Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-13

| uclS OIL the living present Dy TINS
page from the real life of a long
distant past. Every day holds great
stories before our vision: behold
what God is doing In our own time
in our very presence! 1t we had
but the eyes to see, we could read in
the life about us more beautiful love
| stories than the books portray;
nobler deeds of chivalry than have
| come down from the Middle Ages;
! spectacular successes like chapters
from fairy lore; and divine provi-
| dences resembling the records of
| Holy Writ Blind spirits aplenty
are pining for the painted life of
the great cities, and missing the ro-
mances of their own neighborhoods.
Cream Comes to the Top
Next to Pharoah. Joseph is su-
preme in Egypt, in this lesson. After
an, the best have way of rising
! h,shest' A rascal may become an
alderman, but he is not likely to be
sent 10 MS nations legislative halls
Inc me oIatherskite may get on, but the
: lueaIlst is usually his superior off,
GER. MORE and more. as the world
sIo"s petter, the righteous have a
way or coming to the top. Tho
| oN4ANA titlOtI SilOulu not be l.
ioWed TO lose sight of the fact that
in this present war the great words
OF righteousness and religion have
been spoken by President Wilson
hlng George, Marshal Foch, Lloyd
George, General Pershing. Admiral
Beatty, and the other first figures in
the struggle.
rms Joseph-lesson is written large
in our time. Evil does bend the
Knee intimately, to good, though it
may seem a long while about it, as
In the case of the Central Powers
and of Josephs brethren. The
sons OF Jacob who had foully dealt
with their brother were many years
In learning that his dreams had
come true; and that their wicked
ness was being punished. over and
over again, as we recall the collapse
OF German arms, the shameful fate
of the German fleet. the complete
disintegration of proud Austria, the
utter fall of murderous Turkey. and
the fate of Russa's autocrats and
traitors, we need to drive home to
our hearts the truth that Gods mills
may grind slowly, but that they
never cease to grind. Every page of
the daily paper nowadays seems to
cry aloud the homely, fashioned
message that wrong does not pay:
and that righteousness exalteth q
nation" and a man.
Short cuts to goals usually run
across concealed bitches. Interfer-
ence with the lawful and orderly
processes of God spells disaster for
the interferer. Crooks commonly
get their "come-uppans." The Boil
shevik trick which the jealous
brothers played upon Joseph was no
more clearly nullitied by time than
the Goddess program of those who
have wrought red ruin in Russia.
5ustice does not come by way of
injustice; and an era of brotherhood
cannot be introduced. by fraticidal
strife. The brothers suffered from
young Joseph's nconsiderateness, 1t
is 'true:- but they, Bolshevik fashion,
thought to set matters square by
transgressing the laws of man and
God. There is a way that seemeth
right to man, but the end thereof
are the ways ofdeath." History has
yet to show the first authentic in
stance of a mans getting ahead of
God. Josephs ultimately come to
thrones and criminals come to
chains.
When a Man Acts Big
When 1.-THE sons of Jacob were
forced by famine to go to Egypt for
food, their brother recognized them.
Joseph had his chance to be small
or to be great. They were in his
power. He could get even" to a
spiteful spirits content, If that were
his disposition. He had all the op-
portunity imaginable to gloat and
exult and tyrannize over those who
had injured him. This hour tested
both the brother on the throne and
the brothers suppliant and helpless
before him.
OF course, Joseph showed himself
big. Most men do in an emergency.
There is unsuspected capacity in the
average person. The war has re-
vealed how fit the ordinary man is
for great deeds when opportunity
calls. All the wonderful reorgani-
zation of nations and international
co-operation, that we have witnessed
within the. past four years, is due
to the caliber and capacity of indt-
yiduaI patriots who rose to the occa-
sion. There is breadth and bigness
abroad in the world.
The mighty are magnanimous. SO,
after making sure of their repent
| ance-for even God Himself does not
forgive the impenitent-Joseph for
gave his brethren. BY various tests
and conditions he made sure OF their
reformation; for their smallness mad
been overruled by Gods greatness.
So he wiped out the old scores, and
gave them a new chance.
After all, they were his brothers'
ton and reconciliation was touch-
ing scene, that moves the reader To-
day. We love Joseph best as we see
him step down from his throne OF
state to weep on the necks OF MS
astonished brethren.
The New Relationship
All of this story is of acutest in
terest to-day; because we. too, have
the problem of how to deal with OF
tenders who come seeking succor, IL
not forgiveness. There is no more
difficult question before the CHRIST
ian world to-day than that of how the
/ Central Powers should be treated
by their conquerors. The case is
not on all fours with that of Joseph
and his brethren, but the same large
considerations apply. First, Joseph,
even while proving his brethren, ted
them. We shall not let the Centfal
Powers starve. We feed even the
condemned murderers in our Jails.
Their sincerity and contrition have
to be established; and in the case or
Germany, while there is evidence
ad nauseum that she is sorry for
herself. there are few signs that she
is sorry for her crimes against civil
iization Also there are criminals
to be punished, for if maudlin tears
could wipe all states clean, then
iails would be empty and justice