Evening star., 1918-11-02
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.

SOTiuluiduSp 5.Sc. &
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.
Wars have always been the testing
times of social strength or weakness.
Problems that have slowly been fore
ing their way to the front and to So
luton are brought out in the open
under the necessities of war. And the
great war that we are now fighting
is no exception. Social problems have
presented themselves in every nation
and among the most pressing has
been the drink problem. 1t is even
thrust upon the japanese government,
according to current press reports. as
the hungry masses demand that no
longer shall the scanty supplies of
rice be used in brewing when the
thousands are literally starving.
But it is far cry from the complex
social questions confronting the ma
tions of the world to the story in
Genesis which forms the basis for
the weeks lesson. Esau selling his
birthright to Jacob for mess of pot
tage. But there is much in common in
the principle involved.
Esau was the elder of the pair of
twins which were born to Isaac and
Rebe kah. These boys. born in the
same home, of the same parents. at
the same time, grew apart in their
lives and characters. Their whole
childhood and boyhood is summed up
in the opening words of the lesson,
And the boys grew" Yet as they de-
veloped in body in the same atmos-
phere. their minds and souls seem to
have gone different paths. Somewhere
during the course of these seemingly
uneventful days. the natural inclina-
tion of each began to manifest itself.
Esau soon showed that he had an i'm
patient disposition and became fond
of ministering to his bodily appe-
tites, while the younger Jacob devel-
oped into a man of calm determine
tion. given to thought and meditation.
He was a crafty schemer. grasping
and unbrotherly. Much might be said
of the sins of Jacob, but as the les
son is for study on the worlds tenn
perance Sunday, it is to the weak
nesses of Esau that our attention is
especially called.
The sale OF his birthright for a mess
Of pottage by ESau was not the re-
suit of a momentary weakness IT is
an established fact that a mans con-
duct is not, for the most part, the re-
suit of calm deliberation, but the out
growth of acts previously committed.
That is why our habits have such a
pIolouiio SlSCl upon our characters,
1t is therefore generally an easy mat
ter to tell what decision a man will
make under certain conditions or cir
cumstances. If you have a knowledge
of what kind of life the man has
lived previously. In a certain sense,
then, ESau did not sell his rights when
Jacob proposed the shrewd bargain
of pottage for power. AS one writer
has well said, it was done "when as
lad he did not learn to control his
appetite. and failed to learn the
worth of an honorable position in
life"
But it is possible to miss the real
significance of this story, so dra-
matica!ly portrayed in Genesis. The
vital difference between Esau and
Jacob was in the degree of their
spiritual perception. To Esau the only
things in life were those that could
be handled and seen. He was a rank
materialist. Now. Jacob had spiritual
vision to degree. 1t was the oiIly
advantage he had over his more
favored brother. yet by carefully
nursing that faculty Jacob developed
his character into noble and heroic
stature. For the lack of it. Esau,
went down into history disgraced.
Such is the fate of all who put their
trust in the present, who cannot see
the realities of the future
Modern EsauS are not uncommon.
Too many business man is repeat
ing the mistake of Esau when in his
desire for wealth he sacrifices reli-
gious scruples for paltry dollars. The
Christian who is led away from
spiritual principles to enjoy "the
pleasures of sin for season" is an
other modern example. Then there
is that great mass of persons who
are without the pale of the church.
who have never definitely accepted or
rejected the Divine Son of God. I'm
consciously. but nevertheless just as
truly. by centering their thoughts
and aspirations on the things of
this word" many are repeating the
story of Esau by striving after social
position. wealth or political honor.
and by giving no thought to the de.
velopment Of their souls welfare.
But as this is a lesson for Tenn
perance Sunday, let us glance at the
position of temperance and the ad-
vances that have been made since
August l. 1914. In England. the prob
lem has been acute and the agitation
keen. Lloyd George has said that
England is fighting Germany, Aus
tria and drink: So far as 1 can see,
the greatest of these deadly foes is
drink" These are strong words from
the lips of Great Britains premier
One writer has said that "the one
great victory in the present war
worthy to be mentioned with the
L
fecting the future of mankind is the
victory of Russia over the vodka traf-
fic." Even Germany has been forced.
in order to>save food. to close down
practically the breweries by stop
ping the use of barley for mating
Furthermore, before the war, we find
the kaiser appealing to his people sto
free ourselves from this evil" of
drink. France has curtailed the con-
sumption of strong drink during the
war in order to increase her powers
of resistance to the enemy. But
what of our own beloved country?
When Hoover is trying to feed not
only America and her armies, but the
armies and peoples of our allies and
the neutral nations dependent upon
our resources, when Garfield is en-
deavoring to mine sufficient coal, and
when McAdoo is endeavoring to util-
ize to best advantage the transporta-
tion arteries of America, was this
country to allow the breweries and
distilleries to be considered as "es-
;ol f~I