The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-14
In The Religious World

.ei aedlh than dlShonOr. A man may |
die defending his famiiy-and he !
niiouia die. II need be. despite all the |
fuSliianlmouS counsels of professionai |
paclhciSts. Ahab should have well |
coined death in defence of his family
rather than to accede to demands as
Ben-hadadS Yet at first he yielded
he was willing to pay even this price
Tor the safety Of his city and himself
he failed to sense the eternal tr,t;
that all is gone when honor is gone
Better to die nobly than to live dis
honored
The High handed King.
Alcohol itself is scarcely more high
handed and insolent in its dealing than
was Ban haded in his drunken tyran-
NY He decided upon a still stronger
poi1cy with Ahab; for. mark you
there is nothing modern about high
handedness in Diplomacy. 1t is old
and heather. Drunk with wine and
sense of his own power, the Syrian
King decided upon still further acts
OF terrofiZatlOn. He sent word to
Ahab that he would send servants
not come himself. mark you but send
servantS-to go through the palace
and city of Samaria. and loot every
thing that Israel seemed to prize
| most.
| y.
AS an affront it could scarcely have
| been more deadly This was a
| humiliation not to he borne even by
| Ahab, who, apparently. had been we'll
| SchoOled in abjectneSS hy IeZebel, his
| wife. SO a counsel Of the elders of
| Israel was called as it should have
been called when the first demands
were received-and with prompt un-
affinity they decided to spurn Ben
hGdads insults. In q multitude OF
cOur Sellors there Ii safety" One mar
! may be craven. though an autoCrat
h"t in every degree Of democracy
there is safety and sanity. Owe,
against the drunken inSolence of thl
Syrian king was put this sober judg
mcnt of the manhood Of Israel Lake
true men. they knew how TO die fo1
their obligations more sacred thar
life
Wouldn't it be fine if those sturd,
, old counsellOrs of Samaria sould ST
down for an hour with all the weak
J kneed business men, and travellin:
: politicians, who are affrighted by tn
liquor interests. and who fear hur
to themselves and to their buSineS
= il they assert their manhood? Moth
ing is more needed in the temperate
movement today than a stitfening Q
= the spinal cords of business men an
? of office holders and office seekers.
Taunt And Countcr-ta taunt.
n Enraged at the sudden defiance @
1 these Israeiites whose defeat he wa
= already celebrating in the flown
bowl Benhadad sent back a withe1
Y ing threat to them.
Ahab cOuntered with a proven
Z which should be committed to men
= ory by every student of this lesson
IL Let not him that girdeth on b
armor boast himself as he that put
Q teth it Off" A good motto for youn
$ America, that.
Ii Baited. taunted and goaded to
e fury, Ben-hadad did drunkard
= deed-in the very midst Of his drinf
e ing bout he ordered the battle joine
l. at once. No time was taken for r.
a connoisance or special preparations:
the heat and frenzy of drunkenne
- the Syrian hosts were to go forth
IL Meanwhile a prophet Of JehOva
/ had bidden Ahab take the initiativ
lg even with his small army. No long
was he to remain on the defensiv
The best way to parry is to hit
~ The hosts Of God are too often e,
M trenched when they should be on Il
h open field in a swift assault. ''Ho
j. the fort" should be dropped from O.
r. repertOry Of songs, and "Onwar
"a Christian Soldiers sung instead. Al
Az Christian community that is not ma
-, ing an aggressive onslaught upon t
of saloon and other evils needs to re;
a. its general orders again.
NC The news that a sally was bel
IN made from Samaria by the besieg
an was brought to the carousing kir
He made d maudlin. bOastful answ'
,a | but went on drinking. But ere 10
nd he was sobered by the rout of
4 army, and he himself was put
~ flight Jehovah and His righteot
- ness had once more been vindicat Il
=, Syria was routed in a flight that Pc
ST. aIlels the panic of the liquor busint
!, today For victory is inevitably Wi
Of those who ar> quick to answer
.or divine summons to battle.
of
e. THE NEW CALL OF THE NEW
.aO TIMES