The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-23
The Immortal Three Hundred.
The InternationaF Sunday School Les
son for January "a is Gideon and
the Three Hundred. "-Judg. Z.


son for January "a is Gideon and
the Three Misunderstanding. Z.
(BY WILLIAM T. ELL1s.)
Some stories are SO simple and
great that they have passed into the
common thought and speech of the
people. Thus Gideon and his band
fidelity and efficiency are their trade
marks. Once more the countless
company of Sunday school members
are called to study this immortal hero
tale from old Israels history, and to
learn it's lesson for today.
The facts Of the story are simple.
The Midianites from the. East were
called by God to be the leader OF his
people in conflict with the foe. Thir-
ty thousand men of Israel rallied to
his banner, against the one hundred
and thirty-five thousand Midianites
Lest Israel should think that the IN
evitable victory had been won by its
might and courage and strategy, Cid
con was ordered to reduce has force
by letting all the armed men VINO
wanted to do so return home sun
there were ten thousand left, quite TOO
many for the divine purpose.
So the curious yet inherently wise
test was applied, of choosing the men
WHO uIdIk WdtcT ny SSOOPAh6 ~
with their hands, rather than kneel-
ing down with their faces in the wa
ter The difference, as has often been
pointed out, was the difference be-
tween the way the dog drinks and
the way the COW drinks The FORMER
Is alert, quick and ready for instant
action; tn COW when drinking is OBJ
1iviOus to all else, even to the bes .1ngs
of an attendant. One company OF
men, skilled in the craft of the open,
drank fully accoutred and with every
faculty on guard. They were ready
to fight on the instant, ;-ld could not
be taken unawares. Drinking to
them was but a part Of the prepara-
ton for their real work. The other
and larger group laid aside their
weapons, exposing themselves to sud-
den attack. while they knelt and
drank t. reT >tion, needless Of all
save the satisfaction of their thirst.
This severe test provided a fit band
of three hundred men, the whole host
winnOwed down to the highest eff
cheney. They were ready for any
thing, a wonderful instrument in the
hand Of a shrewd leader. Gideon
gave each OF these TORCH covered by
a crock ry essel, so that it made
primitive dark lantern. To each he
also gave a trumpet, so that in the
hands Of these few were as many
II uiHPclS dS usually "OOA0 SCANC q
great a Y.
Deploying the three hundred on all
sides of the Midianite host. Gideon's
strategy provided that, at a given sig
nal. all the crockery should crack. the
lights flare forth, the trumpets sound
and the terror of the enemy. think
ing itself surrounded. would do the
rest. The scheme worked as we'll as
similar strategies in battle have
worked. The rout Of the bewildered
Midianites was complete-and there
were no brazen Jewish soldiers swag-
gering about, declaring that their
prowess had won the day. Every
body had to give God the praise for
the wonderful victory.
A Magazine Story.
Nothing could be timelier than this
tale. Our old world, as it stands on
shaking foundations, needs most of all
to learn the Gideon lesson Of being
willing to win in Gods way. even if
our own vainglorious pride does have
to suffer The church is not to sue
coed by using worldly methods more
shrewdly than the world itself uses
them. Peace for the world is not to
come by the ancient method of arro-
gance overlapping arrogance, arma-
ment Outweighing armament.
A remarkable story is told in the
current issue of the American Maya
zine by Ray Stannard Baker, who
turns aside for the occasion from his
wonted field as an interpreter of con-
temporary history, to a bit Of fiction
in the form of history as it may be-
The narrative, dated century hence
recalls how one of the victorious
European armies determines to invade
and conquer America. At once this
country is thrown into two groups
the war party and the peace party
The latter, led by woman, was al
first small and treated with disdain
The only way to meet an invader, ac-
cording to all reason and precedent
is by armed force. But the peace plan
prevailed, the invaders were met and
conquered by nonresistance.
1t was the Gideon idea applied to
national affairs. So dramatic and
pertinent is this article that 1t is GER
tain to re-echO in press and pulpit
truth that God chooses the weak and
the foolish to confound the mighty.
Enter Billy Sunday.
Within the realm Of organized reli
-Eion our day is seeing a spectacular
illustration Of the Gideon way, which
is simply the way Of letting the Lore
use His own methods. without respec
to precedent or worldly wisdom. A
perfectly impossible man, mere
baseball player a log-cabin graduate
speaker of the lingo of the stree
corner and the workship, has beer
chosen. like the jawbone Of the Sam
son story, for staying more of tn,
enemies of righteousness than hav,
fallen at the hands of any othe
preacher for a century past. Bill
Sunday. who is now leading an amaz
ing revival in Philadelphia. has set tn,
religious world by the ears. Most O
the large cities Of the land seem to b,
calling him to come to them with hi
strange speech and stranger methods
Now the admitted truth is that n,
ecclesiastical council that ever coult
have been called would have dreame,
OF devising, as the instrument 70
calling this needless day of ours bacl
to thought of God, such a plan an,
such methods as Billy Sunday and hi
campaign. Had anybody. by a will,
flight OF imagination. dared sugges
such thing, he would have beef