew
he could do it. He proposed to put |
the matter to the test.
In the present day his theory would |
be called pragmatism; that is to say, |
the proof Of the thing is in its work |
ing. If abstemiOusneSS made Daniel I
more fit" than gluttOny, then it was
fair to accept his proposition for an
abstemious life
Any honest man is bound to accept
his doctrine A deal of prejudice and /
passion and partizanship encumbers
he discussion of the temperance ques-
ion. Daniel and the pragmatist should
be listened to. Is temperance good or
s it bad? Are men better or are they /
worse for indulgence in strong drink |
Certainly the abstainers are worse if
hey grow narrow and censorious and /
and intellectually dishon-
est. Assuredly the non-abstafners are
worse If by indulgence they become
Inreasoning in their mental attitude,
Is well as impaired in their physical
ibre. Let us find out the facts. Quit
arguing according to prejudices, and
~ the hOnester way Is prohibition a
good thing? That question is not to be
settled by ones own taste or distaste
or liquor; or by ones Affiliations, but
~ an honest sitting of the evidence.
good for the soldiers or bad? That
subject ought to be within the realm
IF ascertainable facts
The time has come to abide by the
conclusions of honest research. Chris
fanity is a religion of the square deal.
It's heroes are the Daniels, and the
Greater One who said, Eye shall know
he truth. and the truth shall make
-ou free" 1t has always submitted its
1Wn claims to the ripest scholarship of
very age. 1t would put all things to
he test
Standing Before the King.
If the Christian workman is not at
east a shade better as a workman
han his non-Christian companion,
hen something is wrong somewhere.
is not the only test of char
aeter, but it is one test. 1t is said,