The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-05-01
When jealousy Uncrowued a King.
The International Sunday School Les
son for May is ''Sanl Tries to Kill
David Sam. ch- 10.
tBY WILLIAM T. ELLIs.)

+; Tn all the years I have been going
to church have never heard a ser
mon on jealousy. While its tWln-sis-
ter, envy. is reckoned one or the seven
deadly sins about which the Church
Fathers used to write, modern pulpit
Reaching and religious literature nave
little or nothing to say about TINS ma
eous and MISUNDERSTANDING SIN "hlcI
is one of. the commoneSt to be met
with in real life
The Derson who is more familiar
with human nature as 1t IS dlsplayeo
by the living men and women ABOUT
him. rather than with books, knows
that jealousy SIS a force to be recK-
oned with in all walks of life. Every
large office or commerclaI ofganiza
ton is tainted with its influence IL
is the blacklist blot on the learned
professions, even as upon the Gaining
of those who entertain the puplic;
the archaeo1ogist and the chorus slri
are kindred victims of what SNAKES
peare calls the ''green-eyed monster
Politics is rife with jealousy, and even
the pulpit is not free from IL Wiinanl
Eliot Griffis says, Jealousy is pre-
eminently the soldiers disease The
most exaggerated and absurd instance
of jealousy that ever came to my per-
sonal attention was between freaks IN
a museum: while history affords am
pie evidence that jealousy mas oIteh
worn the crown and purple.
81 A king in the grip of the mean,
mad passion of jealousy is our les
Saul had his moments of bigness and
of lfttleness, but he shrivelled to the
Vanishing point when he yielded TO
the ignoble passion of jealousy against
the young hero-deliverer of the ma
ton. David, the slayer of Goliath AS
is often Enthusiastically true. the JeaI-
ousy which was at first only mental
attitude became a real disease, and
drove the king into sort of frenzy
which lasted until his death. 1t un-
crowned him. even before his head
was cut off by Philistine-
The Song of the Women.
Most of us can bear with equanim-
ity our neighbours failures and humil-
iations; but we have to measure up
toward really Christian standards be-
fore we can rejoice with them that
do rejoice" To be proud of anothers
success is a sign of sizeableness of
soul Magnanimity really means
greatness. 1t takes a John the Bap-
list to glory in being superseded. for
the works sake, and to cry, HE must
increase, 1 must decrease" How
many old men are exulting in the
achievements of their successors, and
how many are sitting back snarling
and criticising? Whittier came to ma
,turity in the true spirit of greatness,
singing,
Ring. bells in distant steeples,
s The 10y qn qeRorf farPof Blown
Your triumph is my own"
i The song of the dancing women,
as the soldiers returned from vic
tory over the Philistines, seems first
to have planted definitely in SaulS
indiscreet1y,
saul hath slain his thousands
And David his ten thousands"
OF course this was foolish and I'M
discriminating; most oyations are. |
T0r,h IL i11di- |
cial thing in the world. Saul should |
have known better than to take it at |
face value If even the most medic |
ere speaker should accept at face |
value the praise accorded him, it |
would turn his head. The reason so |
many public lecturers and evangelists |
are insufferable bores in private life |
Is that they have not sufficient sense |
of humor to save them from taking |
themselves seriously. and SO believing |
literally all the courteous expressions |
we may credit the circulars of testi-
monia1S current among lyceum bu-
reaus, there are a thousand lecturers
at present before the public, each of
peer!" The tragic feature of this is
that every one of the lecturers be-
lieves his own fulsome circulars. Is
it any wonder that jealousy is rife in
the calling?
AS the prima donna looks upon her
proficient understudy, as King Herod
regarded the boy babies of Bethle-
hem, SO Saul eyed David" He saw
in him a possible usurper. He feared
for his crown. Every note of acclaim
in the women's praise of David he
understood as condemnation of him
self He late bitterness" as the ex-
pressive Chinese phrase has it. In
stead of resisting the temptation to
jealousy, and instead Of combating IL
by sharing sincerely in praise OF David,
he nursed the foul passion until it
had grown to overmaSter1ng size.
Thrice the kings fury SO far over
came him that in a fit of passion he
hurled his spear at David; for the
spirit of jealousy, unchecked, easily
becomes the spirit of murder.
The Goodness That Breeds Badness.
In the old-fashioned Sunday school
books (whoever sees them nova
to the point of priggishness, always
won the favor OF evil Everybody
learned to love the pious little hero
before he died. That was the way it
not the way it happens in life. Often
indeed, usually-vigorous goodness
is hated by badness, even as the Bible
declares. Many a Christian suffers
very fact that David was noble won
him the enu1ity of the ignobie king
David was not sanctimonious, Haunting
his goodness in the face OF the 1eal-
behaved himself discreetly. He was
not forward, but modest So far as
possible, he kept himself in the back
ground. But when there was any
fighting to be done for the nation.
then he was foremost in meeting the
enemy.
nv offering his daughter as bride,
David held back. He shrank from the
of being a son-in-law or
*La ling He knew the perilS that