The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-08-29
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared For Readers Of
The Republican.

Inc Republican.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER LIST.
Christian Giving. Luke 6:30-38; 21:1-4.
Remember the words of the Lord Je-
sus, that He Himself said, 1t is more
blessed to give than to receive. Acts
20:35.
U. S. WRIGHT.
THE NEED.
Stark, stripped, pain wracked, blood
clouted. this old world has never in all
its centuries known the dire need of to-
day. 1t is small wonder that money by
the hundred millions is poured out in a
stream of blessing that some of the
many wounds may be healed and yet
the need piles ever more insistently in
the face of effort. Nerves deaden un-
der it and Indifference will be the ulti-
mate defense against it's horror if the
worlds need is the highest appeal.
There is the outreach of life thru it's
five channels of service in word, work,
life, prayer and gift that make the fin
gers upon the souls hand with which
it grasps its opportunities and makes it's
contacts with eXternals. For one of
these to become crippled impairs the
usefulness of all the rest so that the
hand is a less perfect instrument than
before. rheumatism attacks the Civ
ing finger frequently and its knotted,
distorted knuckles prevent any of the
other tasks being fittingly done. Every
nerve and muscle in that partic-
ular finger as well as the rest must be
kept fit if the soul is to function with
the world outside. There is sorer need
in ones own self to be met by the ac-
tivity of giving than there is without
and only when it is felt as the express
sion of vigorous health thoroughly en-
joyed may we count upon it to continue
its activities until the full accomplish
ment, of the task. External accomplish
ment, healthful gymnastics, are neither
enough to assure permanence of habit;
both may be selfish things but the self
sacrificing passion of Jesus Christ that
finds every act an expression of His
will and love makes the only founda-
ton that cannot be shaken whatever
may happen the world in which we are.
Two men in the same town built bust
ness houses. Each had good building
| sufficient for all needs but one had plan
ned his foundation for possible increase
and the other had not. The town grew
and business expanded for both. Il
must enlarge. was the cry but TO one
/ the architect said. Your foundation is
weak now," to the other he said,
Build as high as you care to go your
foundation will hold anything you put
on it. " Only giving that is built on
God will meet any extension of the
world rs need or mans.
THE INCENTIVE.
Eye shall be sons OF the Most High. -
That is the goal that Jesus sets before
men even in the midst of failure and
degeneracy. Your life shall resemble
Gods. Ye shall be recognizably sons.
The unfalling spirit of generous shar-
| ing with every needy shall so mark you
/ off from others who selfshly hold fast
to the supplies God meant for all that
men shall know you for the children of
/ the God who gives to all and never
withholds. But that is not all. There
is the promise of waking the same
spirit in others so that there is an ever
increasing number of those who fill full
! the measure, press it down and run il
over. Coningsby Dawson tells of a
French priest who had been hopelessly
selfish and immoral until he entered the
army and was blinded. Still parasitical
he did everything in his power to cause
his sister to suffer. But there came a
day when she appealed to the Doctor.
love my brother" she said; II have al
ways given him everything. Because |
love him could bear it better. | want
you to remove my eyes and put them in
his empty sockets" The man was told
what she had wanted to do and her rea-
son. He became silent. He refused to
eat. But out of 1t he came a changed
man who patiently endured the pain,
patiently learned the art of making
other senses serve for eyes and is back
in his old parish setting yeritable ex-
ample of self-supporting sainthood that
spends itself in ministry to every needy
soul. That marks the multiplying pow
er of the generous spirit. And
it is that spirit only that can con-
quer the world sntipathies reused
into great barriers by the present strife