The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-29


public life. There has come forth no
great prophet or idealist. A few rad,
dists, blind to the sublime spiritual
integrities. are the colleges only con.
tribution to public life on the non-ma-
terial side. 1t has sent forth no dream
ers no men or women OF vision. 10
inspire their time. And that Is the
supreme agraignment to be made OF
many American schools and homes.
We teach our sons and daughters how
to grow prosperous and successful;
bNt We are not burdened in our spirits
with desire that they should be inter-
prefers of God to their time, dreapers
and prophets. Out of the soul-agony
Of the war, will race of men and
women spring whose supreme quest IL
for God. and for human service.
A "Good" Boy With Bad Brothers.
This Joseph, son of Jacob and his
favorite wife Rachel. was a guileless.
coddled, self-centered young ster. That
he was not entirely spoiled was won.
above his older brothers. When there
is favorism in family trouble II
certain to follow. Jacob should have
known better; for his own mothers
Partially to him, above his brother
Esau, had caused most Of his troubles.
Instead. he openly showed his 81 ecial
love for his youngest son, adjoining
him with a coat that distinguished
him from the others.
There was a reason: but no reason
Is Justification for favorism IN a FAM
lily. The brothers were rough, UNI
couth, out-of doors men, who had not
always conducted themselves in a way
that reflected credit upon the family
honor. Joseph. on the contrary. was
a gentle, sensitive, imaginative and
appreciative boy. frank, simple. sine
cere and affectionate. AS such ma.
lures usually are. he was BIT ia
pAg and poser. In his self -dbsorp.
ton he forgot the feelings OF others.
1t was all right to dream, but to tell
his dreams as he did was not con-
siderate, to say the least. Most of
tho finer feelings thrive best in the
fusion OF ones own breast 1t was
neither bright nor brotherly for tho
boy to tell the others that, in a vision.
he had seen them and their father
making obeisance to him. We must
confess that Joseph at this period be-
iohseo to the class of extensively good.
II the good were only clever,
And the clever were only aooH
Ihe world would be better than
We thought it possibly ever could"
As for the ten brothers, perhaps the
less said about them the better. EARLIER
chapters of the Bible story reveal their
character. They may seem poor stuff
upon which to build a nation of PROM
ise- This proportion of ten to one Is
suggestive. Is it not about the normal
proportion between the "roughnechsr
and the "highbrows?" For a hundred
thousand Atlantic Monthlies' there
are million 'Cosmopolitans'' sold For
one person who reads Ibsen there are
ten, plus, who read George AIDE. For
one man at the prayer meeting, there
are ten or more at the ize-fight or
the musical comedy. Nevertheless, as
Joseph should have been on terms of
real friendship with his brothers SO
In Or rex,t> 3~1I~
with the non-church crowd. Let US
hope that the shock of the war will
shake pious folk out of the bad and
prtggish habit Of consorting only with
pious folk. real indictment lies at
the door of religious people that they
DO not know, understand Or sympath-
ize with their neighbors who are not
religious. The church has too often
allowed herself to drift off into a.
backwash of life. apart from the main
currents. Joseph should have been
an influence in shaping the life of his
ten brothers; and the church should
be a power. now more than ever, in
changing the minds and motives of
the men outside her membership. The
world is not safe unless it is impelled
and guided by the great convictions
War has been n schoolmaster to show
the church how to lift the generality
of mankind up to new and nobler
levels. In this day of democracy, tho
leaven belongs in the lump.
Joseph's story bristles with truth for
our times. But its main message is
one with the wars great lesson, which
is that God rules, and. in spite of all.
gets his will done among men. When
he needs man in Egypt, he may have
to send him by the slave route; but
that road led to the highest place in
the world. We know that We are
in Gods hands, and on the way to
and something good, We
know not what! but God is in control.
His purposes arc better than our plans.
Our path, as during the past four
years. may run down thru the Dark
IN brrf lie IN