The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-06-20

The commencement Day Problem.
The International Sunday School Les
son for June II Is The Ireat Ne
fusal."-Mark 10:17-31.
Try WILLIAM T. ELLIS)
The young man problem fronts the
world afresh every year az TINS sca
son, and lends. an especial apPropII-
ateness to this Sunday scnooi iesson
stirred as they see thousands OF
young men pouring forth from ouI
colleges. and the greater thousanos
that thrOng our athletic nelos AM
crowd our streets. What multituoes
OF them there are.
Each young man Is a prODlem, anu
has a problem He faces the great
question of the choice of all life's best.
How may he make the most OF NM
self? What is the great goal to winch
he should strive? Thousands OF COM
1nencement day speakers ehunclate
programs and purposes TOT young "ie"'
Is 1t Well With the Young?
For most men there is a period OF
idealism, when they are spiritually SEN
sitive. The fires of patriotism burn
brightly in their breasts. The call to
human service sounds loud and clear.
The making of character concerns
them. Who sneers at the Ideals OF
young manhood is himself person
not to be trusted. but to be summed.
Longfellow knew that THE thoughts
of youth are long, long thoughts.
1t is a dark day for any age when
its young men are no longer concern
ed about idealism. If they have
ceased to be heroes. ceased to covet
some high emprise; ceased to aspire
ito love the fairest and to be the brav-
est" ceased to be dreamers Of dreams
and builders of castles; then. indeed,
will the nation have fallen on sorry
times No sadder spectacle may be
found in our day than the sordid,
scheming, sophisticated youth. old and
chance to be young. The country can
hope for little from this type of worldly
wise scoffers at ideals.
Bettcring the Best.
In the pages of three of the biogra-
plies of Jesus there appears noble
figure about whom art and literature
have woven their fancies. He was
young man Of wealth and of official
position Clean. upright. spiritually
minded, he coveted earnestly the best
gifts. At the very sight Of him the
heart of Jesus went out to him in love.
love.
His question was, What shall I do
that may inherit eternal life?'-the
oldest, deepest. highest question that
has ever engaged the thought of man.
When testing him. Jesus asked If he
had kept the commandments. The
young man, without priggishness or
could declare that he had
done so. But still this was not enough.
His own spirit told him that a mere
formal keeping Of the law was not suf
ficient satisfaction for an immortal
soul.
What the young man needed was a
new state Of mind. He was now self
centered. He needed to be brother-cen-
tered. All his concern was for his own
welfare Jesus wanted to shock him
out of this narrow conception of life,
and teach him that nobody comes to
his best until he has come to self-sur-
render and to a life Of service. There
fore, he put to him the test: "One thing
thou lackest: go. sell whatsoever thou
hast and give to the poor. and thou
shalt have treasures in heaven: and
come follow me-
The Rich Mans Testing.
Not that Jesus wanted the mans
money; he asked him to give up the
money because he wanted the man. He
knew that the young mans heart had
not room for two sOvereignties. His
love of money ives The outward evil
dence of his self-centered life. The law
of the new kingdom is that whatever
stands between the disciple and full
allegiance to Christ and the kingdom,
must be sacrificed. Often-and usually |
what is given up to Christ is given
back by Christ, increased many fold. /!
token of surrender. and always a |
conqueror gives it back
again.
The test was too hard for the rich
young ruler. But his countenance fell |
at the saying. and he went away sor-
rowful. for he was one that had great |
He was not willing to |
pay the price. He wanted what Jesus
had to offer, but not at the sacrifice
Of his possessions.
"Once to every man and nation comes |
the moment to decide.
In the strife Of Truth and Falsehood, |
for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, Gods new Messiah,
offering each the bloom or blight,
Parts the goats upon the left hand, |
and the sheep upon the right,
And the choice goes by forever 'twixt |
that darkness and that light"
Through the Needles Eye.
The tragedy is repeated daily. It is |
as old as the world. as new as this |
paper. Never was it moro
ncute than in our own money-mad day. |
Last night I heard a minister deliver
to young people a lecture which has
made him famous. and the burden Of it
all is, get rich, get rich. get rich! He
poured scorn upon poverty, forgetting,
In his worldly wisdom. that this, and
4 dozen other unmistakable passages in |
the Bible. use strong speech on this
subject. The Apostle Paul says that
is idolatry.
One characteristic Of Jesus was
that He was never led astray by the
nd rSH io
more. relatively. in His day than in
ours. But Jesus frankly faced the
fact that there are more cases Of real
smothered by wealth, than
starved by poverty. Using one Of HIS
strong Oriental figures OF speech, He
declared that 1T is easier for a cam
Ell to go through a needles eye, than
for a rich man to enter into the king