The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-05-09
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What Church Folk Are Think.
ing Abont and Doing
The International Sunday School Les
son for May ii is "Isaiah's VISION
and Call to Service" Isaiah T..
By WILLIAM L. ELLIS.

procity. the fertilization or the rama
ma Canal, the OF a klnS-
these may seem to be the lWporldi
and influential events OF an age; Du
they are of far less Importance e
history than the unseen and unsus
pecting impulses that are hapln tl'
soul of some great a me 1orce'
that made a Napoleon, a browning, :
Lincoln, q Tennyson, a kipling, have
a far greater effect upon the histor!
of the human race than my Of tn
book-flling events that oomed Sc
large in the public eye. The stupen
dous gifts Of millions of dollars foI
public objects (by men who do no
know how else to use them) actually
count for less than the unheraldet
gift Of himself to human welfare o!
some unsupported man Or m VINO
is to be q great prophet or a grea'
deliverer. The Lesson Committee has
done Well to make this majestic story
Of the Standardization Of Isaiah the
basis of d study in ~present-day patfi'
otisIn, or home missions.
h man III writes, and the man
who speaks, may. if his message Is
great enough, and greatly delivered
rank above all the kings OF his time
Thus Isaiah is deseryedly better
known to posterity than any of lsra-
els kings. except David and solomon
We read that he lived In the reign
of King Uzziah; it would be a falrer
record to say that King UZZiah lived
in the time Of Isaiah: just as we may
properly say that Queen Elizabeth
Feigned in the time OF shakespeare
What is a mere king or office-holde1
or man OF great wealth alongside OF
the prophet whose lips have been
touched by the Divine fire? In all
respect and honor to the memory OF
yf,af -naaL ~, n l-or Eiy9or E1 U-aTS
We may yet admit that posterity will
probably recall his reign as %synchron-
Using with some of the greatest pro-
ductions Of Britain's poet OF empire,
Rudyard kip1ing. This last iiiustra-
ton is particularly appropriate to the
lesson, because Of the Fundamentally
religious character OF Kipling's mes
sag Of patriotism.
The Call OF the Hour.
The days papers are full of news
concerning ~dreadnaughts and armies
and airships and national defence anG
international alliance But these dc
not touch the vital need of the hour.
Our call is for prophet-patriots, men
who in the clear speech of the pres
ent day, will their fellows
to their real destiny. Our time is
sadly destitute of inspired oracles who
can play upon the hearts OF the PEG.
pie. the hearts that are so quick to
give forth the divine music Of noble
life. under the master touch. This
sense of our days need for q, fresh
message is vigorously put by John
Neihardt, in his poem, 80 Lyric Mas
ter"
"Cut Of the great wise silence, brood
ing and latent so long
Burst on the world. Q Master-sing
us the big man-song!
"HaYe we not piled up cities, Quilted
the iron hills.
Schooled with our dream the light
ming and steam, giving Them
thoughts and wills
"BreathlesS we halt in our labor;
shout US a song to cheer:
Something that's swift as a saber,
keen for the mark as a spear;
Full OF the echoes OF battle-souls
crying up from the dust!
Hungry we have cried to our singers
our singers have flung us a
crust.
"Choked with the smoke Of the bat.
tie, staggering, weary with
blows.
We cried for a goblet of music: they
flung US the dew OF a rose!
'Gewgaw goblets they gave us, jew
eled and polished and fine,
And filled with the tears Of a weak.
ling; 0 God. for a goufd-anl
wine.
80 big wise Lyric Master. you who
have seen us build.
Moulding the mud with our tears anC
blood into the thing We Wilied-
Soon shall your brooding be over
the dream shall be ripened
and then
ThunderOus out Of the silence-hur,
Us the song ef-men!'
Poets We must have. to interprei
our best selves to our best selves
and prophets and patriots: men with
seer vision, who can tell Us
whittier We are tending. and why
who can read The storm before 1,