The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-02


! than life itself. The wartime lesson
of the basic value and pre- eminence
| of character of simple courage is
| written large upon the story of David's
duel with Goliath.
The wise men of the army-who
! themselves had not the nerve to
! tackle Goliath-tried to get David
| to wear Saufs arrlor as he went forth
to meet the Philistine's defiance. But
David had the good sense of an out
4 of-doors man, used to meeting
emergencies on his own responsibility
! So he insisted upon going into battle
with the weapons that he knew how
| to handle. In other words, he was
] determined to be himself He was no
second edition of Saul; he was just
sling, but who could not handle SauPs
armor. Let US quit trying to be or
| seem what we are not and return to
/ simplicity and genuineness, Other
1 wise. we simply impair our power, and
make ourselves absurd. Once a man
| called at my office and sent in his
/ card inscribed with his name and the
| title, THE Negro Beecher.' The like
ness consisted chiefly in his wearing
his Lair after the fashion of the
famous Brooklyn preacheri
How Bolshevism Came.
With a large part of the world turn
ing red, it is well to remember that
| the Bolshevik movement had it's rise
with one vengeful Russian Jew in
/ Switzerland. who had sworn to avenge
! indignities he had suffered at the
hands of the Russian aristocra CIV
! That man has been the brains behind
the whole Bolshevik movement: he
1 has played with nations and peoples
as pawns in his game of vendetta,
How dearly the old order in Russia
has paid for despising one Jew. whom
it humiliated! Goliath made the same
mistake; he came toward David
breathing contempt and boastings.
Goliath lost his head figuratively be-
fore he lost it literally. He was one
| of the long line of blunderers who dis
dained youth; whereas the wise man
is willing to incur the enmity of the
old and powerful, if he may only have
the friendship and support of the
young. Let no man despise thy
youth wrote Paul TO Timothy; but
Goliath had no friend to give him this
counsel. 1t is the basis OF strategy to
respect every enemy; politics is full
of stories of how the despised have
ultimately made the arrogant pay for
their contempt
When the Cause Is All.
David was a debonair hero, for he
had a great cause, which eclipsed into
insignificanee the non essential fact of
his own life or death. He was the
champion of his nation, and of the
God of Israel. He was jealous for the
lOIlOE VI Ills COQHlISs ana LOT the IdlI
fame of Jehovah. His brilliant deed
was patriotism in action. He was
courageous. because he had that to
fight for which was bigger than him
self
1t makes all the difference in the
world whether a warriors cause is
great or ignoble. God always fights
with holy enterprises. Our soldiers
were sustained in the rigors of the
war by the conviction that eternal
right was on their side They could
not fight in that same spirit to sub
jugate Russia. or to put thru to COM
pletion the. imperialistie schemes now
under way1n the Near East. No ma
ton that is seeking to impose its will
upon another can count on the help
of the hosts of heaven
David dared defy Goliath because he
knew himself to be the champion of
Jehovah. He was about to demon
strate that "the Lord saveth not with
sword and spear: for the battle is the
Lords. and He will give you into our
hands" That is the victory that over
comes the world, even faith. There
are no giants that can stand before
the man who knows that he fights
with the Lords banner in his hand
In that faith even wemen-whe are
the poorest of all hands al throwing a
stoneI-landed their missile squarely
in the head of John Barleycorn;- and
U. and their helpers.
David reminds us that the faith of
the battlefield is better than the faith
of undisturbed ease. We should not
pray to he kept from troubles; rather
let us pray for giants to meet, and
five smooth stones with which to meet
them!