Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-15
WHOLE WORLD STUDIES
/ POVERTY AND WEALTH
Rich Man and Lazarus" Is Topic
Of international Sunday
School Lesson
NO DAY FOR PESSIMISM
Ellis Says Talk of Violent Revolu-
ton Is to Be Taken With
Grain of Salt
NO DAY FOR PESSIMISM
The International Sunday School Les
son For May IL Is "The Rich Man
and Lazarus. ."-Luke 16: II, 15
1891
(By William 7. Ellis)

With deepening anxiety, thought
full men and women, the whole world
around. are studying the problem Of
poverty and wealth. 1t is our days
lgravest perpleXity. In it turks more
of menace than in any other present
tissue. Selfish and foolish partisans of
hoth sides are daily making blunders
which increase. the dangers of the
ISituation. Careless words are flying
about like sparks in powder maga-
zine Beyond question, it is the clear
SOCIAL patriotic and religious duty of
jevery sober-minded man and woman
to give the most serious thought of
which he or she is capable to this
lquestion, especially with a view to its
application to personal duty.
No lesson could be more timely than
this one upon the rich man and Laza-
lrus, for that parable, related by Jesus
in answer to the sneerS of the rich
lchurchmen of His day, is the worlds
best known and most powerful por-
trayal of the dramatic contrast be-
tween wealth and poverty. No orator,
Ipoet, painter or author has drawn the
ever-present problem in such gripping
power as this parable of Dives and
Lazarus. The story itself should first
be reread with CarefulnesS, as told by
DR.. Luke
The Baron and the Beggar
"And the Pharisees, who were low
ers of money, heard all these things;
and they scoffed at him. And he
said unto them, Ye are they that JUS
tify yourselves in the sight Of men;
but God knoweth your hearts: for
that which is exalted among men is
an abomination in the sight of God.
Now there was a certain rich man,
and he was clothed in purple and fine
linen, faring sumptuously every day:
and a certain beggar named Lazarus
was laid at his gate, full of sores. and
desiring to be fed with the crumbs
that fell from the rich mans table;
yea, even the dogs came and licked
his sores. And it came to pass that
the beggar died, and that ne was car
ried away by the angels unto Abra-
hams bosom: and the rich man also
died, and was buried. And in Hades
he lifted up his eyes, being in tor
ments. and seeth Abraham afar off,
land Lazarus in his bosom. And he
cried and saith, Father Abraham. have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that
he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for | am
in anguish in this flame. But Abra-
ham said. Son, remember that thou
in thy lifetime receivest thy good
things. and Lazarus in like manner
forted, and thou art in anguish, And
besides all this. between us and you
there is great gulf fixed, that they
that would pass from hence to you
may not be able, and that none may
cross over from thence to us. And
he said, ] pray thee therefore, father.
that thou wouldst send him to my
fathers house; for 1 have five breth-
ren; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of
ltorment. But Abraham saith, They
have Moses and the prophets; let
them hear them. And he said, Nay,
father Abraham: but if one go to
them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be persuaded, if one rise from
the dead"
An Oriental Picture
We have to know something of the
Orient, in order to appreciate the high
colors in this picture, for, thank God,
the Occident has got beyond the ac-
tual conditions here described, and
the East is on the way to more Chris
tian usages. Open, Haunting. boastful
and lavish display of wealth and
power is typical of the East. Dives is
true to type. Even more character
istic is he beggar 1 have seen abb
solutely naked men, diseased and
twisted, grovelling on the bare high
ways in the winter of North China.
Words fail to describe the awful con-
ditions which 1 myself have witnessed
among these creatures, worse off than
Lazarus in balmy Palestine; even
worse off than a stray cur would be
permitted to remain in this land.
Let us take what comfort we can
out Of a bad situation by remembering
that the Christian world has@ made
and is making immense progress be-
yond the conditions of this parable.
| Consider the 'laZar- r-houses' and
I''laZarettoes" which take their name
from this one poor leper Gas he prob
ably was), and the multitude of other
forms of public and private ministry