The Topeka state journal., 1914-01-17

Tho Classic Of NedghboElineaB.
The International Sunday School Les
son for Jan. Is Il "The Good Sa-
maritan. 10:25-37.
(BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.)
Petrified phrases form . large part
Of common speech; everybody uses
the words good Samaritan" but few
who do SO understand their real point.
A man il not "a good Samaritan
when he helps a member OF his own
lodge or church, or an old fr1ends or
q fellow townsman. or one of his own
kinfolk. He is worthy OF praise when
he does this, but he Is not in the good
Samaritan class. That title IL re-
served for the Irish who help ltal-
ians, for the Jews who are kind TO
Russians, for the British who deal
tenderIy with Germans, for the Cali
Iornians who succor japanese. for the
Toxans who serve Mexicans. for the
Protestants who play brother to Ho-
man Catholics, for the white men VINO
minister to the negroes. and for all
others who give friendliness where
unfrfendliness might be expected.
The whole point of this story ts that
an alien did q good deed to a hereol-
tary enemy who despised him 1t
vas NO mere kindness of man to man.
Of friend to friend. The good Samari-
tan stands as the type of those VINO
70 outside their own crowd and their
own natural sympathies and their
own racial group-to do o Kindness to
the needy. For ''the Jews have no
dealinRs with the Samaritans. The
DooreGt Jew counted himself better
than the greatest Samaritan. Tne
latter was OF mixed heathen plooo'
and 10 was disdained and despised:
But when . Jewish wayfarer iell
among thieves on the Jericho road MS
own nationals. the priest and the Le-
vite. both Of whom should have worn
the spirit .f "noblesse ob1ige" ON
their hearts, passed him by In selnsh
unconcern. And the foreigner" the
ssheathen" Samaritan gave instant, ef-
acient and continuous help to the man
who was down.
Getting Bigger Ideas
This Is q good story TOT theso
times. For ours is the century OF cos
mopolitanism. We are learning the
iesson Of world-brotherhood. The
basic human ties that underlie all ma
fional or racial groupings are under
stood a. never before. We are shap-
ing our International relations ana
our Christian civilization to that ideal.
When north mid-China was starving,
a few years ago. and the prosperous
waa the people Of the United States
and Canada who sent the relief which
broke the famine. So today this
western world Is hearing the cry OF
starving Albanians and Bulgarians.
The earth is full OF the good Samar1-
tan spirit in this year OF our LORD
1914.
Indeed. so generally accepted is this
principle Of everybody's duty to help
the suffering anywhere that it Is hard
for us to catch the radical note In the
beautiful story that Jesus told. 10
His hearers 1t was a remarkable tale,
and almost incredible. That an out
lawed Samaritan should be merciful
to a Jew who, in strength, might have
scoffed or spit at him, was not easy TO
believe. The teaching of the parable
has made such progress among men
that to US It is the natural and reason
able procedure that every human be-
ing in real need should receive succor.
The plight of the Jews in Russia, OF
the blacks on the Congo. Of the Chris
tian Koreans in prison. OF the slaves on
the cocoa plantations, all evoke a
swift answer from the heart OF the
twentieth century.
Even farther yet has the Good Sa-
maritan idea, as Jesus set 1t fortn'
made its way In the world. Today we
perceive that suffering, destitution. or
need of any kind. has a real claim
upon the race. War itself. cruel and
antiquated as 1t is. recognizes the rights
OF the wounded of the other side;
and Japan cared for the Russian
wounded. An accepted principle OF this
Christian age is that the world owes
its help to every man who Is down.
The social service conception rules civ
ilization. The scorn which the gentle
tale Of Jesus heaps upon the priest and
the Levite falls straight upon every
man or woman today who refuses to
be . helper Of his fellows.
"a The PettifOgging Lawyer.
The immortal story was born Of the
heclling of Jesus by a lawyer. The
discussion had been Of eternal life
that IL, Of life which partakes Of the
eternal qualities in its character az well
as in its duration. Obviously. mere
prolongation Of existence Is not enough
to make heaven. This lawyer wanted
TO be . son and inheritor Of eternal
life. He asked Jesus how.
A Socratic answer was returned.
What say the Scriptures? The lawyer
was . good one-of course. the law In
which he was versed was the sacred
law, and not the civil-and he made
answer according to the eternal prin-
ciple: Love God and love your neigh
bor. That was easily answered. All.
how simple IL the saying of a creed!
We are glib in religious affirmations.
This lawyer, though. had not sounded
the deeps Of the teaching Of the life
loyalty that il first of al given to a
sovereign Jehovah; and that expresses
itself in tireless service of humanity.
30 he was disconnected by the terse
retort Of Jesus, This do and thou
shalt live." thus stressing the doing Of
the Word. rather than the reciting Of
the formula.
True to type. the quibbling lawyer
sought a technicality. He was really
f~%> f~ 41vaf Fxyfv hi
than in learning the truth. He cared
more for his own reputation than for
any new knowledge. So he thought
to wriggle out Of the dilemma by the
evasive question. who IL my neigh
bor?'' know that style of person; 30
does every reader. He thinks that to
be able to discuss social questions il
equivalent to doing social service; that