The sun., 1913-11-09


may be Of recent origin so
far as phraseology goes, but
the sentiment Is as old as
the Scriptures. 1t antedates the time
when David brought Goliath to earth.
1t sounds q dominant note through Old
through story after story told by the
scribes Of inspired writ
The only difference is that the word
punch" Is not a Biblical word The
Biblical synonym, capable Of only one
Interpretation and vastly more express
sive, is found In the verb to smite. a
verbal ancestor of our modern word
o"punch."
Moses smote the rock and the water
gushed out Joshua seems to have been
q smiter by Divine command:
"And afterward Joshua smote them
and slew them and hanged them on five
trees"
"And that day Joshua took Makkedah,
and smote it with the edge OF the sword"
Seven times in that same chapter
Joshua smites in that same way and all
through the next chapter he continues
smiting everything and everybody that
opposed the will of God. The religion
Of the ancient Israelites surely was a
religion with a punch to it,
Later Christ himself looms large as
the exponent Of the religion with q
punch when he raided the nest Of
tniquity that had established itself In
the Temple and proved himself to be,
not the meek, weak. lamblike Christ Of
the popular artistic conception but a
strong man, capable Of routing an en-
tire houseful Of evildoers, smashing
their unholy furniture, thrusting them
bodily from the sacred precincts and
hurting down the steps Of the House OF
God those who would fOrcibly dispute
with him the right to eject a gang th.t
had turned house Of prayer into a
den Of thieves. viii any one deny that
Christ was unable or unwilling to smite
mis- enemies when occasion necessitated
or that the Saviour at times both
preached and practised religion with
q punch to It?
AS to the advisability Of disabusing the
minds Of men Of the misconception that
the Christ whom we love and try to serve
In an effeminate leader the story OF
the movement bearing my name, which
has risen from a total membership OF
four men, including my humble self, to
q great and ever increasing host Of up
ward OF 10000 men, Is sufficient proof.
A few years ago ! felt that the time
had come to do something more USE
full and ennobling than the life Of a
society pleasure seeker. with amateur
ring encounters as side show. So
I went to my pastor, the Rev. Dr.
Floyd w. Tomkins, and asked him for
some kind Of church work on which
70 exercise my new found aspirations
20 serve the Master. He appointed me
TO lead the mems Bible class OF hi
|church, Holy Trinity. Rittenhouse
1square, Philadelphia.
Such work was entirely novel to me
II proved absorbingly interesting.
found myself the leader OF most un-
enthusiastic class Of three young men
A one of the three. Mr.. JudsOn j.
Adams, now one Of my most valued
associates in the work, humorously
sums up the situation at that time:
1--WE three members OF the Bible class
used to attend on alternate Sundays
aRreeing among ourselves which should
have the privilege Of staying away"
Those three young men are my most
earnest aids In the movement to-day
work that 10 spreading around the
world.
I permitted the class Of three to lead
me At f,rst, for I soon saw that they
knew more about Holy Writ than theil
tsscher did. We grew together and
the spirit OF enthusiasm that ! sue.
ceeded In instilling into that trio speed
ily bore fruit In the augmentation OF