Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-07-05
WHEN THE CRADLE
COMPOUNDS STATECRAFT
The international Sunday School Les.
son for July 6 is "The Child Moses
Saved From Death'-Ex. 1:a-14;
22 to 2:10.
(By william T. Ellis,.)


| 22 to 2:10.
(By William T. Ellis.)
One sure sign that the world is
great simplicities. We are under
standing afresh that the elemental
things really govern life. The
science Of government is not mys-
FERROUS thing: the daily newspapers
are interpreting it for us in terms of
the common welfare and of every
day righteousness. Diplomacy, once
looked upon as a subtle, sinuous art,
possible only to astutest men OF spe-
cial training, is now seen to be but
the frank Interpretation of one ma
ton to another, and the promotion
of mutual good will and 'helpfulness.
| While the sticklers for red tape were
| cynically pointing out that James
Bryce was not trained diplomatist,
he quietly went on his way with a
| message of good will, accomplishing
work of diplomacy such as none OF
the specialists who had preceded him
had ever begun to approach.
While statesmen have figured how
to out-maneuver each other in
Europe, the new-school political
economist rises and points out that
Germany's superiority over France is
| inevitable, simply because Germany
has a far higher birth rate than
France. The Balkan war set us
studying statistics as to the relative
power of the Slav and the Teuton,
and we find that the future is with
the slav simply because he Is grow
ing babies twice as fast as the Teu-
ton The sceptre of the future Is in
the hand that holds the rattle today
The destiny of nations is, when the
last word is spoken, matter Of the
birth-rate and Of child.training.
This profound principle a multi
tude, Of persons are glimpsing as they
enter upon child welfare work. They
follow the example of the only teach
or who set child in the midst We
are witnessing q marvellous modern
expression Of the gospel impulse
toward the sanctity of the child. IN
sentimental economists are learning
today that for nation babies are
better than bonds; low death rate
for children is more desirable than
high interest rate for money; that
boys, and girls pay better than stock
dividends. A community with
healthy infants is more potent than
one with a great political organi-
zation. School houses are better
! investment than office buildings, not
to mention the way they supersede
almshouses and jails. The child, our
newly anointed eyes perceive. Is the
deliverer OF the nation.
The New Politics.
The sound political wisdom Of all
this is apparent to the ordinary man.
| We are beginning to understand the
relationship to real patriotism of all
the beautiful modern movements for
the welfare of children. We see that
from the baby-saving show to the
new teachings in pedagogy, we are
engaged In a glorious conspiracy to
make better nation.
We are putting the teacher in, 4
higher place than the law-maker.
The father of family is seen to be
Of more Importance than the political
worker who gets out votes on cleo
ton day. Even the bat-blind poll
ticians are cropping toward an UNI
Outstanding Of the truth that the
day school and the Sunday school
and the playground are factors in
the national welfare.
The child Moses, studied this week
by the Sunday schools of the world,
/, is concentrating Unreasonable atten-
/ ton upon this great principle of the
primacy of child welfare. It is an
appropriate coincidence that in the
week of this lesson there should be
met in Zurich the worlds Sunday
school convention, representing thirty
million members, out of every ma
ton under heaven. It seems an alto
gether reasonable thing that ap-
proxifately two thousand persons
should have travelled from North
America to Switzerland to consider
t the religious training of the child.
/ This is constructive craftsmanship.
! 1t concerns the making of character,
and character alone makes nations.
Taught BY the Child.
! One of the most beautiful of the
{ immortal tales of human life is this
story of the child Moses. 1t is eter-
nally contemporaneous. The cen
turtles make no difference. The babe
, in the little boat of bulrushes, con-
fided carefully to the flags along the
river bank, is as real as the child
we fondled in our arms an hour
ago. The inspired story makes the
-, beloved baby, doomed by cruel de-
cree to death, as real child as any
read about in today's newspaper
The parents saw that Moses was
"a goodly child as if any baby
! ever looked otherwise to the fond
eyes of its parents! The precious
ness of the baby, which has stout
! ened the hearts of millions of fathers
and given strength and investiveness
to countless mothers, shines out in
this story. The resourcefulness of
these slave parents in endeavoring
/. to save the life of their baby does
not cause us to marvel. All of the
great lessons of life are learned at
49, r1to Tho oroofoaf innoptiua