The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-12-29

The pressure OF the peoples II the
customs about them a steadily and
in~sidionsly counteracted the forces OF
heredity. he tug and pull OF heath
endoIn at times proved greater than
the personality and memoir OF the
fathers. There had been failure to
root out the idolatry and the evils OF
the land failure which is a tempta-
ton that always beset$ people.
In the Children Of Israel
were left environed by a seductive
philosophy Of creed and conduct
which threatened the very existence
of their religion and mission. There
came a great slump in the life Of the
Jews.
A prevalent American notion is
that when on Broadway one should
follow Broadway fashions. The bright
lights Of the Great White Way" Of
the metropolis are as the light of life
to multitudeS Of thOughtleSS persons.
The standards which are almost Who'll
ly sensual. and which place outward
seeming above inward being. are ac-
cepted as prevalent and mandatory.
I Most of the men and women who pa
rade Broadway in the n~eighbOrhoOd
of Forty-SecOnd Street would be
ashamed to be seen walking there
with their old fashioned parents.
Never mind what the parents would
think: that is another story.)
The biography Of a myriad Of young
people today is written in the words
Of the lesson, "They forsook the Lord
God Of their fathers i. and follow
ed the gods of the people that were
round about them, and bowed them
selves unto them and provoked the
Lord to anger"
The Lure of immortality.
In passing, the fact should be re-
called the reason the Jews fell back
SO easily into idolatry was because
of the appeal which the practice as
sOciated with idolatry have always
in general terms Of the immortality
associated with idol~worship. Those
of us who have Travelled in idol-wor-
shipping lands know that this charac-
t~eristic still persists. Unbridled Ii
cense to indulge all imaginable and
unimaginable sensual excuses is lit
orally a part Of the idolatry of the
whole world.
The monotheism laid down by
Abraham and Moses required a strict
mora life; and every generation that
has ever lived has found it a strain
Especially great was the temptation
to adhere to a high cod of morality
to abandon this in the case OF the
Children Of Israel, becauSe on every
hand were the seductive lures Of fash
ionable idolatrOus immortality.
War News From an Old Book.
The old proverb, Like priest, lik'
!, people," has nan illustrations in thi
book OF the Judges. When they hat
strong leadership the Jews did we'll
but there seemed to be little Stayin:
power in h Of the people them
selves.
1 This is called the Book Of tn
f Judges, but that word "Judges'' doe
not mean administrators Of the Law
t The judges were the deliverers, tn
q defenders, the champions, the rulers
c the heroes. There was little Of the ju
dicial quality; for instance, in Sam
son, yet he was one of the judge:
These rugged pioneers were history
making men.
e The time they covered between tn
death of Joshua and the browning c
Saul is still a question of discuSSiO
among scholars, for it is not Easy t
tell how many Of the events descrit
ed were simultaneous and how mar
o were successive. The period of tim
IS is given as from one hundred and fit
4. to three hundred years by variol
l. authorities.
S. This old Book, concerning who's
rs writer OIL compiler we know nothin
le links up wildly to the present da
IL because of the war in the near Eas
rs Familiarity with the Books Of Il
:" Judges gives a better Understand
l. of the present conflict along the cas-
le ern coast Of the Mediterranean thu
RS the cablegrams in the daily newsp
n pers. Here we find Jerusalem al
ut Hebron and GAIA emerging in hi
tory. The new battles hat impel
lis are comprehensive in the sight
es these old conflicts. The student
in h Bible in these days has a gre
m advantage over his IMMERSED neIg
er Dor when the talk turns TO the mo
ne romantic phase Of the present war.
I'd Wanted-A Man.
n Because it is SO crowded with tai
at of personality, the Book Of Judges
m one of the worlds storehouses of +
n Here are dramatic episOd
ad heaped up with lavish hand-stori
alas, they are most unfamiliar to t
,se average company. Every n of the
,r- breaches the ola, old homily of eve
days need of a strong man. They ht
alOft the banner, "Wanted-A Man,
In h coming years lessons frt