The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-08
ny WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

Some persons live to be iooneu ortb
but they are not the ones na,d BY large
-. see. In our day, to dress anu 10 n
makes the thoughtful oDs9l aacline.
crete Rome in the hour OF NC SorUe
srhe merely ornamental Duiks tuo .,as M
with us. outward appeaTanc1 erth or
r,cra concern than inward Wcitn.
more EFFICIENCY. Leaves, ratnei
.tor frri+ are our criterion OF succcs si
we are pianting too many oInass-~r
shrubs in the garden OF our .I s,i1h
life and too few fruit trees W. ~ =. eain
Tn. that we shoulc study over asa.'
the incident of the pArEe"
The puzzling miracle OF Jesus ~ y
v.ars - deal with those who seem ~ ~
he more than they are: VINO -oad
fulfilling their promises. W ehund-
to Jerusalem He saw fig tree aD LIT
Sant with leaves, but with no lIu. .
Now a characteristic OF the iis ..,t
:. that n commonly puts out lie III
before its leaves. Jesus was uSarI.,
by the appearance OF this unsese 10 !.
forward tree. as ne 50 fa,nd that it bore
notl,,rv hut leaves, he condemned IL "
fruitlessness forever
The sheep Dog That Pointed. !.
70 oro ia an .r..amental tree anu
nothing more. then, OF course. iea
are a satisfactory output. II, no"e 49,.
the world has a right to expect Iru..
cepted as a substitute. IL the matter
of human Ii, es. it is not how you APP
near. but what you produce that really
tests your worthwhiler :ss.
All the tailors and masseurs and par
bers and manicurista and haberdasneIs
and jewellers cannot offer any accept
able substitute for doing a man-s1zeu
task in the service Of the Worlo. Ino
rilded youth Of both sexes who acorn
our city highways. and who have never
done a useful stroke OF WORK IN u-n
lives. are the objects of all m. n's scorn:
Barren ag trees and barren lives merit
nothing but condemnation.
Down in Virginia. on plantation
where 1 have gone hunting. there IS an
old sheep dog who will follow TO the
field the man with a gun. He Will go
through all the motions Of fine biro
dog; he points perfectly. but there are
never any birds where he points. He ID
a hypocrite dog, for he consciously tries
to appear to be what he really Is not.
That is what makes the hypocrite Tnis
lesson is the Bibles own picture OF all
such.
The Lives That Produce.
The central idea of both parts Of to-
days lesson passage accords well with
the temperance theme; for the lnterna-
tional Sunday School Lesson Commit
tee has marked this as a temperance
lesson The first incident carries the
moral that lives should bear fruit:
each in its own kind, and all the fruit
of which it is capable. Few OF US have
to go outside Of our own neighborhoods
to find an illustration for this PROPOSE
ton. Many promising 1g tree has
been shorn Of its expected fruit by the
blasting power Of strong drink.
The editor Of the most widely circu-
lated periodical in the world. told me.
a few weeks ago, that he was convinced
that in his business a man could not SO
much as drink a single cocktail with
his luncheon. without impairing his ef-
ficiency. With real fervor he went on
to argue for temperance on the basis
of economic efficiency. He is making
the temperance fight his own: for the
arch-enemy of the fruit Of civilization
is the traffic in alcohol.
The whitening Judgment Of an en-
lightened social conscience has been
turned against strong drink within our
own time. The forms Of activity
against 1t are many and varied. Here
is a working temperance pledge, which
has put out: las a matter Of con-
science. purpose to stand by all men.
movements and newspapers that stand
against the liquor traffic."
When the Church Is Corrupted.
The contrast :eems sharp between
the blasting of single fig tree and
the cleansing of the great temple Of
Herod: yet both were in the days
work of Jesus, a: both were of a piece
18th his one min: try. He who did the
great things. was not above doing the
small things also. If Christian can
r. be missionary to China, at least
he can help to a higher level the shift
less. ignorant and irreligious folk
around the corner. The work is one
work. whether In America or in Africa.
Great evils do not spring full-propor-
toned into being. They are of slow
growth. and, at the base Of all Of them,
there is usually something commend
able: The abuse of the privilege Of
tr-ding in the Temple at Jerusalem
had quite naturally developed. The
need for sacrifices made 1t plausible
that merchandising should be carried
on for the henef1. Of the pilgrims near
the Temple courts: even as today. in
the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. pill
grims may buy trinkets. In heather
temples this is not at all uncommon.
have bought Mecca beads in the court
yard at the Mosque Of St. Sophia in
Constantinople. and Chinese antiquities
in a Picking temple. The closest par
allel to the Jerusalem scene. known to
me is the merchandising in the great
Tenoji temple in Osaka, Japan, where ,
scores of merchants display a variety
OF wares.
On the basis OF the pilgrims needs
for foreign money changed into Jeru-
salem currency. and for doves and /.
sheep for sacrifice. there had grown up
the reign of graft which dominated the |
Temple area.
When Jesus. the Reformed. came
with clear seeing eye. and his fearless
advocacy OF purity and altruism. he
overturned this order Of greed. BY
the sheer weight Of His personality ,
and by His own consciousness Of His
divine mission. Jesus scattered the /,
in every direction. Right
~ M ro1fC1ov, xvoy,o nm Ef3a ~aAn- o~N