The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-08-15
The
Religious World.
PUTTING THE PREACHER IN JAZZ.
The international Sunday School Les
son For August 20 Is, "JeTemIai
Cast Into Prison." Jer. 81.
CIV WILLIAM T. ELLIS.)

(By W1LIIlAM L ELLIO.)
Happily. there are some things
land to understand. An oriental
is one of these. Everybody
reads about dark dungeons, put lew
understand as they read. A VISIT 10
the Mamertine Prison in Rome, Where
Paul was confined, or, better, 70 the
lately discovered prison of the Tower
Of Antonio, Jerusalem, enables one to
see the actuality. The visitor inspects
the rock-heWn prison cells in the
Tower of Antonio, and they are ter
rible enough; but he is hidden to ook
down through a small hole in the
floor, and there. by the light of a
lowered candle, he sees that ~unspeak-
able horror, an inner dungeon. Out
Of the solid rock has been cut a
small room, into which the light of
day has never penetrated. Noon anG
might are alike there. There is alb
solutely no opening except this one
hole in the roof, like unto nothing
so much as the mouth of an east
ern we'll. No drains or exits are in
the room and no means of ventila-
ton. Civilization cried aloud over the
black hole Of Calcutta; but every
oriental dungeon was such a black
hole.
It was into a vile den of this sort.
such as no menagerle would be per-
AiiittCu ~ OSc - VIII OcdSlS
days, that the sensitive, ~finely-tuned
and nervous old man, jeremiah, who
represented the highest culture Of his
time, was thrown. Many another serv-
ant Of Jehovah has shared a SINH
lar fate before and after him. The
grim reality and brutishness Of it all
IS worth recalling, in this delicate
day, when the person who is merely
gossiped about, or criticised. or slight
ed, is quick to call himself a martyr.
Let us save the big words for worthy
occasions. When a man has suffered
as Jeremiah suffered for the truth,
he may be permitted to regard him
self a martyr-but he will not. He
Will be SO ~engrossed in the cause Of
truth that he will forget to think
about himself. Truths light may
make a dungeon bright.
Enemies As a Life Factor.
Jeremiah found himself in prison
upon the present occasion eau he
had made enemies. His previous ut
terances had assured him a vigorous
crop Of these. who, while they might
not appear for a time, were silently
awaiting their chance. "You may as
Well make up your mind to it," said a
TREND to a reformer who had antag-
onlze a ~reat interest. that for the
rest Of YOUR life you are going to have
the secret enmity of organizations;
they may at times f1atter and use you,
but you have shown yourself an
enemy of the gang principle in poll
tics and religion, and organizations
are good and patient haters." That is
part Of the cost Of speaking a mes
sage Of truth which every modern
prophet should learn. Whose es-
pouses truths u must expect the
enm1ty Of truth'sfoes. Sometimes he
must be content with the conscious
ness that he is on God's side, for
otherwise he will be very lonely; and
many a bitter cup will be breWed for
his lip by the relentless wage-slaves
of error.
High as is its cost, the life Of the
iron-souled man is profitable to him
self and to the world. What if the
world were made up Of polite, pur-
ring, OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, compla-
cent Of the days fashion i?
Suppose there were no martyrs on the
Of history-no Puritans, exiIed
for conscience's sake, no Covenanters
meeting on the moors Of Scotland, no
Luthers defying the high and mighty
Of the day? TAX from this western
continent the pioneers, who, in New
England, Canada, Virginia, Pennsyl-
vania. and the new West, followed
the flaming torch of idealism and of
loyalty to their hearts highest con-
victions? Today these men and wo-
nioA - tine meal anu uflHk Ol the
whole world: civilizations Of which
they knew nothing are thronging to
the light they kept burning. Jeermiah
In heaven now knows that his enc
mics and sufferings were ~inconsider-
able. when seen in the light Of that
realm where truth is the unquesttion-
ed law and glory.
The Man at the Gate.
President Eliot once aid that the
peril of secret influence is one of the
menace Of American life. He had
some knowledge of the intricate and
powerful Qualifications of that dan
gerous thing commonly called pull"
1t was this that laid Jerehiam by the
heels He was on his way out Of the
city Of Jerusalem, upon perfectly
legitimate business, the siege having
temporarily been lifted, when Irijah,
a captain on duty at the BENJAMIN
orc aaIra la~-a 1880 1885,