The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-04-06
GREAT HUMAN DRAMA
Writings in WOndrous Book Of
Job Continue to Be Marvel of
All the Centuries.

kkWF A MAN die shall he live
againY" This question is from
the book OF Job. the oldest spe.
cimen of human literature extant. Ho.
mer, one of the earliest specimens OF
Green literature, dates back TO about
500 b. 9. The blind Greek epic poet
is supposed to have been the contem.
porary of King David, the poet-kIng OF
Israel. The era OF Moses is about
1900 years b. O., or about 500 years
before David and Homer. When Job
was written Is a puzzle 10 all scholars,
as is the question who wrote the book
Whoever wrote Il was genius sure
". The book Is not only about the
earliest specimen OF the production Of
human mind extant, but is In the form
OF drama, a way OF presenting intel
lectual thoughts not known elsewhere
until many centuries after this earliest
mise en- scene was put before the world.
The writer was not only a genius but
man Of broad and varied experience.
He must have been learned ia all the
wisdom Of the Chaldeans." and Of the
early Zoroastrians OF Persia.
It presents a phase OF human thought
as old as humanity. The book dwells
upon the whole subject OF evil and
good. and presents the author of evil
Offering himself In consultation In the
presence of the author OF good. 1t r.
the old idea of the Zoroastrians with
their Ormuzd and Ahriman. II d.
yides humanity into two classes--one
fnllnxrfpey che cyoad sr,srIs Az. .sg,., a..
bad. The drama represents the evil
spirit arguing against the virtue of Job
and obtaining permission to torture
that representative Of early religion
to his hearts content In order 20 test
his faithfulness TO God. To the af-
nIctIons Of loss OF property and health
Is added the solicitation OF his friends,
who argue with him TO "curse God and
die" Job is proof against all tempta-
ton. and 10 these arguments OF his
friends replies, Though he slay me.
yet win trust him."
It 10 many ages since this represen-
tation OF the struggle between the good
and the evil In man was written. HUI
manity has made huge strides In knowl-
edge and has added much TO its com
forts In mechanical inventions since
then Huge cities have been built.
railroads have been constructed. steam
ships have been built, one OF which
would hold practically all the CONNER
mercial navies OF the world IN the time
Of Job. In psychology and all the
study OF the mind vast strides have
been taken. but ia the FIRST and great
question we remain today exactly
where humanity was In this far-oa
time when this play was penned.
1t Is not a question of intellectual
knowledge OF material science. II IL
a question OF faith. Some have this
faculty ard some have Il not, Just as
II was In the days Of Job. II IL just
a question OF which working hypotha-
sis IL the best The materialist who
with alemblc and all the paraphernalla
Of q chemical laboratory or the scnlpel |
Of the anatOFnist fails TO find any spirit |
In man or any God In the world. forms |
the working hypothesis that matter II |
eternal and varies In its phases, while |
~ to God there Is no such thing. The l
man with faith Ia his soul looks out /
upon the universe and ms Napoleon on /
the desert who stretched his hands /
above his head and said TO the voltai-
ran French philosophers around him,
who were al arguing In favor Of athe-
SIN: IF you are right, who made all
hist" 30 he forms his work hypothesis
that there must be a God, and from
his follows the coroIlary that man has
an immortal part In him, too. The
IeasE that can be said Is that the right
10 believe In the eternity OF matter and
the right to deny the existence OF q ere
atOr involves the right to believe in o
spiritual universe and to affirm the ex
stence Of God,