The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-02

For June is THE Call of the West"
Acts 1896 to 1915.
The Great Invasion OF Europe.
Nobody yet knows of certainty
which of the battles OF the world war
viii be written down IN history as the
greatest-whether the battle of the
Marine or verdun, or Erzerum. or
Using Tau, or some other yet unfoCght-
The importance of an epochal hour Is
seldom seen until that hour is past
Neither a man nor nation can surely
tell when the clock of destiny strikes
The Grecian navigators who saw a lit
tie boat beat its way from Troas to
Neopolfs, one spring day in the year
SO A. D., gave no second hook to II,
nor dreamed that it held the fate of
Europe in it's cargo. The destiny of
the west was wrapped up in the worn
coat of the dreamy eyed little Jew who
was passenger that day across the
Aegean.
This Journey" says Prof. James
Stalker. was perhaps the most mo-
mentous recorded in the annals Of the
human race. In its issues it far out
rivaIed the expedition of Alexander
| the Great when he carried the arms
and civilization of Greece into the
heart of Asia; or that of Caesar when
he landed on the shores of Britain: or
even the great voyage of Columbus
when he discovered a new world.
Now that the struggle of empires
| is raging over the scenes OF PauPs
| journey, and when huge warshipS,
watchful against hidden submarines,
are sailing the very waters covered by
| PauPs ship, it is of unusual timeliness
and importance for the whole Sunday
school world to contemplate anew the
reality and significance of the great
event when Paul carried Christianity
| fro, Ario into
| This is a lesson to study with out
spread maps; for in these days little
| bit of geography eliminates many a
| problem. Perhaps the oldest political
| conflict in history has been for the
possession of this junction of Asia and
Europe which Paul won for his Mas
ter. Had the apostle been making his
crossing in recent months he would
| have heard the guns of Gal1ipoh roar
ing, and he would have been chaI-
lenged by many naval vessel.
| Two Young Men
! This climax of Paul's journey-the
| carrying of the cross into Europe-oc-
/ Cured on his second missionary jour-
iney, when it was proposed that he
and Barnabas visit the churches they
had established, and hearten them in
| the faith There was a special reason
for going over the ground once more,
| because the letter from the Council
at Jerusalem must be read and ex-
pounded to the church Right away
difficulty arose. BarnabaS wanted
his cousin, John Mark, to go with
them. Paul took an attitude some
Mark deserted US on the previous
journey. He failed in loyalty. He has
disqualified himself for this kind of
work"
But Barnabas whose emotional ma
ture was stronger than his Judgment
f4 fHN fr,t
of claShing with Paul There was a
serious disagreement between the two
great missionaries. Neither would
give in-and we are rather glad that
1they both believed in their convic-
tons to the sticking point So Barna-
bas took Mark and went off to Cyprus
And as Sir william Ramsey says he
passes out of history. We part from
the honorable and gracious PERSONAL
ity of Barna bas with deep regret; but
history marches with Paul. Later
on, after Mark had proved himself,
Paul again gave him his friendship
and confidence.
For a companion instead of Barna-
bas, Paul chose Silas, about whom we
know little, except that he was the
sort of man who could sing songs in
| the night in a prison cell. We do not
need to know much more about him.
The first quality of a good travelling
companion is that he can endure with
out complaining the difficulties by the
way.
Wise Paul, who understood the inn
portance of training up leaders want
ed also young man to share the Jour-
ney- Mark had failed but at Lystra
Paul found young Timothy son of
one of his converts, though with a
heather father. The narrative has a
most casual allusion to the selection of
Timothy, yet the vast consequences of
that act cannot be measured We have
only to read the two books of the New
Testament which Paul wrote to Tim
othy to understand the place in the
older mans heart that this youth soon
Won II the major part of this lesson
were not of such commanding irnpor-
lance, we might make an excursion in
to the study of the two types of Young
men represented by Mark and Tim
othy.
The Vision of Empire.
l have travelled most of the route
covered by Paul in this second mis-
S1onary journey, and I can imagine
him, as he passed through the majes-
tic Cilician Gates, pointing out the
subGmity of the natural scenery to
Silas, and evincing all of the natural
pride of TarSus man in these majes-
tic mountains that stood sentinel be-
hind his beloved Cflician Plain. The
old Roman road which Paul traversed
is still the best thoroughfare from Tar
sus to the Bosphorus. I have camped
by the same springs that Paul camped
by, and have drunk from the same
wells. and have seen much of the
same unchanged village life that he
knew. 1t is a sign of the inspired
character of the New Testament his
tory that the writer's never stop to ex-
patiate upon the natural scenery or
the glories of civilization, but deal di-
rectly with the vital human and spir-
itua1 problems that engross them.
So we find Paul. now accompanied
: by Luke, the historian-for here we
come to the we passages of the Book
of the Acts-and directed by special
spiritual illumination. headed stead
tasty to the west until he reached the
historic shores of the Aegean, and the
old city of TrOaS. near the Darda nelIes