The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-02

Learn. nor account the pang; dare. never
Robert Browning.
While society is busy trying to make
a nonentity of everybody, seeking con-
formity at all costs, God is at work
building personalities. Our prevalent
conceptions of religion have COM
mitted few greater blund.rs than this.
that they have exalted the passive viz
tues, and have stressed an ascetic self
effacement, so that the "-modef' Chris
tan, held up for youths emulation, is
a forceless. characterless. inoffensive
creature that really is an offense to
both God and man. God wants per-
sonalities. He would have His friends
to be, mighty in their individuality.
He gets no honor from shadowy saints.
singing "Oh, to be nothing and leav-
ing no more permanent impression
upon their world than reflection
does upon mirror. Christ was all
personality. He was a Somebody-for
| the sake of everybody. For it IS a
kindergarten lesson that We must be
which effaces individuality from the
| child, and the religion which subtracts
force from character, both do violence
| to Gods great law of life and growth.
In reaction against the soft and de-
| featist type of religion, which seeks
| only ref ge, and sings hymns of flight
from the world, British barrister has
written a prayer to Jesus that has
| more virility and genuineness than
much of our conventional Christian
poetry:
Jesus. Whose lot with US was cast,
! VINO saw 1t out, from first to lasts
Patient and fearless, tender, true, /
| Carpenter. vagabond, felon, Jew:
OF full rich life this world displays,
| Yet evermore kept fast in view
The far-off goal 1t leads us to-:
/ Who, as your hour neared, did not fail
The worlds fate trembling in the SCALE
hale l.a..- ta h.v,1 NA
| And chat across the bread and wine:
| Then went out firm to face the end.
| alone. without a single friend:
Who felt, as your last words confessed.
| Wrung from Il proud unflinching breast
BY hours of dull ignoble pain.
Your whole ufes fight was fought in vain |;
\ Would l could win and keep and feel
That heart of love, that spirit of steel .
IT would not to Thy bosom fly
To Stink off till the storms go by.
If you are like the man you were
Unless from some poor workhouse crone,
Too teI-worn to do aught but moan
Flog me and spur me, set me straight
At some vile job 1 fear and hate:
Some sickening round of long endeavor,
No light, no rest, no outlet ever:
All at Il pace that must not slack,
Tho heart would burst and sinews crack
Fog in ones eyes. the brain a-swim.
A weight like lead in every limb,
And Il raw pit that hurts like hell
Where once the light breath rose and fell:
Do you but keep me, hope or none,
I,
And, at the last gasp, quick to lend
One effort more to serve friend.
"And when--for sometimes dream
: I've swum the dark. the silent stream
, So cold. it takes the breath away,
| That parts the dead world from the day,
And see upon the further strand
! The lazy liStless angels stand.
And with frank and-fearless eyes
| The comrades whom most did prize:
Then. clean, unburdened, careless, cool,
$ I'll saunter up from that grim pool.
!. And join my friends then you'll come by,
: The Captain of our Company:
l Call me out, look me up and down,
l And pass me thru without frown:
= With half smile. but never word
And so 1 shall have met my Lord"
i Again we turn to one of the books
from the trenches for the word 10
r clinch the Lesson. Pointing 10 the
! example of the strong Son of Goo.
Y Chaplain Gray writes: 1T is plain
5 that He lived life on the levels where
r it is always risky. 1t was for Him a n
3 adventure in which He always had
r great forces, against Him. He needed
Y all His quiet strength. and His con-
D summate bravery. He needed d spirit
5 that could not be conquered by fear.
/ 1t was His lot to take great risks and
/ to take them daily.
1.-The strain of it was tremendous.
There were times when He had to 20
away and be with God thru long. lone
E ly nights in order to recover His
: strength But from such times He al
ways emerged serene and strong again.
$ He was perpetually on active service.
' and never knew the respite of safe
life in a retired home. The cross on
: which He died was on His shoulders
: all thru His days. He had a great.
: affectionate heart, and yet had to see
) friend after friend depart. and to dis
1 cover that His calling was making
5 Him intensely lonely. He had all our
human longings for Joy and ease, but
t He had to forego them in order to be
t true sto His destiny. His life was in
f many respects like the soldiers, the
explorers, the pioneers. or that of a
/ traveller in Arctic regions. 1t was a
. perpetual endurance.
r THAT is how it came to pass that
men who had seemed to others quite
ordinary persons learned from Him
the secret of an heroic endurance. and
a splendid persistence which filled the
world with wonder. The whole world
l could not conquer Him, and 20 even
; His friends were lifted above the
l worlds power"
1