River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-09-28

hast thou prevailed.
AS men do not pick diamonds from
trees, but rather search for them
among the barren stones and soil, so
God seeks for great leaders, not among
the exalted, but from the great mass
of common folk. Desiring to start q
new race preparatory to Christ's COM
ing, he searched among the common
ones of Chaldea until he found Abra-
ham, worshiper of idols, and sent
him forth not only to be the father OF
the Jewish race, but of the three great
est forms of monotheistic religion the
world has ever known. God search
ed for an emancipation and he found
Moses, an alien, born in servitude, and
sent him forth to lay the foundations
of civilization.
Desiring to reveal the power of the
strong will and the indomitable ambi-
ton, he searched among the open
fields until he found Jacob, plain
man, dwelling among tents, and sent
him forth as a prince of God.
The story of Jacob is the story of
ambition, bad and good, laying hold
of every means to meet it's end; fill
ed with mingled pathos and Joy. AS
the bad ambition it sends it's harvest
of sorrow, and as holy ambition its
hardest of Joy. In no life is the fail
ure of ungodly ambition and the sue
cess of righteous ambition more
marked
Jacob desired to rule, to lift himself
out of the common place, to become a
prince among men, and failing to real
ize the difference between right and
wrong, brought dismal failure. He be-
lieved that birthright gave the power
to rule, and unjustly sought to secure
one not his own.
At the doorway OF q weather-beaten
tent ne sat one evening, a mere lad.
The frightening shadows were silent
ly wrapping the landscape with haze.
Before him burned a blazing fire that
laughed at the thickening shadows
with defiance, cast it's rich glow on
his clear-cut features and caused the
tent folds to stand out distinct against
the dull background.
The atmosphere is fragrant with the
stream of cooking porridge, which he
idly stirred. He was dreaming of
leadership, when out from the shad-
ows came one staggering with weak
ness and hunger and crying out for
food. Here was the age-long problem
of supply and demand.
Jacob, being careful, shrewd, far
sighted, had provided for time Of
need. Esau, careless, Indifferent, wan
dering in disposition had made no
such provision. 1t was strength pitted
against weakness. Strength said:
What have is mine, and If any
would seek it, let him pay my price"
There is only one thing that Esau
had, his birthright, the very thing that
Jacob seeks And in that hour the
voice of ambition says: Put your
price high, young man. Get all you
can" And Jacob, looking at his starv-
ing brother, said: Il will give you to
eat If you will give me your birth
right" Faint with wearines and hun
ger, Esau made the bargain.
With uplifted hands Esau gives to
Jacob that which Jacob had no right
to own, but possessed solely through
the power Of capital. Now, Jacob is
shrewd and rich man in the sight of
the world He has deceived his broth
er, has gotten his brothers blessing
and he is the priest of the commu-
nifty.
Behold him several days after flee
ing in the darkness from his broth
er, an exile and empty handed. Why?
Because money and power gotten by
unrighteous methods never enrich. Be-
hold Jacob in the open fields, with
no bed save sand, no pillow save
stones, no covering save the open sky,
the picture OF thousand characters
Of history.
Then comes the vision of Jacob, the
ladder reaching up to heaven and
the angels ascending and descending.
Jacob sees ttat while ungodly ambi
ton brought failure, cody ambition
could lift him up to God. The angels
ascend and descend; they go up only
ton should lead a man up, only that,
in the heights, he may gain power and
strength to come back into the lowly
fields and serve his fellow man. He
must climb the ladder to God only
that he may come back to serve those
who need help.
A man becomes prince, not
through birthright, but through serv'
Ice
Esau came with his armies to catch
the fleeing Jacob, but Jacob. having
wrestled with the angel, comes to
meet his brother with arms extended,
not to rule but to serve. And Esau,
beholding the change in his brother,
leaps from his horse and embraces ia
cob. Jacob has now become the
prince of his own people, not through
ambition to rule, but to serve.