The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-10
The worship Of your maidenhood
While children climb your knee

The worship of your maidenhood
While children climb your knee.F
From the birth of the child until
he was old enough to go out into the
field alone with the reapers, we read
nothing about the visits of the prophet
to the home in Shunem: imagination
finds it easy to picture the happy years
of friendship between Elisha and the
family, and the hoy with which his
visits were welcomed. and his own
pleasure in the growing son. Friend
ships best blessings are not the occa-
sional fervent hours or the high ex-
periences, but the daily companion
ship. the glowing eye, the Cnrestrained
speech, the wordlesS assurance of
mutual understanding. Who would
not like to have peeped in upon that
Shunammite household when the
prophet was visiting there?.
1T Is Well With the Child2"
Tragedy came-that terrible form
of tragedy wherein an only son is
called away. When the child was
sunstroke, the father, man fashion,
turned him over to the mother, not
approaching the gravity of the case.
On her knees the boy died. So un-
usual was this woman, in self-control
as in faith, that she laid her dead son
upon the prophets bed, and then
made haste to Mr.. Carmel, where he
lived. From his height, where he
dwelt in a house by the side OF the
road, and was friend to man, Elisha
saw her coming. with the keen vision
of friendship. Post haste he sent his
disciple Gehazi running to ask for the
health of the family. His most eager
word was, rs it well with the child %
This woman. who had lost her son,
but not her faith,'' had turned instinc-
lively to the family's best friend. the
one whom she was sure would under
he J16 n sun a l1It
ran forward to meet her.
Elisha's question is poignantly one
for today. 1 wish I could print in
display type, across the front page of
every newspaper in the world. this
query, which is better deserving of
such a place than most of the sub
jects that get it; rs IT WELL
WITH THE CHILD?" I would like
to flash it upon every motion picture
screen, and blazon it upon the bill
boards and make it for q year the all
exclusive topic of every woman's club,
every Rotary club and kindred organ
ization, every sermon. every educa-
tfonal and popular address, BY all
the methods of our ingenious civiliza-
ton I would like to drive home to civ
fl1zation the clear, basic truth that I'M
less all is well with the child, all is
wrong with everything else. Then we
should see such a concentration of at
tention and interest and service upon
our educational institutions, and upon
| the needs of the children outside of all
schools, and upon our Sunday schools,
that the uttermost ability of our day
would be devoted to the reclamation
and preservation and training of hui
manity's chief possession, it's child
hood. 1t ought to be that such a TO-
| cusing upon the query, us IT WELL
WITH THE CHILD ?'' would set a few
thousand men, especially gifted. free
from mere money rubbing for the
great task of serving the boyhood of
our generation.
The Great Restoration.
AS David yearned for Absolom; as
Martha and Mary pleaded with Jesus
for their brother Lazarus; as our own
mothers besieged God for the return
Of their boys from the war; so this
ShuRammite mother yearned before
Elisha for her only son who lay dead
in the prophets chamber. Before her
words could fully frame her grief, the
mothers need was sensed by her
friend, and he sent Gehazi running off
hot-foot with his staff to the child,
bidding him not to halt by the way for
any of the time consuming saluta-
lions of the east.
Following after as fast as he could.
Elisha himself gave his soul to the
restoration of the life that had left
the fair young body As a brother
prophet of Israel poured out his own
vitality into the cold body of the child
he loved until the miracle was
wrought, and breath returned, and
the eyelids began to flutter and the
glow of health once more commenced
to course thru the dark cheeks
Hospitality had found a wonderful
reward. nothing less than life itself
for the dead son of the home. And
the grateful mother-what a woman
she was-clasped the feet of the
prophet in gratitude before ever she
l.took up the son who had been re-
stored to her.