The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-11

A Hospitality That Paid.
The International Sunday School Les
son for March IL Is elijah the
Prophet Restores a Child to Life"
II Kings 4:S-S7.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
-HERE is ALWAYS an Elisha
In GSIl somewhere to take no the
work Of the Elijahs VINO
have gone provided the
~ Elijahs have done their duty.
- severe structure upon any
business man, or teacher OF Prea 80
or public official is that he mas ralseu
nm nobody to take his place. some
men with more vanity than Wlsdon,
think it a sign of their own peculIdl
success that there is NOBODY 10 carr
on their work; really it is sigh u
their own failure. heavy lIlulcI "a en-
lies at the door of the ministry OF To-
dav because in the face of real de-
cline in the number and quallty O1
the students for the ministry tneIs -
no heart searching, inde1atlsaDle SHois
TO remedy conditions. me neeu ~.
ITiishas ia one of the sorest OF our oay'
The hest of the nations young man
mod should be giving Itself 10 lhe
worlds highest calling. ro,+
+ba+ E1iiah had gone to heaven IN
I.-bJrlyVind: heaven was uouptIesS
more interested in the fact that Elshd
remained behind. 1t is sac put luo
that the world forgets the oeao III
the affairs of the living; tneIe az az no
la Graves that are we'll cared Tor lou
much regard for the departed creates
a china and a hopeful symptom II,
a China is the old graves Whlcn useu
to have prior claim over everything els,.
are being removed 10 ns ss1F,so VIZ L<i3s IS
schools and railroads. The KING -
dead ," Never mind; Long AVe tne
Itfngi;, life must be lived in today
nnd for tonorrow. and if the old king
has ruled well the new KING may 40
still better.
rba shirt Of Elijah abode upon
u,,isbo and was attested by the same
IONS The new head of the scnool
oF +ba prophets wrought WONDERS
even as his master had done IN lhe
Green valley of the Jordan, there run
tSLSoile,b me CITY of Jericho the waters
of Elisha's fountain, whlch pu 4!I9
Forth from the foot Of the mountain
Ivhere a monastery of Ellsna stS:llu9
today throwing its hlckerlIls n ts1r
og beacon to belated rtraVeler0
across the Jordan. This is SAID TO pe
the very spring whose waters Ells llt
T1aa1ed other miracles Elisha Wrousnt,
before this browning one when Iol ~
the theme of the present SUNDAY Soi''O
There is no warrant for supposing
that his DAYS were spent in pertoInIl
ing miracles. These were e&CePt ~ =
and occasional. Most of his time Wa
cDop+ in visiting the schools OF nv
p,lI,a+s ana in looking after their
Igario,e interests. There were the uu-
~ to he welded out, the promising ~
he sought for up and down the laLu
the business end Of the work " .sSnt7
see and all the endless cetalls WLtC nt
come with responsibility for a gred
Snetit,,tion. In addition there was tne
constant travelling to ana ITO, wiz. -
seemed like so much waste time - -
cept that it afforded oppoL. tIni ,,SSinie-
meditation and for Waysloe InllliS-
tries. - -,,~+,,es the
oriental may lack; but the westernel
may learn from him the car uliIs1a a,. ooro
Of hospitality To this day person
nav 20 through the Bible lands re-
ceiving ungrudging hospitality every
where. So Elisha on his way ron
Rethel to Mt. Carmel, often stoppeu
at Shunem at the home OF the leau-
ing family of the community even 09
is the rule today. -.aa7
A Golden hearted woman presloeu
over that home. Seeing that Ensn r1. :
visits were regularly recurring, sne
pronosed unto her husband for she
seems to have been the stronger char-
acter of the two) that they build a
pnest chamber for this holy man. II
was an upper room built on the wal
and reached by an outside starr; ne me
honorable room is SO placed in the
east. At the present time L am travel
ing in Bible lands, and being a foreign.
or am always shown to the largest
MINER room in the khans, II these
have any But the rooms l occupy
night after night are perfectly pare
except perhaps for a bit of mating on
the earthen floor.
This model hostess furnished her
srnest chamber well. She not only
gave of her house room but also OF
her thought to her guest. A Dec
q table, a seat, q candlestick-where
can one find more than these In tne
provides conveniences and comforts
before ornamentatio--. 1t is better &c
have sufficient covering on the bee
than lace curtains at the windows
better to have jug of drinking water
at the bedside than n "Sleep sweet
ly in this quiet room" motto on the
wall; better warm sheets in winter
than bureau cluttered with useles:
1Snick-knacks. Hospitality is of the
head, as well as of the heart.
Giving That Received.
Countless wandering servants O.
GOD share Elisha's gratitude for the
min .stering comforts Of hospitablt
homes. Even Jesus enjoyed the same
heartening and help in the household
of thoughtful Martha. The true beau
ty Of hospitality is known only tt
in a strange land, have been takel
from native khans or inns, or cheer
less hotels, and made welcome in thu
homes of fellow countrymen.
There is yet another side to tn,
story. The wayfaring guest bring
with him a breeze from the QUITE
world. Forlorn indeed is the hom
which does not often oren it's door
to friends and strangers; even t