The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-03
VIGILANCE, THE PRICE OF LIFE.
Tho International Sunday School Les
In for March 9Th Is "Watchfulness:
\ temperance Lesson."-Lukc IL:
s5-tS.
(Bil William T.. ElliS.)

Dbl william T. EliiS.)
This story is Oriental, from first to
,ast The average person reads this.
familiar New Testament passage for
no first time with bewilderment. 1t
il All out Of his range of experience.
To might as well be asked to explain
,be SYMBOLS of an Oriental rug.
what Ices he know about girded
loinsg He does not wear long skirts
,hat have to b. tucked up into his
rirdle when he runs and does active
gork The men in the Near East do
mat very thing today, as / have seen
countless times. Nor does the I'M
trayeled American know aught Of
aedding professions and feasts, with
= portion brought home by the guest
10 his faithful servants. We ring
electric doorbells; in the East, one
hammers loud and long at the outer
rote. waiting for the movements Of
A sleepy watchman; that, too. l
know. The fear Of thieves, against
which the house is barricaded. has
scarcely a counterpart in this West
rrn world. And the unjust steward,
the Number One Boy" of China.
who takes advantage Of his masters
absence 10 be high-handed and op-
p~ressive-that, also is true in the
East today.
There are more important teach
ines in the text than little lessons
in Oricntalism. There is a present
meaning in all the teachings of
Jesus. His messages are always APP
plicable: truth is forever up-to-date.
That is why the Bible is more mod
ern thar the novel which came of
the press yesterday. The inspired
Book is true to all times It's essen
tial teachings can be tagen right
out and practiced on the next per
son you meet.
The Attitude of FaithfulnesS.
Conny old Ben Franklin said tha'
the eyes of the master accomplished
more than his hands. He meant tina
the oversight Of the employer is nee"
essary to the efficiency Of the work
man AS ten thousand men can tes
tify, tho average worker eas vi
when the boss is not looking. /
81 the teachers sight. Most OF u
need to be superintendent.
Now Jesus babe his followers liv'
and work In an attitude OF faithful
ness. which is vigilance. They wer
TO act as il the Master were near, an
hourly expected. To be ready TO
him at all times was the great mOtiv
he implanted. This was the sure pre-
yentive of unfaithfulness and poo
work The inspection OF the Maste
Was at hand.
Every thoughtful person has recog
nized this principle. Some day W
shall not return to our desk. GU
bench, our kitchen. our books: wi
our days s be left completed
The housekeeper does not wan he
~neighbor. suddenly summoned In tn
morning. to find the supper dishe
still unwashed. The bOOkkeepe
wishes to leave his books in sue
condition that an expert accouptaI
ravel them. There is no greater II
centive to good work every da,
right here and now, thar this gres
teaching of watchfulness.
\ Plumb-Linc for WatclifulnosS.
Some truths are mere abstraction
and wholly speculative. They hay
nothing in particular to do with tn
year Of II Lord. 1914 There
none Of that in the ~discourses
Jesus. All that he taught is livabl
IN New York or New Mexico. At II
base OF his doctrines lies this spin
OF ~practicability; it works out in
real life. The Sermon on the Mou
neips a servant to sweep under Il
beds and in the corners. 1t makes
pulider as careful OF the integrity
MS out-of-sight construction as Of h
facade. The great cathedrals a
marvels of thorough workmanshi
because men wrought in the spirit
Thou. God, seest me-"
Paraphrased. this lesson on waite
tulness reads, Live you life with I
spect TO theg reat ideals. Take G.
INTO your planning. Chart 20
course In life by the eternal veriti'
DO justly, love mercy. walk humb
that is the program. if you a
really on the watch for the LORI
coming"
The Dominating Passion.
There is something more than CO
Scious caution to this quality
~atchfulness. 1t is a deep purpo
d passion, a soul-attitude. The N
testament phrase, Looking VI
Iesus.' embodies it. AS a mothe
thought. present and absent. is ".
ner babe, SO the faithful disctpl
,hough Is Of Christ. Just as a {
vOfa1 vnuAs 1an 1T. h~0Or-o6 0UAO