The Topeka state journal., 1914-01-17

how he went down. a descent OF
almost a mile In short journey OF
about 20 miles. Jericho lies In the
deepest depression Of the earth's sur
face. which il the valley Of tho Dead
Sea.
That dimcult road has been. by one
OF the strange persistences SO common
In the Orient, . resort for thieves from
time immemorial Only recently have
the Turkish soldiers made It reason
ably safe. and forced the line Of out
lawry to the Jordan River. Every hear
er OF the story. az Jesus told 1t. rec
incident on that lonely and dangerous
road; which now. however. IL safely
Travelled by hundreds Of pilgrims ev-
cry year. A rest house and souvenir
shop tOdAy stands on the reputed site
Of the scene.
Typically oriental. too. 10 tho eager
ness Of the priest and the Levite to
avoid entaneling themselves in the
scrape. Don't mix up in the other
mans trouble" Is the selfish rule
there. In China they will let man
drown. rather than try to succor him.
A rare Samaritan was the hero of the
parable. to take personal responsibility
for the stranger in trouble. and put
himself to Inconvenience and expense.
y
once who took exactly this same sort of
care of poor old woman whom he
met In the steamship once. eager to
get to Alexandria He was q modern
Improvement on the priest and the Le-
vite.
The parable points the truth that
life Is won by deeds Of kindness. To
have life. which ID fullness Of expert
ence. we must give Of ourselves to
other lives. "A mans life consists Of
the number Of things to which he IL
alive" A wealthy western business
man boasted to me recently that he
has never been a hundred miles from
aa. nis native city: and he has no inter
ests except his business Of making
money. Poor fellow! pitied him more
than any beggar saw ON. his city's
streets. He cannot even sec why It II
that his business II slipping away
from him. he II losing money. and his
soul 10 like Z shrivelled pea. He has
missed life. Had he been wise enough
10 give he would have been able really
to live. The niggardly, self-serving,
seif-ensrossed life misses even the little
goals at which it aims. Tho Good
Samaritan way is the way Of wis
DOM as well as Of helpfulness. Altru-
Ism 10 a workable philosophy.
When the Heart of Youth In Aflame.
Ierse Comments for January Is:
ambitious EndeavorerA"-II Tim.
(BY WILLIAM T. EILIA)
$50 nigh IL grandeous to our dust,
So near 10 God to man;
When Duty whispers low. Thou
The youth replies, I can.'"
Thus Emerson. Youth dares dream
high dreams and attempt hard tasIxs
1t is the flaming heart of youth which,
into great empriseA Pity above all
men those who have come to what
Longfellow calls
'rhe hardening Of the heart. that
1rreverence from the dreams Of
youth"
These our dreamers. our idealists,
our nobiy ambitious ones. are the salt
OF society. The aspirations Of youth
are the rising Of the spark Of divinity
in the human spirit.
The objection to many ambitions is
not that they are too great but that
who should be pursuing imperial pow
er who are deludedly seeking only q
pot or gold, or dream OF idle pleas
ure. The stirring line Of the poet
Young reminds US that
'Too low they build, who build be-
meath the stars"
A sense Of humor saves one from
being annoyed by the absurd specta-
Gle Of the boastful ''self-made man."
who struts and poses and crows like
bantam rooster. The foolish vanity
which says Of q life or a work IT did
it," is rebuked by these wise words Of
Old .,lS Paul % to young Timothy. as the
them: Thou therefore. my child, be
strengthened" Catch that? Not ''be
strong" but "be strengthened" Not
mighty Of yourself. by your own pow
ooa and II the the
being One outside Of yourself That
Is divine wisdom. We are not strong
but we are strengthened. We are not
able, but we are enabled. Not ours
the power. but Christ's. And since
glory. His be the praise who granted
the power. And every we'll balanced,
mature person comes to the same con-
clusions, AZ he looks upon his life. He
knows that his achievements have
mostly been wrought outside OF his
own volitions. He has been helped
by SO many agencies that he is ready
reverently to say, 1T IL the Lords
ooin8s; IL ID marvellous IN my eyes.
The greatest of ambitious IL the
willingness to pay any price to be
greatly used by God in the worlds
service.
The ashes Of yesterday deadn the
fire OF today. Paul said, '9ttr into
| flame the gift that in in thee" Give
attention to the cultivation Of your
powers and of your purpose. This
business Of being ambitious needs not
only intention but also attention. Ev-
erybody desires better things, in q more
or less vague fashion; only the Mt make