The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-20
Try WILLIAM T. ELLIS. }

(BY WILLIAM L. ELLlS-)
According to the morning news
paper. one of New York's best known
citizens retired from an important
political conference in a huff, open
" expressing his disgust with the
people. Every leader has occasion to
grow angry at the popular mistakes
There are strange slumps in pubic
opinion. Times without number the
people turn their backs on the bet
ter and choose the worse what is
sometimes true of most persons is
always true of some. Even IN the
high days of life they turn to low
aims that can be illustrated from al
most every decade
If we try to apply reason to the
situation of the old Israeltes campeo
on the Plain of Sinai while Moses was
in the Mount, We fail to find any logl-
cal ground sufficient to warrant their
conduct They simply ought not to
have gone after that golden CALI
They were waiting at the foot or the
Mount of Law. Their leader was in
conference with Jehovah, their own
VOW of allegiance was still hot upon
their lips Nevertheless and notwith-
standing, despite all right and reason
they contributed their jewelry to
make an image. What oramalic
picture there of the way the sublime
and the sordid crowd close together
in life. In the very shadow OF the
smoking mountain a foolish golden
calf like those of Egypt was set up.
When People Are as Monkeys.
The great satire of Kiplingf Jun
gle Book portrays society as the
sRandar-log" These monkey folk
could never hold to one idea for any
length of time. They were In mao
race for some new sensation. Tree-
ton chatterers, they were wholly
lacking in the stability and steadfast
purpose of the strong jungle 1olk.
These emancipated Jews were sadly
like the Bandar-log. The forty days
that Moses, their leader, was on the
mountain seemed long time to them.
They could not hold fast to their vows
for that many days. They needed
something in the fashion of deity to
fill their vacant eyes
We must go slowly mere lest we
rail unduly at people. To be patient
with our kind is one of the first les
sons of maturity We must make al
lowance for folks. Human nature Is
exceedingly human. All of US. ike
Omar Khayyam, at some time or
other long
ITO grasp this sorry Scheme of
Things entire,
would not we shatter it to bits
Re-mouid it nearer to the Hearts
Desire?"
We desire to conform the rest of
the world to our standards, Wnefe
as the better way is to be patlent
with peoples shortcomings ana hInl-
tations SWe must live with the peo-
pie who are now on this earth with
all their deficiencies and iop-sideo-
ness. Perhaps seen through tIieII
eyes we ourselves are not as pertect
as we take it for granted the world
knows us to be.
The Old Life That Clings.
A familiar, tragic anecdote relates
how a man, released from prison, had
lived an exemplary life in a commu-
nifty where his past was not known.
Then an enemy who knew him as
convict, appeared and in the presence
of other persons suddenly called the
convict's old number Involuntary
the eX-convict, now a respectable clt1-
zen. made instant answer as he used
to do within prison walls. The deed
was a cruel one but the illustration is !
true The old life still clings.
The curse of IsraePs slavery in
Egypt was that it had given them the |
state of mind of slaves. In that de-
based period of their life they had
learned the insidious practice of idol !!
airy. Now in this new hour of
emancipation, the old life rose up and
bound them with its chains That is
the curse of the past-it won't stay |
being the present. Therein lies the
blight of all the bad habits OF youth !
which manacle manhood. A Christian |
publisher gave empioymene to
form. The question arose as to the |
number of wrappers an ordinary |
worker could address in a day. In |
voluntarily the ex-gam bier offered to |
bet the publisher dollar that he
could address more than the normal !
number The moral lapses leave
scars.
This detection of the old Jews to
than |
the mere worship of an image. Along
with the setting up of the idol went a
carousal We do not understand
some of the implications of idolatry
until we are informed upon the I'M
mortality which has always been as
sociated with it. If this western
world could for one illuminated hour |
see the real meaning of idolatry in the
east. there would be Scant patience |
shown the turbanned swamis who
lead silly American women astray.
When the Leader Goes Wrong.
A friend who is active in the most
advanced social reforms lamented
bitterly the other day her failure to
secure the cooperation of the social
and religious leaders of her cOmmuni-
ty. With biting scorn she pictured
their timorousness as they shrank
from going a step in advance of the
people. Her picture is doubtless true
of her own community, but it is by
no means warranted generaliza ton. |
Aaron was a priest after this order.
He was the kind of leader who follows
the people. There is a great deal in
political and social life that passes
for leadership which is merely keep
ing in front of the procession. Aaron
like, this sort of leader finds out
which way the people are going and
then goes that way first. OF course
Aaron, in authorizing the golden calf,
stultified his office and himself. That
calf is a monument to his sin of COM
pliance.
Worse than a bad deed is an effort