The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-16

"Once upon time there was a
man. 1t was a troubled time, a minia-
ture of today. Everything seemed out
of keller. National feeling had
slumped Patriotism had given way
to prudence. Every one seemed to be
looking out for himself alone. Each
was guarding his own refuge and
store. Unrest was dominant. Foes
from without menaced the land. The
Midianites, the children of the East"
tents of the Bedouin dotted the har-
vest fields of the valley of Jezreel,
even as / saw them last year.
An optimistic sentence says that,
because hunger is, food must needs
be- In so dark an hour there had
inevitable, since the case was so des-
perate. Out of the edness
of the thoughtful and silent patriots
there was bound to be born deliver
ance. No day is ever so dark for any
nation that the light of love of coun-
try does not, burn in some hearts
Long suppressed peoples, like the
Koreans, may seem to be on the sure
road-,to national extinction, when 10,
in a blaze of reckless ardor patriotism
flames forth TO astonish the world,
and to give warrant of ultimate de-
liverance. In unexpected places the
men for the hour appear Seldom
does even a pagan nation sink so low
that there are not patriots wSo heed
the principle,
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy
Thy Gods and Truths
Nobody who has studied history even
specifically can despair of our own
world today, altho its plight is grave
beyond anything modern times have
known. Somewhere the new leaders
are in travail of decision, as they hear
their summons IN the days need
There is almost worldwide eXpec-
tation that a new Prophet will APP
pear to save us. Instinctively, mems
minds turn to the old principle that
help is to come thru Hero God
has always achieved His great deliver
ances thru an individual. When
Israel at the period of which we study,
had reached an extremely, then Gid
con heard his call. In the East, lead
ership is peculiarly of persons, rather
than of ideas. We in the West may
even go to war for a principle, but
the Orient follows a man. Ihat IS
why the wonderful young English
archaeologist, the most romantic fig
ure of the world war, Thomas L.
Lawrence, was able to rally an Arab
army to break the Turks power in
the East. Syria and Mesopotamia
pendence, by calling favorite Arabs
to be their kings. The Turkish Ma
tionalist movement has conferred about
Mustapha Renal Pasha. Each OF the
nations in the world war personified
it's cause in one man.
A man is mightier than a. machine
or a movement. No organization ever
becomes greater than the person VINO
is its embodiment. - The modern ten
deney to institutiohalize- service is fun
of peril. We are too ready to subor-
dinate our individuality, and the call
> ~. NJ or
some pfetentious society. This is no
time for the church to tighten the ac-
cent upon the need of personality, and
yet more personality. 1t may be that
some person who reads these lines mas
heard the summons to become one
of the deIiverers of our world from
its new dangers. Let no such call go
unheeded 1t was an utterly obscure
young man, threshing grain in secret
from fear of the Mfdianites, who be-
came the. Gideon whose name has ever
since been a slogan of faith and dar-
ing God send US Gideons today, who
will fight or otherwise lead. All waits
upon the man.
In Row for Righteousness Sake,
This young man Gideon had to
prove his vision by a brave deed. lie
was of that glorious company who are
forever getting into a row for rlsht-
eousness' sake. Before ever he could
~
his country he had to clean up things
near home. 1t seems a principle OF
service for God that the worker who
is truly called must start where he
stands. 1.-The light that shines farth-
est, shines brightest at home. In
Gideons case it was an altar of Baal,
and a sacred tree under which heath
en- rites were performed, right at his
own door So he got help and over
threw BaaFs altar, and cut down the
tree. OF course that daring deed
caused a commotion. The idolatrous
renegade Jews raised a row right
away They were for staying the i'm
pious youth out of hand. But his
father cannily suggested that if Baai
really was a god, he could H.venge
himself
What is the principal altar of Baal
in our own land and time? The ques-
ton is a rather interesting one, for
lent sensuality; it may be avarice, as
expressed in profiteering; it may be
worIdliness, as represented by intern
perate pleasure seeking and love OF
vain display; it my be spirit of class
disloyalty, or of unpatriotic propa-
ganda: it may be definite irreligion:
whatever the evil. it constitutes a
summons to the Gideon spirit.
Observe in passing that where
BaaPs altar had been, there Gideon
set up an altar to the true God, and
offered sacrifice upon it. Let us leave
no empty affairs along our way. What
Doctor Chalmers called 1.-The e1pulsive
power of new affection is a prin-
ciple fully recognized by modern
psychology Destructive reforms that
are not followed by constructive serv-
ice leave an empty room, to which the
ousted demons Soon return 1t is not
enough to drive out the saloon; we
must create avenues of better recrea-
ton, and a passion for social welfare.
To deport radicals may only make
more radicals; and to rail against Boil
shevists may only advertise Boil
shevism, unless We have construc-
tive program of real democracy
Gideon was first of all Jealous for the
glory OF God. He was a champion OF
Jehovah. For the sake of the God OF
his fathers he would risk any trouble,
defy any foe.
Little Worries and Big Troubles.