The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-12-12
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORID

What Happens When a Great Bool
Gets IntO a PeOpIe-The Interna
tionaI Sunday school Lesson 70,
December II is ezra Teaches thu
Law" Nehemiah 8.
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
In a conservation congress held ir
the South a few weeks ago, one ma :
made the point that it is better to get
the great idea of conservation or wha,
another called the principle of sal.
v%ation, into peoples minds than tc
teach them all the methods of con
%servation extant. Plans are merely
the product Of a purpose. Methods
are the output of motive. Get the
big idea into a peoples thinking and
they may be trusted to find all the
practical outworkings of it that are
necessary. The best program OF
moral and national reform is a pas
sion for righteousness; details will
take care of themselves.
When one Of China's greatest
statesmen told me recently that he
felt that his nation needs to adopt
Christianity, he did not have in mind
any complete system of theology; he
does not know anything about scien-
tific theology. But he liz see clearly
that h Christian ideal, and the
Christian spirit, are China's present
need. Give China the Book, and
she will make port in her new Ven
ture of a constitutional form Of gov
eminent. Give her only the forms
and methods of constiSutionalism,
with the old individualistic and selfish
of her great experiment. The clear
need of China, as Of u own land, is
for a new life to vitalize the new
forms Of this changing day.
Better Than Strong Walls.
The Great Wall Of North China, or
the walls about Picking and Marking,
are not any more absolute and inef-
fective for of defense in
these modern times than was the
newly-built wall Of Nehemiah to keep
out the most dangerous foes OF JeTu-
salem. They might thwart Sandal
lat, Tobiah and Goshen, but they were
unavailing against the ~selflshness,
pride, idolatry and godlessness OF the
wandering hearts of the Jews. The
need of the returned Jews was for
the protection that would save them
from themselves. What says Amos
r. Wells?-
"Clcser is the Lords protection, than
n near investing wall;
Closer than a mOat about me, closer
than a tower all;
Closer than a suit of armor, or my
hands and feet car be:
For against mine own -assailing, his
pIOLcClIOI tCpCt hiN.
The Jews who had returned from
the B~abylonian exile were in a cap
ital position to adopt an eclectic re-
ligion; and they had leanlngs that
way. They were surrounded by an
assortment Of creeds. There were
more gods thar virtues. Most or
the popular diyinities were e~asy-going,
asking nothing of their devotees IN
the way of moral straitness. There
was free rein for all passions in the
service of h gods Of the aton
That is why the Jews were so often
tempted to stray from Jehovah. A
man is glad to cloak the indulgence
of his frailties under the cover OF
some religion.
The popularity of all sorts Of cults
in our W time is to be explained
in this same way. Their moral ooL-
cations are not rigid and eXacting.
ism of the Mosaic law. 'Natural re-
ligion' is a veritable high-broW lad
N our times. 1t is an easy creed. II
will let a mar indulge his seilshness
to any extent, SO Ions as ne is nllilu-
full to burn incense to gouuess
Of Good Form. Be polite ana con
ventional, and you may do whatever
YOU please within these wide bounds,
says natural religion, which de1heS
The worst as we'll as the best of mans
nature.
Leaders, Real and Sham.
Sir Robertson Nicoll, the great Bit
ish editor and critic, once gave me
his impression Of certain puplic ine'
on this side of the water. concern
ing one famous man he said that ne
manages to KEEP just a step in front
Of the crowd, and he IS ever iooklns
back over his shoulder TO see II they
are following" That is a deflnlllon Oh
many a popular politician. put me
term leader' must pc ueiieu 49,.
Til tru,v great statesman is n one
who leads the way to what he De
lieves to be righteousness ana hohor
and public welfare. He IS less COZ.
cerned about peoples applause 'hah
about their progress.
F~ortunately. Jerusalem had that
kind Of leaders during and after the
rebuilding Of the walls. Nehemiah
and Ezra cared more for Helping thelf