The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-20

| his own offense and like a true mar
| owned up to his iniquity.
| When a Good Man Gets Angry.
/ In an ecstatic mood Moses came
| down from the mount. The glow OF
! that marvellous experience was shining
| in his face. He was uplifted in spirit
| Everything was attuned to the divine
| hours through which he had just
passed. Then came the noise of the
/ festival before the golden calf. A cold
douche indeed, a startling, overwhe1m-
/ ing experience brought a terrific reac-
/ ton to Moses. He was like a conven-
| ton delegate, who is brought suddenly
| down to the everyday work in a world
| that never heard of his convention.
| What followed was a mixture of bad
| temper and righteous Indignation.
Smashing to the ground, the leader
| threw his tables of the law. There was
| the Moses who slew the Egyptian. He
| did not have himself well in hand. Gull
ture is always an affair of the party of
the first part. Nothing that other per-
sons may do can warrant the surrender
of a mans self respect or an abandon
ment of his poise Moses fell from the
position which he should have occu-
pied as a leader when in anger he be-
gan to smash things like boorish hus-
band in a temper.
Just at present the newspapers are
quoting a speech of President G. STAN
ley Hall upon the punishment of chill
dren. According to reports President
Hall says that punishment should be
served hot, right off the griddle, follow
ing hard on the heels of the offense.
Too much elaboration spoils the eff
feet of the chastisement. Now Moses
did well when on the instant, and with
out any meditation or discussion, he
had the image, which was probably
only an overlap of gold and heavily al
MT M
thrown upon the water, which the idol
aters were forced to drink. This was
ignominy for both idol and idolaters.
The appropriateness of the punishment
appeals to everybody.
A Leaders Mother Instinct.
There is something maternal in the
state of mind of every great leader to-
ward his people. They are his. He
must care for them. Despite their
failings they are still his charge and
care. Their welfare he values before
his life. When 1 went through a wood
land path one day 1 happened upon
mother grouse and a family of chicks.
Without an instant's hesitation the
grouse flew at my face and offered
fierce battle-until her chicks had got
away. That mother instinct. which
dares all for the sake of offspring, is
shered by the leader of men.
This was exemplified in Moses cry,
when he appealed for the forgiveness
of the idolaters: 'And if not, blot me
I pray Thee out of Thy Book which
Thou hast written That touches the
level of the Apostle Paul who was will
ing to be accused for his brethren's
sake. It approaches the height of CAL
vary in its righteousness.
Despite all their defects and lapses
they were his people. If they were to
suffer, he must suffer. too. Therein
we glimpse the innermost tragedy of
every offense by an individual or a
community. The innocent suffer with
the guilty, the high with the low. The
shame of the son is greater shame to
the parents. The soiled character of
friend stains other spirits than his own.
The shallow minded Israelites little
dreamed that they were plunging their
great leader, who at the hour was in
their service, into the depths of sor-
row