The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-01-20
TN THE RELIGIOUS O R
What The Church Folk Are Thinking About and
Doing
Sunday School Lesson and Young Peoples Topics

have nred the hearts OF those sons |
with the Chr1St-paSsion, nav been
the greatest servants OF the race. Is
there anything that would better
serve these new times than more Of
this spirit in the days WOmaphood?
The company OF women who fol-
lowed Jesus, as wa are told in this
lesson. were the fore-runners Of an
lnnuHaerabie host. / would exalt
the thinking, the living, or the char
acters Of a multitude Of us who are
talking loosely about the women
question" II We were to get a clear
vision Of the type Of womanhood
VINO in home n church and Christ
ian WOmen's organizations are mod
estly seeking to help the world in the
name OF the Lord Jesus.
Homeainess OF the Leader.
I~nterjected into this lesson story,
as II to ~accentuate the human needs
Of Jesus on the comfort that was
brought Him by the sympathetic wo-
men, are the three instances of the
men who wanted to follow Him. To
the first the Master replied: The
foxes have holes, the birds OF the
heavens have nests: out the Son Of
man hath no where to lay his head.'
The second wanted first to bury his
father, and h third to bid fare
we'll to his family: but Jesus point
ed out that all else must wait n
the kingdom business is concerned.
The urgency Of the Kingdom call
sounds through these incidents. Ease
dt home, social conventions. and the
comforts OF lite are not for the one
who gives himself to the mission Of
the lingdonn.
4 homeless, weary wanderer vas
Jesus and the hospitality in Bethany
was the more precious because OF
this.
The House 81 Hospitality.
The best traditions Of Oriental
hospitality were fulfilled in that Beth
any nome. A guest was not an occa-
slona event, upSetting h household
routine and creating an abnormal life.
These two gracious women minister
ed constantly by means OF their home
a form Of Christian service which will
come again to it's own one Of these
days. A oma a do more for tbs
world and for religion by the right
use Of her home than by making
speeches or writing articles or sery-
ing on committees.
Two types Of women were host.
esses in the Bethany home. Botl
were beloved friends Of Jesus ana
honored by Him. Martha was tn.
practical woman OF the housekeep
err type. with a deep sense Of tn:
Importance Of dinners; her husband
would have heard from her had h.
been late to meals. She was some
what under h tyranny OF pots an'
pans. Means of hospitality had i'm
perceptively taken h place Of tn
object OF hospitality. We may max
all excuse for Martha when we con
slider the crowd OF men-Jesus an.
the Twelve, not to mention others
who were to be fed that day. Blu
she had allowed herself to be dis
tracted by her task. She was rat
tled" as an expressive coloquiaiisE
has it.
>, A Wise WolAan's Way.
Now hospitality Is more than tn
. giving Of dinners: it is q sharing o
, self. Everybody knows the type @
, hostess who is too fiustered to CT
, joy her guests Or to let her guest en-
, joy her. The criticism that ma
r fairly be made OF Martha is that sh
had forgotten the old word OF &c
, clesiasticS: There is a time for a.
things" Mary, with keener spirit
ual intuition. saw that a great hou
had come. This was no time to pot
: ter about the kitchen when a srea
q Teacher awaited companionship i
the guest room. Mary was the sol
of woman who perceives the ponel
+ ness of the life OF the pubiicist an
understands that the applause OF tn
= crowd is no balm for the Wearines
Q and loneliness OF the spirit seekin
4 sympathetic Fellowship.