The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-11-18

&AYM men TO enter the sphere OF
- practical politics and reform.
i Is especially suggestive
10 study the career Of q more
distinguished literary man than they
all Who lived haE Z century before
the beginning Of the Christian era
This famous author bore the name Of
Ezra and ne might have lived the con
genial life Of q hookish recluse amid
the prosperity Of Babylonia- Instead
he chose the 6IstasteTuI hurly-burly OF
administrative work. sacrificing him
4 self for what he considered the great
est public cause Of MS tine.
Ezra IS one OF the giant figures OF
this romantic period which has b1lhed
50 largely in Jewish and Christian his
tory. and which ROW the spade : Dig
ging up from beneath the arid soil Of
AIesopocalia- Ezra came 10 place
OF power by sheer native force He
had : vislonarys dreams and an exec
utiveTs practical abilities His admin
istrative capacity transformed his
dreams INTO political realities
4 Nation in the Furnace.
-AM ships look stately except the
ore upon which you ride. says the
rroverb. i : hard 70 perceive the I'M
rorEa1ce and meaning q one : own
age So the Jews who lived through
the period Of the exile IN Babylonla
did not understand the big meaning
OF i all That il was national 1lr-
mace Tor the publication OF rEe Jews
IS Better understood now than then
The individual experiences OF misery,
Of temporal prosperity and o. sa1els
under the protection o. the law O.
BabElonia- were all that the averages
jew got out Of the exile There are
Chinese II plenty Who are troubled
h- the unser-Iue5 state OF their land
at the present time but who cannot Al
ali see that their nation IS passing
through its greatest crisis The extra T
ordinary unsetrlilg Of American +
thought il cur day means 70 some per- +
sons merely that business Is not good /
Tnex are blind 20 the larger iute-pre- 4
rarzel CT their times
This crisis o. the Jewish exEiss cor +
sisted O. The three DECORATIONS to +
N3abyloria- the period OF so5ourn there /
and the three returns-the first al
ready studied. the second under Ezra f
al a period eighty years later, and I
then the third under Nehemiah The 4
present lesson touches z period eighty 4
years later than The lessons Of last
BY Desert WAYS.
The thought OF travel in the desert /
appeals 70 every lover OF the PIC
r1rzsqIe and the adventurous Just as
g caravan CT C4melS OF t1e sky lire IS T
q thing q rare beauty and s-aceliness,
bEr common ard even unpleasan II
when seen close AZ hand SO these
desert i1ur1szlngS are made attractive
by distance. Tie axiles could tell you
thar the camel IS infested with vermiE
ard that there : no beast OF burden
which 50 racks its rider These same
Jews who had left comfortable homes
IN EabyIon5a- could tel Of the cEok-
ing misery Of dust ard sand storms. q
the dirt 5a-re-Eess and discomfort CT
caravan life Thay could paint with
Slauy q graphic gesture the ror-id heat
Ct the desert AT this time OF year
To the spectator they are doubt
less a. interesting as the caravans
watch ore may see today have
watched the Persian pilgrims travel
across the Nfes0pota uzau desert some
on camel back some O. the children
II pan-ie-s swung at each side OF the
beasts OF burden. some on d0rkeys- rca
rich On horses some aEo0t- The speed
OF the journey : 2 camea's pac@a bout
thrse miles an hour Probably then
Is row. the czne4s were decorated
With blue shells and musical bells.
6eEoz5r Jew. seeing the caTa2ca1a sci
OFT from babylon would watch il from
exresft50n set ou1 across the desert
from 0l5 Asslur. Did their magma
lions foreteI the testing times they
we're 10 have by tha way. and the re-
ward 10 the tat land Of BabvIoriae
Literary. but Buslnesslilxe-
Il Is the visionary Who sWaEs the
minds Of kings ard II vas Ezra the
scribe. who secured The favor q Aria
1arxeS for the return OF some seven
teer hundred exiles 10 Jerusalem He
Won the good viii Of the government
and secured immunity from taxation
h. the way. and the promise OF help .
from local officials as well IN g11Js
rhes- bore with them SUNS aggregatirg
more than Two million dollars II
American currency
Trat best business methods are
1horoughly# consistent with high IDEAL I
Ism --as shown by Ezra conduct with
resrec< 70 this treasure He had every :
sfekeI OF il carefully weighed Al the
beginning OF the journey the respon- /
sfbf75tv accurately distributed and then /
he made an exact reckoning a. the /
end That sort Of system should char !
arterize every religious and phlAan- :
~ronfc organization Ever church I
man n position Ct EFllsI snolla oe-
mard regular and genuine auditing Of
his accounts The model business ad- :
-sr5st-ar5on Of every comm unity
r75zf7t most properly be thar Of the
best religious organization 81
The other side Of Ezras character (
for a guard arose He had represent :
81 Jehovah as the ruler OF nations
able 70 lift up and 70 cast down His Z
Ere sense OF the fitness Of things. and /
his zeal IN the honor Of Jehovah Z
would rot permit him 70 ask for an I
proper precautions. and then trusted 7
the Lord /
T. seemed but little time before {
.r-7e <-z main boGv OF exiIeS had en-
ra-a= Jerusalem with mingled grief
zrs +r1bHatior. the sound Of rejoicing
1--a- +re LAYING Of the foundations q
- <a--rsa seemed Still 70 Be lingering [
- enc air. The ecstasy OF that occa- g
-fo- vas fairly 6elir5ous- but %. Ezra q
euas little trace Of II all There has
been huge slump somewhere Dreams :