The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-11
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For August 1 is THE Grace of Civ
ing IL Cor. CHI. g.
The Virtue That Makes Souls Fat.
By w. T. ELLIS

For August 10 is 1.-The Grace of Civ
| ing.''-II Cor. CHI. 9.
The Virtue That Makes Souls Fat.
| A niggardly millionaire died the
other day, after a lifetime spent in
saving, skimping, scheming and shirk-
| ing. Ten thousand women, who never
| expect to see as much money in a life
time as this one often made in day,
have said, as they beheld the miser
able starved existence, Poor thing!"
| Then, when it was found that not a
cent of all the milHonaire's hoard had
| been bequeathed to public service or
to philanthropy, there arose a nation
wide comment of condemnation. For
| the modern social conscience has
swung slowly round to the New Tesla
ment idea that man or woman is
| not an owner of wealth, but steward.
| About the time of the death of the
richest woman in America, with it's
| attendant pitiable circumstances, 1
| CHANGED to be in the office of a
wealthy friend. I do not know that
he is even a millionaire. but he gives
on the scale of one. His gifts tc
| schools and churches and missions
and charities are not press-agented,
but they are great ard wise. By them,
my friend has indelibly written his
personality upon the world of his day.
His bank account may be growing
lean, but his soul is growing fat and
radiant.
In this man is the answer to
Thomas Sutton's prayer, 20 Lord,
Thou hast given me a large estate,
give me also large heart
The Peril of America
| The thing strikes close home to
our country, especially now. This
western continent is rich beyond the
dreams of romance. We are self-suf-
| ficient in our resources. Whatever
the drain upon us, the war has also
| brought great accession of material
prosperity. Our goods are increasing.
But what about our souls? This is,
| super1atively, a time to try men souls
| In the ordeal of war, Europe is finding
a nobler self unrealiZed two years ago.
The comment is frequently made that
the cost of the war is justified by its
spiritual reaction upon the nations, a
| reaction that promises to make over
| civilization. On this side, however,
below the Canadian border, there is a
| real and grave peril that the oppor-
| tunity of this solemn hour will be
| missed, and that souls will merely be
| made sordid and selfish in their safe
ty. To swell ones fortune and to
| impOveriSh ones soul is only calamity
| The war has produced no victims
more pitiable than some of the new
| millionaireS.
| If anybody thinks that this Sunday
| School Lesson on giving has to do only
with the people in old Corinth he has
| need to read it again. 1t is providen-
tial in it's timeliness- Every news
| paper and every school teacher and
every parent might profitably ex-
pound it in its application to the pres
ent unique conditions. Our need of
| needs is for the grace of giving, which
| is the art of getting out of ourselves
| and thinking of the other person. We
| are in peril of spirit-emaciation, which
is a worse fate than that of the FAM
inc sufferers whom have seen by the
| myriads in Asia Personal prepared
| ness must be purse-and-au prepared
ness.
A CHASTITY Imitation.
If the Apostle Paul were writing this
| comment upon his message to the
Christians of old, he would be able to
| deal adequately with a CHASTITY imita-
ton of charity which has come to full
| flower since the war began. 1 am not.
| Excoriating, puncturing, portraying
words equal to the situation are be-
yond me. How can man who be-
lieves in human nature, and the basic
spirit of brotherliness, depict the
ghoulish selfishness of the men and
| women - mostly women - who are
making of humanity's suffering a lad
| der on which to climb society's lad
der? 1t is no idle surmise to say that
| there are persons who, at the present
| time are deliberately. calculatingly
| and co1d-bloodedly utilizing the plight
| of the war victims to advertise them
| selves and to create new social affilia-
| tions. War relief along with pre-
paredness'' have become social fads in
| the United States, and now they are Il
game at which the socially ambitious
are playing unscrupulously. Those
who have glimpsed the inner workings
| of the thing know that there is often
an utter disregard for the real cause of
| the sufferers: the dying, the tortured,
the MANNED are but pawns in a social
game.
| Only Paul-or perhaps Billy Sunday
can rightly characterize the spirit
| that will, in the very darkest hour of
the worlds Gethsemane, seek to pro-
Rmote its own small and selfish ends
Surely it is intended that the needs
| of the suffering, in this unexampled
| hour of distress shauld open the hearts
| of the world. One mans adversely is
| the other mans opportunity to give
proof of his religion. In the school
of war the lesson of woe is made clear:
it is a call to brotherhood. Up to date,
the people of the United States have
| given something like an average of
| 80 cents apiece to all the war suffer-
ers, the martyred Armenians, the hun
cry Belgians, the dying Poles and
| Serbians and Syrians. The countries
at war have given far more lavishly
| outside of their own borders. What
an immemorial horror 1t would be If
we should learn only lessons of greed
and none of giving in this time of
| tragedy. The theme of the day Is one
to be studied with heart-searching.
When the brotherhood Was in Need.
All the letters written by Paul at
about the time of this lesson show
his concern for the welfare of the
poor Christians at Jerusalem. They
were in need of the material things
of life. This lofty mystic made their
plight his care: he was not too inter-
ested in preaching spiritualities to
take up a collection. For he always
brought the loftiest motives to bear
upon the lowliest matters: thus, in the
present case he reminded his Corin-
THAN friends that the Lord Jesus
though rich, for our sakes became
poor. He talks of gifts to the poor
and the "un5peakab1e Gift of God in
-, the same pa