The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-19
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS

II BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS
For July 81 Is praying to God" Luke
| Hills; Ps. 145:1s-19.
Faiths Route to France.
Swifter than the ships that sail
| across the sea and the channel; surer
| than the messages that flash under.
seas and fly thru al is the path OF
the prayers that faith is hourly send
| ing by way of the throne of God.
There is not a minute of the day or
night when loving hearts in Canada
| and the United States and in Great
| Britain and Australasia and other
lands are not bridging the great
| spaces with yearning, loving petitions
for the soldiers in France. Tennyson's
figure of the whole worlds being
| bound by golden chains of prayer
about the feet of God has been
strangely fulfilled in these days. After
love and loyalt have made every git.
and every sacrifice, there still remains
for them, in their sense of remoteness
| and helplessn ess, only the power OF
prayer. Mothers and fathers. wives,
sweetkearts, sisters, brothers, kindred,
/ friends and fellow patriots, are
| leagued in a great fellowship of pray
er for our boys who have gone to
war.
Somehow, we cannot think of the
subject sof prayer at all without first
| dwelling upon the new world condi-
/ ton which has thrust 1t into the pub
| lie thought as q present force and
necessity. In the United States it has
become almost nationwide usage 20
observe a noontide angelus. By Off
/ cial direction signals for prayer are
| given so that entire cities may hear
and pause for a moment of prayer
for our soldiers and our cause.
The nation, even the thoughtless
/ among u.s. are holding our armies in
their highest and hottest aspirations,
! directed toward the Supreme Ruler
| of the universe. We are praying be-
/ cause an instinct stronger than reason
| is commanding US to turn to the only
Power that can supplement our help
! lessness. We ourselves are limited
and Isolated and weak: all the depths
| of our being affirm that there is One
| who is almighty and everywhere pres
ent: whose nature and power enfold
our loved ones overseas as well DIS
| ourselves at home. ''Since hunger is,
bread needs must be-" the, very ex-
istence of the days great yearning and
| travail of soul convince US that there
must be loving God to satisfy us.
The New World Tic.
Last night I heard a little child
! prayer, and her usual form, Now 1
lay me-" was supplemented by Take
care of our soldiers, and give them
victory" That kneeling. figure of in
| nocence calls up a picture of myriads
| and myriads of similar scenes: what
| new fellowship of childhood has
| been created in the common daily
prayer for our soldiers, many thou
| sands of them being the prayers of
little children for their own fathers.
And what a school of holy patriotism
are these prayers!
Kneeling, mankind is coming closer
together. With what a varied COM
| pany of people on their knees in
churches I have fellowshipped in the
past year-Russians. high and low:
Armenians, Assyrians. British, French
travail is finding itself knit together
in 4 new spirit of unity. Praying
| people, whose numbers now include
mu1titudes who never used to pray,
find themselves invested with a new
| sympathy for one another. Tolerance
and fortitude are being learned in our
| war-created school of prayer. France
and Britain turn brave faces to the
world, and do not weep or vail over
their bereavements: but in secret they
| cry aloud to the Lord God of hosts
for strength, as well as for protec-
ton for their loved ones.
Out Of the depths of experience,
prayerssarise. That rulers have of late
SO often. and so solemnly sum-
| moned nrtio- s to their knees, is a
worlds sense of the necessity OF
prayer. Closer and holier, even, than
| our national unity is this seldom-ex-
pressed sentiment Of our common
FELLOWSHIP. within the providence OF
God Our deepest relationships are
sense that we meet our absent be-
loved at Gods feet.
Though sundered far, by faith we
Around one common Mercy Seat"
shawled old women b. re Russian
icons, statesmen bowed in formal re-
ligious services, little children kpeel-
ing besides their cribs, families gath
cred by the fireside altar, groups OF
ike-minded Christians assembled fol-
worship. all are present-day evil
denees that God has stamped the need
OF Himself SO deeply upon the human
sp that in times of stress we turn
as instinctively to Him as a bird tC
its nest.
The Kaiser Before the Crib.
i Do our soldiers pray? Certainly
} not as the pharisees of ,ur Lords
places. to be seen of men. A shy
sensitive secret spirit of reverence
has been discovered in the breasts OF
! the soldiers. Just as they haye
sloughed off interest in thu petty
considerations of sectarianism and Of
: colventionality,~ SO they have taker
on new, deep sense of reality OF
God and of His providence. Theii
very self-abandonment to all the
RISKS and tasks of war is prayer
The lock responded and he pushed the
door open. Nina looked at him ir
. wonder.
''We,u get in tro11hIen she raid