The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-12-29
GOING BACK ON GRANDFATHER.
The International Sunday School Les
son for January . is Goods Pa
ticpce With ISracl."-Judgc =: 7-19.
BY William 7. Ellis.

day, Mr.. Average Man could discard
his shallow sophistication and his
American "smartness," and acquire
for a few hours the spirit OF sound
wisdom, he would surely go apart for
"A time and take counsel with his
grandfathers and with his grandchild-
rem.
This is a critical time; the most
critical in all the history of the world.
There never has been a New Years
season so solemnizing as the present.
TO meet the call of our great day
successfully, we must look backward
and forward; listen to the past and to
the future; weigh u responsibilities
to those who nave gone before and to
those who will come after us.
Opportunity. the millions. who base
their serious thinking largely On the
International Sunday School lessons,
will find a stimulus for the present
occasion in the new course of lessons
in Old Testament history which be
gin today. The opening study is Of
u people who had gone back on their
grandfathers. They were the third
generation. Direct contact with
the great PERSONALITIES Ol liz "a iiC1
day a been lost.
LII the rest of us. they were SO
built that they needed great leader
ship. But these Hebrews had to face
fresh and difficult problems alone
They were called upon to stand on
their Nv feet, and to prove by them
selves their fidelity to their past and
to their future. A searching question
concerning them-as concerning us
is, were they of the sort to whom
grandchildren could look back in
pride?
The answer is tersely told by the
Scriptures: "And also all that gener-
alton were gathered unto their faith
ers: and there arose another genera
ton after them, that knew not Je-
hovah, nor yet the work which he
had wrought for Israel. And the
children of Israel did that which was
evil in the sight OF Jehovah, and serv-
ed the Baalim; and they f%orsoolz Je-
hovah, the God OF their fathers, who
brought them out Of the land Of Egypt
and followed other gods, gods of the
peoples that We're round about them
and bowed themselves down unto
them: n they provoked Jehovah
to anger"
After Joshua, What?
The city of Philadelphia has OF re
cent days come under the spell Of {
powerful personality. Billy Sunda.
begins on the day Of this lesson al
eyangelistic campaign in this city o
n million and q half of people. Or
many counts it is the most Significan
religious enterprise attempted in al
American municipality within tn
IN of the present generation.
A stir of hope ana a thrill of eXal
tation has been in the hearts of anX
ious observers, as they have behel
the way in which the conservativ
Il .,-I- - Ia. ~.1- 10 &ho ~
proach of this religious leader. HUI
dreds of thousands of men n WON
en- have gathered in bi-Weekly pre-
p%aratory prayer meetings. The minis
ters have assembled from time
time in the largest clerical gathering
the city has known for a generation
Tens Of thousands OF men lave a
ready been added to Bible classe
The daily newspapers are full of new
of every phase of preparation for til
campaign. The churches are athri
with expectation, so that observe
say. The revival had already come
All Of which is a modern CONNER
tary on the need for joshua TT
church's cry today is for great leade
who ca1 rally her forces for col
quests commensurate with her mig
and her obligations.
The momentum of Joshua and h
associates had carried the Israeliti
into the third generation Of life
Canaan. The pioneers had set the
going, and they a continued und
this impetus. Joshua and Caleb alol
of all who entered the Promised La
had carried with them personal mel
cries of marvellous p~rovidences tn
had accompanied the deliverance fro
Egypt. After the death of Josh
there remained the elders who h
seen the mighty works of God in t
first overcoming of the and The
men had possessed a first hand, expe
imental knowledge of what Jehov
could do.
When, the New Generation FOrgets
Now the third generation was II
ing the dangerous experiment Of livi
on second hand religion. They II
failed to acquire a fresh, vital, p,