The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-18
~ w1LLIAM 7. ELLIs.

Flight and Return" Kings lS'4l-
1921.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
HE blue devils generally
In ri come sneaking along in the
trail of the bright angels
of success. Detection fol-
lows hard upon elation;
- 1.-THE day after" is Wen
understood proverbial phrase; reac-
tiou comes after action and IN cor
responding degree. The story OF Ell
iah when he turned tail and ran from
Oueen Jezebel. squares with the Wen
understood laws of psychology. InaI
the man who had fearIessly 9ehe9
king Ahab and the four hundred ana
9frv priests of Baal, and the whole
iacx-slidden nation of Israel. should
fee like a craven from a woman ;
threats. is quite comprehensive. LOOK
In the next morning upon the man
who has made a great speech, anu
YOU will find him vowins 10 take 20
the plough and never cucumber a pun
lie platform again.
Shall we. therefore. say that we be-
long to the goodly fellowship OF the
rronhets when we are discouraged
or shall we rather say that the
prophets at times join the unloVey
fellowship of the blue funksE Be
cause down heartedness is common II
IS not therefore right. There IS ~
man the capacity to overcome natural
tendencies. Elijah was his worse ana
r-ealxer self when he went scOoting
over the desert like rock parIrlose:
He should have stayed and hau II ouI
with JezebeI to the betterment OF the
future history Of Israel The man Who
submits to, or runs from ndssIHns
wife is onlv multiplying troubles LOT
her, for himself and for the family:
Dificulties and dangers. little anu
big, are best met squarely front face
The Men Who Give Up.
Happy is the man who has never
sat under a juniper tree and wished
to die. The public prints tell of long
list of suicides-and how many OF
them are attributable to some Jeze-
bel! But they do not record the lar
longer roll of those who would take
the same route out of their troubles
IF their moral sense would permit
Many of these are the apparently sue
cessful, and the leaders OF thelr lei
lows. A famous preacher committed
suicide not long ago: ''melancholla,
form of insanity, it was chartably
called, those near to the facts under
stand it is a case of Elijah's juniper
tree over again.
A whole school of "cheer-ups lit
erature has been brought into being
bv the days evidence of despair. 1t
has done good, but on the whole 1t
Is TOO thin. The mere eXhortation to
a man to look on the bright side of
things, when his eyes can find no
bright side. is not going to trans,
form him. Nor will mere forced
cheerfuIness suffice. A joke book is
poor medicine for man whose soul
is nigh unto death Bairnly songs
about sunshine will not do, either.
Two Cures for the Blues.
Elijah and all who follow in his
train need several things One is less
self-centeredness. There IS sense in
which some persons are given TO
overmuch introspection. Weren't you
nervous?" his mother asked little
boy who had performed creditably IN
an entertainment mo. l was too
busy thinking about my part to think
about myself That IS it, forget
Yourself. and remember YOUR work. 1t
IS bad to take ones self too seriously,
the persons are uniformed and small
visioned who cry, Never was sorrow
like unto my sorrow" Probably that
smiling man across the way has
pIumbed depths of grief you never
suspected, and is carrying a burden
inconceivable to you. When Elijah
cried, q, even I only, am left" the
Lord rebuked his pious egotism by
mentioning seven thousand who had
never bowed to the knee of Baal.
Another cure for discourage
administered to Elijah was a remind
er of the omnipOtence of jehovah
Faith in God is the best remedy for
the blues yet discovered. Lonely
God is near. Hungry? God has min
istering angels even il the desert
places Afraid? God has re-enforce-
lnents which he has never yet called
into play. Is some Jezebel in the
place of power? Jehovah is on the
throne of heaven. Weary? God pro-
vides rest here and hereafter for the
disciple who does not grow panic
stricken and lose his faith. Incompe-
tent? God has never vet clearly
called a person to a work for which
he has not provided the equipment.
Discouraged? Perhaps that is really
only the loss of some wholesome con
ceit. and now there will be room for
saner thoughts of Gods place and
power. his greatness and glory. In a
word. when cast down. look up.
In Wilderness and Mountain.
In extremities, the city man takes
TO the city, the wilderness man to
the wilderness. Instinctvely. when
he fed from JeZebel. Elijah turned to
the wilderness. which is nowhere
very far from Palestine On the edge
Of the desert grows the needle
Ieaved juniper tree; I have seen many
large enough to afford man shelter
from the sun, and have myself rest