The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-28

other side OF the war-tho its sunrise
beams already brighten our darkness
the teachings of Jesus for society
are to be put into effect by the consen-
sus Of opinion Of the great mass of us.
We cannot look for q great preacher
or ecclesiastic to come forth as
Moses: evidently. a. in the days OF
His flesh, our Lord is placing His re-
lance upon a group Of plain people
made effective by their relationship
with Him, and by their understanding
| of his mind. Every teacher. every pa
rent, every commonplace preacher and
| editor. is to have an Indispensable part
in usnering in the regime which Jesus
lived and died to bring to pass.
A Strange idea of Religion.
/ Ceremony, ritualism and formalities
chara cterize the temples and cathe-
| drals OF earth. The hand of pre-
Christian Jewish ri.ualism has been
heavy upon the modern Christian
church. But in the army there is none
Of this, except the sacrament of the
Lords Supper. and that most simply
observed. Religion among the SOL
diers is chiefly a matter of ministry.
| Only those who have been with the
troops can appreciate fully how this
/ new definition of Christianity has
1 IL.
of their time to the doing of odd jobs
for the men. The Y. NJ. c. A. are
| busy almost exclusively in ministry.
| often Of the humblest sort. The Sal
walton Army lassie in France has laid
aside her tambou1 inc for frying pan,
! and she gives more time to doughnuts
than to devotions. This experience
has been to all Christian workers a
revelation of the power and beauty
and dignity and worshipfulness of
sheer service
Some say this is the new conception
Of religion that is to prevail after the
war. There is nothing new about it.
1t is simply a return to first principles.
Jesus went about doing good. He re-
vealed His message and His mind by
His ministry. He was a helper of peo-
pie. No office of kindness was too
low1y to command all of His divine
energies. Gladly He made himself of
no reputation. His time was at the
command of the crowds. Our newly
teachable world will learn from Jesus,
and from the war. the sanctity of serv-
ice. We have caught a new vision of
the tremendous reality Of Chrjst's
teaching about the giving of a cup Of
cold water.
The Highest Decoration.
Look Lack over the lessons OF the
past half year, we see one devoted to
peace. It was the story of the storm
on Galilee, stilled by the words OF Je-
sus. We note IN this the first condi-
ton of all real peace. It came by the
dominance of a superior will. The
waves .subsided at the word of their
Master. 1t wes not a premature or q
negotiated or a compromised peace
There was nothing half war about it
The unruly waters obeyed the master
word Of Righteousness. There can be
no directive peace, apart from this
condition. War will cease when the
will of righteousness. the demands o
justice and human well being are &C
cepted. Out of this awful strife mus
come the supremacy OF the principles
of God. The peace we seek is no mere
international adjustment; 1t rs the
breaking forever of a malign power
on earth. which has pa1pab1y done the
will of the evil one, and the substitu
ton IF Righteousness and good will.
The biography of Jesus comes to {
climax. Like so many of our deal
dead, who have quit life SCIENTIFICALLY
in the glory of their youth, and il
the act of sacrifice, Jesus did no
have to endure the trial of seeing Hi.
, tasks slip from His hands one by one
while His vitality slowly petered ou
thru the long years. Old age is hon
orable, and may be beautiful; bu
there is something Of the sublime ant
, climacteric in the life that ends at 1t
! very apex. Somehow, we cannot thinl
of Christ apart from His cross.
+ was the fulflrnent of all that H
, taught and did.
Fl In the army. there is a beautiful
: phrase concerning the fallen sol
: dier-"He won a wooden cross, tn
r highest decoration" By the grav
of every fallen soldier there is erect
: ed plain wooden cross, with tn
t marks of Identification. No other sym
l Dol is used in all of France True
l the French put flowers and wreath
| upon the graves of their own and tn
3 allied dead. AS one travels over tn
!. area OF battle he sees these forest
5 of crosses. The symbolism of it i'm
presses even a dullard. These heroe
have followed Christ to a cross. The,
,, nave died that others may live. Il
noble self-surrender. they have givel
up their life for mankind. Fittingly
the sign of their victory is a cross.
= Home folk are wearing thei
, crosses on their hearts, out of sight
s They have entered with their believe,
/ fallen into the fellowship of the cross
4 They know the sorrow and majesty o
= surrender. How many mother Mary
= there are whose hearts have beef
s pierced by the sword In these days
r All the world is coming the lesson o
r the cross.
S Among builders of churches It ha.
= been common practice to panel tn
o doors in q cross. The cross has be
y come door. BY it we enter into
9 new unity Of experience. BY it W
= approach to an understanding of tn
: deepest meaning OF the life and dealt
l. of the Re 1eemer who died on tn
!, cross, that all who follow Him nigh
4 live sacrificially, subhmely and Sc
u renely.
Light In Darkest Africa.
: Terse Comments on the Uniform
v Prayer Meeting Topic Of The Youn
Ponies Societies - Christian En-