The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-16

BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
ful men and women, tho whole world
around, are studying the problem OF
poverty and wealth. It 10 our day q
gravest perplexity. In It turks more
OF menace than in any other preeent
issue. Selfish and foolish partisans
OF both sides are daily making blum
ders which increase the dangers Of the
! situation. Careless words are flying
about, like sparks In q powder maya
sine. Beyond question. 1t IL the clear
every sober-minded man and woman
to give the most serious thought OF
which he or she IL cabable to this
question. especially with a view 10 its
application to personal duty.
No lesson could be more timely than
this one upon the rich man and Lag
arus for that parable, related by Jesus
In answer to the sneere OF the ricn
churchmen of his day. is the worlds
best known and most powerful por-
trayal Of the dramatic contrast be-
tween wealth and poverty. No orator,
poet, 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 re-read with carefuines, - told by
The Baron and the Beggar.
And the Pharisees. who were. low
ors of money, heard all these Things;
and they scoffed at him. And he said
unto them. Ye are they that 1usti1y
yourselves in the sight of men; but
God knoweth your hearts: for that
which il exalted among men u an
abonimatioh in the sight Of Cod.
Now there was g 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 1t came to pass that the
beggar died. and that ne was c1rrle .a
away by the angels unto Abraham 8
bosom: and the rich man also died.
ana was buried. And in Hades he lift
ed up his eyes. being In tornents. and
seeth Abraham afar Off. and Lazarus
in his bosom. And he cried and saith,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me.
and send Lazarus. that he may dip the
tin of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for / am In anguish In this
flame. But Abraham said. Son. re-
member that thou in thy lifetime re-
ceivedst thy good things, and Lazarus
in like manner evil things; but now
here he is comforted. and thou art in
anguish. And besides all this, be-
tween us and you there is great gulf
fixed, that they that would pass from
that none may cross over from thence
to IN. And he said. pray thee there
fore, father, that thou wouldest send
him to my fathers house; for I have
five brethren; that he may testify un-
to them, lest they also come into this
place of. torment. But Abraham
saith. They have Moses and the proph-
cts; let them hear them. And he said.
Nay. father Abraham: but if one go
to them from the dead, they will re-
Nd h0 RI
hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded. if one
rise from the dead"
An Oriental Picture.
We hav 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 actual
conditions here described. and the East
Is on the way to more Christian usages.
Open, Haunting. boastful and lavish
display Of wealth and power is typical
Of the East. Dives Is true to type. Even
more characteristic is the beggar. I
have seen absolutely naked men, dis
eased and twisted. grovelling on the
bare highways in the winter of North
China. Words fail to describe the aw-
full conditions which myself have wit
messed among these creatures, worse off
than Lazarus in balmy Palestine; even
worse of than stray cur would be
permitted TO remain tulS lana.
Let us take what comfort we can out
of q bad situation by remembering that
the Christian world has made. and is
making immense progress beyond the
conditions of this parable. Consider the
Warehouses" and "lazarettoes,'t which
take their name from this one poor
leper (as he probably was), and the
multitude Of other forms of public and
private ministry to men and beasts who
suffer and are in need,
Also should we bear in mind the truth
that We have reached a stage wherein
Dives (for the ~yord is merely the Latin
for "a rich man") must justify to the
world his stewardship; well-adver-
tised multi millionaire having given
currency to the proposition that 1T is
a disgrace to die rich." The inequity of
social conditions should not blind us to
the tremendous strides that are being
made in our own time toward social
Justice. It would be less than fair to
forget the host OF men and women of
wealth who are genuine lovers Of man.
kind. and whose deepest passion, and
constant endeavor, is to administer
their possessions az trust for their
fellow men. This IL no day for pessim-
Ism, even in contemplating SO grave a
situation as the present status OF
wealth and poverty.
Shall Dives and Lazarus Change
Places?
Many persons are predicting a violent
revolution in our own land and time q
bloody struggle to overthrow Kine
P1utos and to install King Demos in
his stead. I do not fear this. There il
4 saving sense of sanity in this western
world, due. largely to long exercise Of
the power of self-goyernment. which
looks askance at extremists and preach.
ers Of violence. Our Anglo-Saxon re-
gard for personal and property rights
acts as q brake upon precipitate action
There are no such clearly-marked elias.
lines a. created the revolutions o.
Europe. And under the present form
Of government, 1t II proving possible
for society to correct ages-old evils b,