The Washington herald., 1922-05-14
WORLD MUST HAVE
PERSONAL GOD And
BIBLE, SAYS BRYAN
Early Christian Training
Of Youths Most Valu-
able, He Says.
POINTS TO JOSIAH
Self Obscures God in Many,
He Says, Deploring Ef-
fects of Conceit.
By WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.

By WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.
This is the age or discovery.
Archeologists. inventors, chemists,
astronomers are continually bring
Ing forth new wonders for us to
contemplate. within the span of a
few years we have been given the
automobile. the flying machine. the
submarine, the wireless telegraph,
the. radio telephone. and from ugly
and apparently useless Substances
come forth, under the magic touch
of the chemist. wondrous colors to
make brilliant the garments of the
world and medicines to heal the
sick. Discovery is piled upon dis
covery in such rapidity that often
times We are bewildered thereby
But, wonderful and far-reaching
in their effects on life as these dis
coveries are, you will have to turn
to the thirty-fourth chapter of Sec
ond Chronicles to learn of what Is
still. and always will remain. one
of the greatest discoveries in his
tory.
Bible Was Lost.
For twenty-five hundred years
ago, in the reign of Josiah. king of
judah. the Bible, that had been
lost. was found again-the book of
the law of the Lord given by Moses
Just how and for how long the
Book that has shaped the destiny
of the world was lost is not dehn-
itely known, but the fact that in
the course of the history of the
Jewish kingdom IL was lost is proof
that it was neglected II it had
been In daily use, IL the people had
shaped their lives according to its
preceptS its disappearance would
have been at once noted and its re-
covery soon announced. But the
Jews were led by rulers who oscil-
lated from fidelity to God to sub
servience to heather gods, and the
punishment that follows wrongdo-
Ing carried many captive into for
efgn lands And some time during
these black years the book of the
law of the Lord given by Moses"
the Bible. was lost.
An Example Of Early Piety.
1t was during this dismal time in
the history of the Jews that Josiah,
VINO was the son Of a wicked father,
began his reign in Jerusalem at s
years of age; when he was only 16
he sought after "the God Of David :"
He is one of the many Illustrations
In the Bible of early piety. We are
not informed as to the influences
that nodded him. but as he could not
have been the pupil of his father,
the honor falls to his mother, Jed
idsn. or to some of the priestly
class.
Before taking up his work that
LED to the Bibles recovery, il may
be we'll to observe that a large per-
eentage of those who enter upon a
Christian life begin young. There
are several reasons for this.
First, the environment of a Chris
tian home creates conditions in
which faith terminates. The child
sooner than many suppose, finds his
heart taking hold upon faith in God
and in Christ
Faith IL a much earlier growth
than reason. According to law. the
young man Is presumed to be i'm
mature in his reason until he is 2l,
No evidence Of precocity can over
throw this presumption. The
calendar Is the only proof that the
courts will receive. Until a boy Is
Il his deed Is not valid and his
vote Is not received. While ma
turity in woman is presumed to
arrive little earlier than in man,
II. too, Is calculated by years; dir-
ferences that manifest themselves
in individuals are not taken into
consideration.
With faith II Is different. Faith
in the parent springs up early in
the child and this faith naturally
oroadens into faith in others until
the child. long before it reaches
legal maturity. can worship God
and give its love to Christ in re-
turn for Christ's love.
The Period of Rebellion.
The second reason is to be found
In the fact that every child passes
through a period of rebellion, latent
or expressed, against parental au-
thority. The prodigal son gives US
an exhibition of this rebellion car
rfed to the point Of separation from
home
In most cases affection, IL no,
wisdom, restrains the child during
the years when youth is passing
into maturity. This is especially
true IL. before this transition period
comes, the child has learned to sup
plement the authority of a parent
with the authority of a loving
Heavenly Father. Obedience to
parents makes obedience to God
its parents.
The peril Of the child is Increased
BY the fact that just at the time
when the spirit Of independence is
taking the place of parental au-
~sasyr, and obedience to GOO
strengthens the child's respect for
thority he begins to study the uni
verse about him.
At this period any theory that re-
lieves the child of a sense of re-
sponsibility Is more attractive than
Il is earlier or later, and. therefore.
many are led away from faith in
God Some afterward return as in
tei1ectual prodigaI sons; some wan
der OF into a starless night even
though they recognize. as Romanes
did. the awful contrast between the
''hallowed creed" of their youth and
'-the lonely mystery of existence"
as they find II to be when they
abandon belief in God.
Fortunate for the child II its re-
ligious faith becomes firmly rooted
sfore 1t encounters the strong
temptations that come as II ap-
>>osches manhood or womanhood
No one who has come in contact
with shipwrecked lives will take the
Responsibility OF advising a child
to postpone a confession of its
faith when its heart is ready to
make a confession.
HfIkfah Finds the Book.
At the age of 20 Josiah began TO
purRe his country ~ everv form, of