The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-10

! For August IL is "Josiah's Good
Reign. III Chron. Balls.
young Men for War"
! Like all other wars the present is
being fought by young men. An old
er authority than Dr. Osler says:
Young men for war;" and it was a
ripe old man whose inspired pen
wrote to young men because you
are strong" With age comes eau
| ton and conservatism; there is some
thing victorious in the very nature
of youths impetuous needless and
| dauntless courage. Heady ard in
considerate the young man may be
1 and bound to get many a bump from
the stones of experience; but, after
all he brings things to pass. The one
| virtue of the enthusiast, for which we
forgive him many faults, is that>-he
really achieves.
Anything is preferable to the dead
| ly somnolence of the stand patter''
who sits down amid greatest evils
and helplessly inquiries: We'll, what
can you do about it ?" and then en-
deavors to get all the profit possible
out of the situation for himself. The
call to the deepest and noblest in hu-
| man nature which has been heard
during recent months by millions is
nailed by many as deliverance from
| this SOUL deadening self-interest. Bet
ter far a glorious fling at the great
adventure of life than a dull and
| dreary prolongation of mere existence
as a cautious, thrifty, prudential time
| server
There is considerable analogy be-
| tween the situation in the world of
our time and the conditions which
young King Josiah successfully con-
fronted. In both cases, tremendous
and long entrenched evils seemed to
defy opposition, but the high-souled
heralds of truth persisted in a SEEM
lngly qu1xotlc course, and today the
nlgn places are being hewn down and
false idols and standards are top-
, ping, even as in Josiah's time. This
is the 1conoclastic way. 1t is shatter-
ing idols that have been worshiped
for ages. Were it not for the general
convection that a new and better or
DER OF existence is being ushered in
| lew OF US would have heart for the
struggle.
The Son of His Remote Ancestor.
Shining deeds on the part of the
, older type. His own father had been
r pad; his grandfather, Manasseh, save
Tor brief period of repentance at the
r end OF his life, had been worse. Yet
Y oslah, walked in the ways of David
I MS rather. There is SO much good
in the worst of u.s. that we every one
3, of us have light and power and in
herlted tendencies enough to be vastly
| better than we are. Baby Johns
profile sets aunts and uncles to ex-
- claiming over his startling resem-
: blance to Grandfather Baker But
. there is a trick of raising his right
eyebrow which came to him straight
. from Grandfather Sharp. He shares
with Uncle Frank a peculiar way OF
: absently holding on to his left ear
e He has my fathers forehead" ex-
i claimed Grandmother Sharp. Baby's
v father sees that he has a ravishins
e way of making love with his eyes such
y as no other mortal except his mother
ever possessed-and so it goes. Every
d one of us is compound of all who
- have gone before.
o Until personality and God enter in
" then the leading strings OF heredlty
+ become weak and ineffective, along
|. side of the strong rope of Will Nc
q Josiah is bound to go his father
way; he may skip a dozen generations
Il until he finds a David in whose foot
9 steps he may walk. The old Adam is
+. strong in his sons, but the new Adam
q is stronger. All Of Gods plans make
provision for person following MS
p noblest impulses and nature. We are
g truest to ourselves when we are trues'
to God. Josiah best represented tbs
II royal line when he was most Hke
r David.
The Preachers Part.
e The wonder is that this youthful
king should so early revolt agains
e the idolatry and w1ckedness 70 WnlcI
he had fallen heir as Judah's king
y but the wonder abates when we recall
that man is made by his rrienos
q Kingsley's wise explanation OF all tina
he had done or become was sufficient
= "I had a friend" Josiah was sur
e rounded by many, forms of evil ant
IS evil counselors; but there were also II
y the land a noble company of prophet.
of the living God to whom his hear
!, warmed-Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Hab
n akkuk and Nehum, besides, doubt
y less, many others of their ilk.
i 1t is to be doubted whether an,
% great reform was ever accomplished
without the stirring tones Of prophe
!. to recall men to their duty and t.
- point out to them the straight. steel
= path of noble endeavor.
The social awakening, which histor
- ians will write down as a characters
> tic of our time, is primarily owing t
- the insistence with which high-viS
- ioned spirits have cried aloud agains
- the evils of our social. economic ant
y. political system. Some of thes
- prophets of the new day won only
cross; but what matter so long as hu
mainly wears the crown. A simila
company of brave, patriotic. God-fear
ing young men in old Judah wer
mainsprings iE the radical reform
:. wrought by the young king, who's
= friends they were and whose hand
. they upheld.
The Young Kings big Stick"
k The bulk of mankind choose ~th
easy way of approvers; they tread tn
beaten path: they go along will
5 the organization. Unpopularity is tn
s. most hideous dragon their ffnagina
lie ton can coniure up; they would ra tn
Is er be regular than light. True, af
ter men of another sort have mad
their regularity irregular, the,
u promptly swing over to the other side
but in the meantime they are tn
m most serious obstacle in the way o
the members of society. The con
m formers are the heaviest burden tn
unconformers have to move. The,
y lift up their eyes in Mortified self
;" righteousness at the very mention
of critics, forgetting that it is By thes
critics of things as they are that tn
world becomes what it should be.
The ash and desf rIlcfiye i'm Oetl,