The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-21

L "
Israel"-Exodus 32:1-s4:9.
A Great Mans Wrath at Littleness.
Sometimes one marvels that the
politicians, even the cheap, coarse,
crude kind that one would scarcely
invite to his home, are so successful in
deceiving the people. On the other
hand when one beholds how readily
the people may be fooled-and how
they seem to love it-and how easily
they are satisfied, the marvel becomes
that this strange thing called human
nature has persisted thruout the CEN
turtles. Had it not been for an indul-
gent and protecting Providence, surely
the race would have died of its own
folly.
Substitution" is an evil to be found
not alone in the drug business and in
the grocery business; it exists in poll
itics, literature, religion and every
where else genuineness is expensive.
The fashion did not begin when the
Children of Israel substituted golden
calf for the Lord Almighty. nor did it
end there.
Little Children Larger Grown.
Whoever has told stories at bed
time to little children knows their Inn
patience. which cannot wait for the
natural development of the end of the
story. but interrupts constantly with
questions and intersections. The
| Younger the child the greater the i'm
patience Now that was about the in
/ tellectual condition of the Children of
| Israel; they were children indeed.
With Moses out of their sight they
could not wait; waiting is a mans art.
a sign of maturity and strength. The
essential immaturity of this people
| whom Moses led is a characteristic of
| the story that stands out boldly. Had
they been more fully developed, they
would have had more sense.
| But stay; before we throw stones
| clear over into the Sinai wilderness let
| us consider whether it is not true that
| the new people of this western world
are also afflicted with the same rest
| lessness and impatience. We do not
know how to wait. Immediately is our
) motto. Like the monkeys in the jun
gle, we must be ever in motion, never
able, like the stronger jungle folk, to
| win our prize by patience. what we
want we want right away; II 1t is not
at hand, we are willing to accept any
| substitute.
| Coils p Huntington, that curious
| admixture of cunning, cruelty, selfish
ness and real greatness, showed the last
named quality when he said something
| to this effect: Il get what want be-
| cause L can bide my time, there is
only one thing that can beat me at
waiting, and that is the Roman Cath
| Ole church. The strong man always
| has a store of patience and pre-
| vision; he knows that whatever is
ing for. Had they not been utterly
| children, the Children of Israel would
have waited the return of Moses, and
then have perceived the benefit pur-
pose of his absence. They like later
Epi1grims to the Land of Promise, need
ed to stand still and see that Jehovah
is God.
Where Idols Are Plentiful.
The reader who has taste for fol-
lowing an interesting thought thru the
books may care to verify by the his
tories this assertion: the greatest ma
tions are those which have the great
est God. Like master, like man." The
/ people which has the most exalted
| conception of the Deity is the one
which has the most exalted type of
manhood. Little gods mean, in the
long run, a little people. Slowly, thru
the centuries, the monotheism of the
Jews elevated them above the sur
rounding idolatrous nations, and made
them a peculiar people, a powerful
Il people and a persisting people.
; After more than a little first-hand
observation of idolatry, I am prepared
to say that idol worship is always on
a descending scale. 1t degenerates into
mere superstition and demonolatry.
/ There are doubtless some Hindus and
Chinese and japanese who can give
an intelligent explanation of the char
| acter and purpose of the greater fig
ures in their pantheon; but the plain
people worship all idols, any Idols
only from blind fear and an ignorant
hope of receiving favors. 1 have a
dozen or more charms that I secured
| at various heather temples, which en-
gage to protect me from all the Ills
of body and spirit. The people who
start with one idol soon have many
idols. and customs of the grossest.
Those Jews at first wanted a mere
representation that would fix theiI
thoughts upon Jehovah-an laid tc
DEVOTION all lovers of images and pic
lures say-but it was not long ere
they rose up to play after the
cesses. He whose devotion is not cen
tered upon the one Supreme Object Of
devotion will find himself swinging il
' strange orbits and worshiping unex
, pected gods in unholy ways.
: Skill and Superstition.
!, Those who consider civiliza ton 6
mere matter of material skill ant
= progress may be reminded that some
of the finest mechanical arts are pos
sessed by peoples far down on the in
tellectual and more scale. The EN-
broideries of old Japan. the carving
p of China, the brass work of India, tht
s shawls of Cashmere-these are no
excelled anywhere in the world. II
the museum at Cairo you may Sc,
t piles of beautiful jewelry. in cunning
S ~ wrought gold ana gems 1t wa
such as these that the Israelites wore
and offered to the melting pot for tn,
golden calf.
j Do the two things seems incongru
S ouS-those elaborate ornaments o
gold and puerile, savage worship o
= | the molten calf? All, but even toda,
e barbarism and gross superstition
= wear jewels and silks and raiment
la mode. It is not in our wealth an,
up-to -dateness and material grandeu
: that the hope of the age lies; but in
: clear-seeing, steadfast and obedien
h recognition of those spiritual ideal
| which follow in the wake of the intel
1igent worship of the true and livin
God. Materialism cannot make a ma
: ton great any more than a big houS
e and lavishly spent money can quaIif
', a person to move in truly good so