Evening journal., 1919-03-27
CITY AND STATE UNIONS

Topic: ION the Fence written by the
Rev. Mordecia, Of Easllake Presby-
tcrian Church.
Every circumstance connected with
'he life and mission Of Christ IS rcpletc
with interest This is especially true
OI the closing hours Of His lifc-hour,
OF shifting shadows and haunting
crises.
The chapter from which our Chris
tiOn Endeav0r is taken presents 10 us
an extraordinary scene. which at first
sight appears 10 be confined 10 an age
gone by, but which on closer inspec-
tion VIII be found TO have reference TO
our own time. Read the chapter care
iuliy prayerfully and you will End it
gripping you with its nameless spell.
There IS something commanding in the
quick march OF its cvents-evcnls,
which, like moving pictures, pass be
Tore us, real warm. lifclike. vivid. Oh.
the charm, the wiichery, the mystery
and the majesty of its central figure
Oh, the pathos, the anguish, the silence
and the patience OF its suffering Christ
Talk Of dramal Here it is, stirring i'm its
simplicity OverpOwering I'm its appeal.
Two atc0rs-Pilate. the Roman GOV
ernOr and Christ, the son OF God. The
judge-the prisoner. Christ before
the human bar and plate before the
Divine Bar. The worlds greatest hero
face TO face with the worlds greatest
coward. The question Of the one he
ing, What is my duiy?n The dues-
tion OF the other being what is my
INTEREST,""
A. fha drama ,,nfo11- ,.o,, -,. a.,
swell OF strong emotions: yOu feel the
shock Of dark traits; you are arrested
by sublimity; you are repellcd by vul-
garity, as humility and arrogance. love
and hate, Kindness and brutality, To-
quacity and silence, meanncss and ma
lesty, Divinity and dcvilcry are sketch
ed by the hand Of The inspired word
painter. The character With which We
are more particularly concerned is
PLATE. who according TO Nietzsche. IS
The only character in The New Tesla-
ment who is worthy Of emulation and
admiration. Poor Niclzsche. His in
sane morality has been weighed i'm the
balances and found wanting. 10 now
lies defeated on the battle fields Of EJ-
rope. Galille has conquered C0rsica.)
Aye, Pilaic. proud. disdainful. obsli-
nate hard-hearicd Pilate-a man with
out moral stamina, capable OF seeing
the gleam-but not OF following IL. lie
stands before the eyes Of the world To-
day as the greatest coward in history.
Hc saw the majesty OF Jesus. and real.
lied The purity and innocence OF the
young prophet. Not guilty." was the
verdict OF his heart. NO fault I'm Him."
were the words Of his lips, and Yet
rather than increase his own unpOpu-
larily by running counter % Jewish
prejudice, he gave orders 20 scourge
the son of God.
80 much for the historical selling. Itl
is this historical incident which fur
nishcs the data for our theme ION the
Fence
This is a popular but an nenyiable
position. Such a position cannot be
called an achievement. 10 is not an ac-
c0mplishmenf.~ but a tacit acknowl-
edgment OF mental and moral unfit
ness. for it reveals either an inability
TO weigh issues. sift evidence and form
conclusions. or an unwillingncss TO 30
sO-this unwillingncss being prompted
10y certain considerations OF personal
profit. In either case this state Of con-
slant indecisi0n reveals a sad lack in the
moral and mental makeup Of the indi-
yidual. We live in a world that demands
conviction and calls for decision. We
are surrounded by forces that arc dia-
mctrically opposed, flercely hostile one
TO the other. There are alternative ends
so heterogeneous that choice has 20 b.
made; ends so discrepant, so incompati-
bic as 10 require selection OF The one,
and rejection OF the other. To fail in
this. by remaining on the fence is 90
lal 20 measure mp TO the greet moral
experience Of life.
Decision then, is the hallmark OF
man, II use the word significantly