Evening star., 1917-09-08
By REV. H. t. STEVENSON.

The Sunday school world takes up the
study of this lesson at an hour when
America inaugurates as a war meas
ure. the prohibition of the manufacture
of alcoholic liquors as a beverage
There has been a great advance since
Daniel and his three Hebrew compan-
ions took their stand. students. Tor
total abstinence and the attitude of the
modern world that. under the stress OF
commercial competition and the demand
for efficiency in the prosecution or the
war for freedom. has treated John Bar
leycorn enemy and zoe
The strict regulations of the war De-
uartment to protect the morals OF the
soldiers in the various cantonments
grows out of the fact that during these
days of intensive instruction the foun.
dations for the successful conclusion OF
the war are being laid Wellington
claimed that the battle of Waterloo was
won on the campus of Eton Many OF
the young people who Will soon return
TO their academic studies Will there be
fitted for their life work by the moral
character which they will form during
their school days. Daniel and his com
panions were fitted for the eminent
public positions that they were sum
moned to fill by the education which
they received during the early days or
their exile. while students IN the roSai
college which was located in the pal
Ba bylon.
The circumstances which led up to
their matriculat.on are recorded IN the
opening portion of the chapter that mas
been assigned for this weeks study
During NebuchadneZars first expedl-
tion into Syria and all Phoenicia, in
the third year of the reign of Jehoia-
kim. King OF Judah Daniel with many
pther princes and national leaders, was
taken prisoner and carried into cap
tivity by the mighty Babylonian war
rior. When after the battle of Carche-
rn.sh. where he won his great victory
over Pharaoh Necho, NebuchadneZZar
was compelled by the death of his
father to hasten across the desert TO
secure the throne he left the captives
and the spoils of his victories to be
brought TO Babylon by his generals.
The vessels, which had been taken
from the temple at Jerusalem the king
ordered to be carried into the treasure
house of his god. which Babylonian IN
scriptions state was Bel or Be!-mero-
Gach Certain of the children OF Is
raei and of the kings seed, and of the
princes" were selected because of their
physical ana mental qualifications to be
l-ained for the pablo service in the
iowa college. which was endowed and
Maintained by NebuchadatZZs.. Their
traiGin- was under the direction of the
.'haldean priests and the instruct ION
Iiven was thorough, although futi of
Irror and superstition.
The same reasons that prompted the
rhilipiIne commission 70 send Phil
ipinac natives 10 be educated in Amer
lea moved Tie king to have these young
Jewish MOBILES trained for service in
conection with his Kingdom The royal
college was located in the center Of
the woTid's commerce. culture and
c-ee3s. The city was filed with the
tviden Cas Of It's COSMOPOLITAN character
and citizenship. Representatives of all
nations could be found in the wonder
fully developed ap!tal on the banks of
the Euphrates. Babylon was then the
renter of TIE worlds manufacturing in
terests and culture.
The glory Of the city. which was laid
lut along lines of fIauy modern cities
was not i'll its buildings, although il
cDrta ined one Of the seven wonders of
the world. Here the culture of the
ancient world was at its best. 1t sur
passed any of it's day. Writing. which
has preserved the records of the. past:
was in all pFoba biity the invention of
Ea tylunIau scientists The division Of
I'm" into its present system or reck-
7ning was their contribution In the
great library OF Assurbanipal. which
was located in tJe palace school for
the instruction Of the kings subjects.
rould he found granlmars. dictionaries,
trna'3ses on mathematics law history.
FeograpE;cal encyclopedia, government
registers. religion and the sciences ge-
rioey. nlirieralog!'. zoology. botany and
astronomy Many tablets from this
library. which '-ere discovered by Lay
From them we can almost reproduce the
courses cf studies that Daniel and his
three companion pursued when they
we're being instructed in the learning:
snd tie tongue of the chaIdeans" who
were being instructed inof- bgkqjjpjp
we're she scholars. statesmen. scientists ;
md seers O' the nation.
Names are significant in the Orient.
80 when they entered the palace school
iheir ranes. which We're a witness TO
heir nationality and religion, were
changed. The effect in each case was
the same as obliterating the name of
God tEn or Jehovah and substituting Z
names tina. contained some Babylonian
9eity. Daniel. God is NY judge: Ha =
,aniah. Jehovah is gracious; Misha el.
who Is equal to Cod; ;: AZariah. God
Is helper" were enrolled under new
names lit the college register. Daniel
was changed >, Bel,eshazzar. :'BaI pro-
tect his life. Fiananiah was registered
AS Shadra"i.- Command OF Aku' The
Eoon .!e:ty. MishaeI was rsii6;t
Heshach. name which, has ptizzled
scholaIs. Delitlseh explains it to