Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-07
A MAN MORE THAN
A MEETING
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

j
The International Sunday school Les
son for January s is "EliJah The
Tishbite"--1 Kings 17:1-24
Like innumerable others, in and out
of the newspaper profession, / am en-
crossed these days in the work of
the Washington Conference, and see
Ing all things from this angle. So the
dramatic story of Elijah. who sudden
Ily thrust himself into the stately sur
roundings of King Ahab's palace. fits
perfectly the present mood. Bespite the
rare achievements of the conference
thus far. and the many signs of its
final success, there is growing in many
minds the clear conviction that some
thing more than meeting of states.
men, or convocation of the great
powers, is necessary to remedy what is
wrong with this troubled old world.
That something is represented by
the hairy, uncouth, unconventional
and fearless man of the desert the
Prophet Elijah. with his audacious
Thus saith Jehovah" Clear right, as
revealed by the living God, Is tho one
way of success for nations as for in
dividuals. Famous King Ahab had
made alliances and treaties, and adopt
ed the most worldly-wi cxpedients
for promoting the well-being of lsreal'
He was perhaps oven a stronger man
than his father Omri, about whom the
Moabite Stone tells; or his grandfather
Jeroboam, the founder of the dynasty
who had sought success for his peo-
pie by religious compromises with sur
rounding paganism Ahab. too. had a
heather Phoenician wife, a Jealous
idolatress,-how like clay. to be shaped
for better or worse. are even kings
in the hands of their wives!-who had
tried to put the simple religion of Je-
hovah out of fashion in the land.
WHEN PROPHET FACED KING
National problems nearly three
thousand years ago were not greatly
different from those of today. By his
easy compromises and temporal pros
Ahab had standardized Israel wits its
neighbors-on plane far below
what was its plain duty and destiny.
Fashions usually level down rather
than up. To be true to their ideal, the
Jews had to be "a peculiar people"
Times were not bad, but the people
were, which is worse. Even Washing
ton has been shocked by the publica-
tion of the risuue pictures and worse
jokes of "A college paper published IN
the city. and quickly sur~rossed by the
authorities. Men who are busy trying
to make for a better world are forced
to pause and ponder the meaning OF
the calloused sensibilities of students
In their midst What can conferences
Of statesmen do for n tomorrow whose
youth show the tendencies of taste
which characterized decadent Rome?
The remedies for the real Ills of our
times all lie within the realm of per-
sonal character.
So into the midst OF Ahabs debased
court past the foul Canaanitish I'M
ages at the entrance, stalked this rude
figure from the desert. Without cere-
money we find Eli,ah. whose name
means Jehovah Ia Cod face to face
with the king. unfearing and with no
obsequisness. His we're tho direct and
dauntless ways OF the desert: for Elijah
came from that rocky wilderness east
of the Jordan. then called Gilead. where
the untameable Arabs and Druzes now
dwell. Spices and medicamerts grow
there and the "balm of Gilead' vas
famous In ancient days-tcmpting one
to tarry upon the idea that simplicity.
courage. and reverence are a. balm Tor
our time as for that of Ahah.
And the first words of Elijah record
cd were direct prediction of doom
"A prophecy OF three years OF drought.
with consequent famine: for the hor--
rors of which we NAV turn to almost
any days issue Of the newspaper.
THE RIVAL GODS
As tho task OF correspondents at the
Conference is to make clear tho great
and fundamental Issue at stake there,