The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-07
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY w. T. ELLIS
BY w. T. ELLIS


, 81 missionaries the night before she
died in the Boxer massacres. Her
husband had been beheaded, and her
little children, her immediate family,
and all her associates, had persisted.
Her turn to feel the headsmans
sword was only a few hours distant
This is her dying testimony, written
to her family in America, and by
means Of faithful natives, at last
smuggled thru. The letter chords with
the spirit of Paul, the prisoner:
MY dear, dear ones, L have tried to
gather courage to write to you once
more. How can 1 tell you the terrible
details of these days? 1 would rather
spare you. The dear ones at Shansi,
including our lovely daughters, We're
| taken prisoner and were beheaded at
| the governors orders. We are now
waiting our call home. 1 am prepar-
ing for the end very quietly and calm
~. The Lord is wonderfully near He
will not fail me. l was very restless
and excited when there was chance
of life, but God has taken away that
feeling, and now 1 pray for grace to
meet the end bravely. The pain will
soon be over, and, oh, the sweetness
of the welcome ahovei My little baby
will go with me, and 1 think God will
give it 10 me iE heaven. My dear
mother will be so glad to see US.
| cannot imagine tie Saviours welcome
| days of suspense. Dear ones, live near
to God; cling less closely to earth. I
would like to send L special message
to each enc of you. but it tries me too
these hours. I do not regret coming
/ to China; but 1 am sorry that I have
done so Httle.''
The Manners of a Saint
Thrilling is the testimony of Chris
tians in crises to the essential things
of their faith. Paul reached the heart
of his argument before Felix when he
cried, The resurrection of the dead
is the thing about which I am on trial
before you today" He had an eye
for essentials No question of person
al well-being could divert him from
the one thing. He was Christ's wit
ness. Before magistrates, he ever
bore the one testimony.
With it all, Paul was gentleman.
He matched in courtesy the courtliest
men he met. The pious boor gets no
support from Paul. Rough and rude
Christians, who mistake bad manners
for independence and uncouthness for
/ genuineness, run counter to his prac-
/ tice and teaching. The graciousness
of the prisoners address to Felix was
! limited only by the lines of truth. The
temptation of the polite person is to
be insincere: Paul told the truth. but
| told it pleasantly.
This point of the lesson is worth
developing, for the charge often
made by the older nations against us
| younger peoples is our bad manners
1 Two of the recent magazines have had
articles upon this subject Suppose
/ we have a little session of the Sunday
/ school on the Christian quality of
J courtesy. Paul and his Master, that
perfect gentleman. Jesus of Nazareth,
were complete gentlemen.
Aside from telling his story, the
prisoner made one falling point in his
own defense: 81 also exercise my
| self to have a conscience void of Of
feEse, toward God and men always
| The picture is drawn from athletics.
He kept himself fit" by training. He
I, had been a spiritual athlete, in good
! standing. He had the rare foresight
to see that some day, as in the case
with every living man, his character
would be his defense. All his future
would be staked upon his past. So he
came up to his testing with a clean
record. All, if youth could but learn
that lessoni
There is an old story of a Scotch
soldier who was one night found out
side the lines. He was accused OF nav
ing gone off to give information to
the enemy. His defense was that he
had merely retired into the woods to
pray. The general before whom he
had been brought was a shrewd man,
and he said, well, you have five min
utes more in which to pray, for trait
ors must be shot. Get down on your
knees and pray aloud"
The old Scot without a word began
his prayer to God; and so intimate,
so compelling, so trustful, was his
duplication that in a minute or two
the general cried, Enough! Your
are free. No man can perform like
that on parade who has not been long
at drill. You are no traitor, but a
praying man" A lifetime of familiar
prayer had rushed to the vindication
of the old soldier. So PauPs past
crowded to his help in this hour of
need. He was in training; therefore
he won in the trial.