The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-06
"Good Times and Ahe Good Book.


rest, and to find himself and his work
and to get clear views of life and of
| Gods will. That was the program
for Moses and the prophets; and it
was also the program for Jsus and
for Paul. The recreation idea, which
we in these days call the vacation
habit, is as old as the Old Testament.
These Lessons have more than once
quoted George Herbert's familiar
lines:
by all means use some times to be alone;
| Salute Myself See what thy soul doth
Dare e look within thy chest, for it is
thine own;
And tumble up and down what thou
findest there
A change of scene help to a change
of mind. Also it conduces to breadth
and loftiness of thought. In the wide
spaces of seclusion and solitariness a
person may think more clearly upon
| life's proportions and emphasis. VIC
are better fitted to live with people if
we occasionally get away from them.
There is recognition of the sanctity
and individuality of the human spirit
in the Bible summons, Come We your
selves apart and rest awhile
Two at the Seashore.
A little girl known to me is at the
| seashore with her family: her claimant
desire il for the merry-g o-round and
saltwater taffy. These are her con-
! eeption of the oceans best gifts to her.
Really of course, new robustness
| and serenity are coming to her, not
| because of the occasional indulgence
IN the treats she( coyets,sbut because
| of her play on the sands, and because
of her play on the sands, and because
of the salt air and quiet life.
In contrast with the child's concep-
| ton of recreation is that of her grand
mother, who said, as she seated her
self on the warm sand the first day,
and looked out across the tumbling
! pillows, 1T always gives me a feeling
of hope and faith to look on the ocean
and the mountains" Their vastnesses
| transported her from the littleness of
domestic cares to the sense of the
greatness of God and His aandiwork,
which wrapped itself about her soul
| like a mantle of peace.
In those two attitudes is pictured
| the difference between the world
conception of rest and recreation and
that set forth in the Bible. Good
| times" as popularity conceived. are set
to Jag" They mean Something do
ing every minute. Swiftly-changing
fashions; novelties in food to tempt
| faded palates; pleasures that pile dis
traction upon distraction, diversion
upon diversion, from tsthe dansants" to
after-theatres midnight ca arets;
stories that are both light and highly
|
| lions of delight. All is of the flesh,
fleshly. Utilization of already over
| wrought nerves by a variety of ex-
element is the quest of our pleasure
mad era. All over the world the men
| and women who retain their sanity
are crying aloud that this way lies
| physical and moral shipwreck for the
race.
Thrust athwart this mad scramble
after life is the Bibles clear teach
ing of the greatness and quietness and
| sufficiency of peace and JOY. The
world wants merry-go-rounds and
llellypops: the Bible offers the mighty
eontentment of the eternal SATELLITES.
The Bibles Big Idea.
Many persons will be surprised to
learn that the Bible is a jo-book, and
not a gloombook. Even in the first
five books of Moses. the Hebrew ma
| ton was organized on a, basis of happy
relationships. Abundant provision was
made by the Law for rest and reerea-
ton, for feasting and merry-making.
And the early Christians were radi-
ant with spirit of happiness that
| gave them joy in all the lesser de-
lights of life, and was the envy of the
pagan world taht surrounded them.
Even today the challenges may fairly
be flung out that the Christian homes
are the happiest homes, even as the
Christian nations are the happiest
1
access to tn DIP. wiling. abiding springs
| of joy as the disciple of Christ.
! Furthermore, the heaven to which
! Christians look forward with assur-
ance-and as one recently back from
| the portals of eternity. having clearly
anticipated entering them, can bear
testimony that this faith holds good
to the ends a place of light and
music and play and perfect peace and
knowledge. Gods plans for His chill
1 ,1la
happiness.
Into the fabric of organized life, the
Law of God wove the big idea of a
| rest period, a recurring Sabbath. to
which mankind should be entitled by
Divine right A large part of what
| the Scriptures teach about rest and
recreation centers in the Sabbath,
| which is first of all a rest day. It is
also a memorial day and a worship
day and a family day and a health
day and a joy day: but it primarily is
DESIGNED to provide rest for man, by
linking him in eternal succession of
the Divine example of one-seventh of
time set apart for the uses of the
spirit. A holy Sabbath may not be
Puritan Sabbath-should not be-but
made like unto other days. For IL the
spirit of religion departs from the
Sabbath the spirit of rest will quickly
follow after
The Rock in the Desert.
In the great crises of life. as in the
great heat of the desert, the traveller
along Hfe's way must seek shelter
beneath the shadow of a Rock. Palm
trees are not shade trees, however
beautiful they maH be. Vain is the
effort Of the troubled who rush to
the distractions of the Great White
Ways to life for heart-sureease.
One has to go to Bible lands to
learn the full significance of many
ScripturaH figures. It was IN the
| Wilderness of Sinai that I learned
the meaning of The shadow of a
great rock in a weary land" For
there was no refuge from the burning
noen-tide heat of the desert except the
shadow of a great rock. The rare
trees afforded scarcely any protection,
certainly none adequate for the mid
day halt. They came as far short of
being real shelter as the merry-go-
round does of furnishing rest and