The Alaska citizen., 1916-03-13
SOCIAL CONDITIONS WHEN JE
 SuS CAME.

And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God mind to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with uDr < tcousuoss WiCkcdness, covet- ousncss. maliciousness; full of envy, murder. strife. deceit malignity; wnispercrs, tackbiters, hateful to God, insolent naughty. boastful, in ventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. without understanding, covenant breakers, without natura! affection, unmerciful." Romans ?: 2S- 30.
 Biography is always profitable stGdy. but the biography of Jesus bears the richest reward for dill get search m its depths of wis dom, love and experience. Many men have written of the Man of Calico. but you will never appre- ciate his work and message until you have with your own research crmn tJ that place where you would like to write the events of His nctlc career.
 Human progress is the history cf the earth's greatest men. The shadow of every great building that is cast a ross the hills of time is only pointing us back to some man who made possible the erection of such a monument of biding influ, ence. Every man who has been of service to his fellow-men has bor- rowed the clue for his influence from the life and labors of Jesus. Nightiest of the mighty and holiest of the holy He set out from the little city of Bethlehem to travel into all the world. telling men how to live and how to die
 l. The era of Jesus was time when intellect was darkened. Yet many would say that the golden age of intellect was flourishing in full development four centuries be fore Jesus vas born. They tell of the Athenians. whose strength of intellect has doubtless never been eQualed; they point to Athens as school systems. our love of itera- ture, poetry and philosophy, pub Ii" speech and eloQuence. But the day with all it's glories faded and the night of ignorance fell. Human wisdom for the betterment of man. kind must take it's place among the monuments of failure. Had So- crates lived in Jerusalem when Je- sus came he would not have needed to say to his pupils, to live up to the lieht they then had until God these four centuries intervened to prove the folly of mans wisdom to save the race without being flooded with the wisdom and love of God. On the banks of the Tiber great men lived and died, while wicked ness and ignorance dwelt in the hearts of men. Only one Roman author lived into the Christian ero There is an opera whose moral turns on the putting out of the candles. As the curtain rises the stage, ablaze with lights, is made merry by the figures of brave men and beautiful women. Suddenly | weiid hand approaches and puts out one of the candles, then an ether, then another, until only one is left Finally the hand falls and all is left in darkness. So passed the men who tried to make the world better, but in vain.
 Roses will not bloom midst win ters snow but the grape will lipen in hothouse In the month of January. Plato taught and Ci cero argued during the warm sum mar cg W II Digl universal intel lect and genus, while Jesus came into the very winter of ignorance and WlCkedneSS With vine tha. would begin to bear fruit from the first. RoH an militarism had per vaded the whole known world and Greek culture and language was the vehicle for position and learn ing but the atmosphere was not right. The world has today given up many perfect audience rooms where the voice can be heard thougl but a whisper Into such a room the Master spoke, but the audience was in a bad humor and soon His voice was drowned in the maei strom of guilty consciences Wick edness had so possessed men that they could not listen to the voice of purity, and would not become quiet that they might listen. Al the minds that might have under stood were dead.
 H. It was an age when th' hearts of men were darkened ant there was no sympathy abroad il t"e land The real measure O civilization is found in the Urea; ment accorded the poor and thu weak The era of Jesus was time of pitiless cruelty. The fathe