Evening journal., 1916-01-22


Their very utterance carries the SEM
.blances of the sybillance of the ser
spent's hiss. Such are the names OF
Guy Fawkes, of England, OF Wallen-
stein, Of Germany, and Benedict Az
mold. OF America. But supreme in
its calamity stands forth the name OF
Judas lscariot, the traitor. Wher-
ever in the gospels the list OF apos-
tiles is mentioned, the name OF Peter
is placed first. but the name OF judas
is placed last
Judas was a man Of great oppor-
tunities. For three years he had
heard the sermons of Jesus. lie was
with our Lord as those great divine
truths dropped from His lips, like
pearls and rubies from an overflow
inc casket. Moreover he had seen
the miracles of Jesus He had been
with the Lord when He had stilled
the storm and fed the hungry, when
he had healed the sick and raised the
dead And what is more, he had
shared the fellowship of Jesus For
three years he had been. much of the
time. near enough our Lord to have
touched him. and yet Judas was
traitor
In these days there is a tendency to
claim that environment is everything.
Some people say that what we want
is fine houses, paved streets, cement
walks and good sewer systems, ana
then our civilization Will be complete.
They forget that our first parents
wandered away from God amidst the
excellent environment of the Garden
of Eden. A philanthropist in New
York City. wishing to reform the de-
graded. went down to the slums and
built some model tenements, which
he rented for nominal sum. Some
months afterwards he went back 10
visit his tenants, to note the moral
Improvement they had made lie
found that they had cut out the lead
. plumbing and sold it to a second
hand Junk dealer. and were using the
4 fine porcelain bath tubs for coal bins.
He concluded that il took more than
good surroundings to change charac-
ter If you put a hog in parlor ne
would still be hog. AS long as some
OF the purest saints live in the poor
est houses on the back streets, ana
4 some of the blackest-hearted villains
live i'm the finest mansions on the
boulevard. it shows us that 1t takes
more than environment TO make or
mar character.
Judas was also a man Of great abil-
itv. He was not chosen in haste as
one of the band of apostles. Jesus,
& before He selected him. spent at least
whole night in meditation and
nrayer. In some ways Judas must
i have had pre-eminent ability. for
i ri ch g.
mess men as Matthew and James TO
select Iudas as the fnancier. the sec
retarv of the treasury, Of the entire
compapv. In these days the tendency
in education is TO defy intellectual
itv. There are some colleges ana
school boards that do not seem 10
consider at all the moral and spir-
itual qualifications of the applicants
for noeifions as teachers. they base
their choice merely upon the intel
lectual qualities. We have been aim
ing our educational guns very large
" at the wrong fortress. 1t is not so
much the citadel of ignorance as 1t
is OF evil desire that Is the source OF
our national peril An educated ras-
cal is the worst kind OF rascal. Ohe
man with an education can cure a
pestilence, another with an educatloh
can blow ND building or imperil a
whole city BY what process OF rea-
SON or logic can it be justified ihat
we teach the children IN our schooIs
about mythology. which describes the
amours and intrigues OF heathen soas
and goddesses. and yet banlsh lhe
Bible which tells OF the true ana liN-
ing God? Either the purpose OF euu-
cation must be not merely the oeVel-
opment of a cold, barren inteilectual,
ism. but rather of honest uprlgh'
Christian character, or else our CIV
ilization is doomed.
There is in Auburn Pentenliary
M scientific men say, one OF the aDles.
= cleverest men with one Of the biggest
finest brains that America ever pro
duced. He was selected as being pre-
eminently fitted to teach the prison
school. But Il was found thar ne was
4 Getting the younger convicts togethei
during the recess period and teachlhs
Them to become more expert thleNes
Young man convicted OF crime III
an eastern city recently, TO tne
amazement of both the court ana the
spectators. declared that ne nae
taken three years course IN a grea
institute of technology for the specla
nurpose of fitting himself to be
more expert bank robber. If 1t is i'm,
nortant that we cultivate the heae
and hand. it is of much greater I'M
nortance that we cultivate the heart
Iudas Iscariot undoubtedly mad intei
lectual ability. yet he became trai
tor. ,,r.,a.,
But someone inteiposes. Judas
had an evil nature" That IS true
bit who has not? Have not you
III Have not I? Away back, early IN IN
ministry of Jesus, he said that Juod
was a devil. But Jesus called Pete
Satan. the prince of devils ana ou
of Mary Magdelene He cast seVel
devils. Someone asked me recent
in I believed in devil l replied
surely do I have seen too much Q
his influence in my own life 10 doup
his existence" Do not tell me nov
good you are. for down in your hear
YOU know better. If you know you
own life as you ought to know It, yo
will acknowledge that you have
constant struggle against evil within
Victor Hugo said that when he ma
heard the story OF the creates
crimes. he had recalled times in hi
life when he felt capable OF commit
ting every crime in the catalogu
az The Scripture speaks great trut
= when it says, "The heart above a
M things is deceitful and desperatel
NN wicked"