The Washington herald., 1922-08-12

Commoner Cites Ezra, Who Lived BY Law Az
He Learned Il, As Shining
Example for All.
Bv WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.

l..
BY WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.
He was the servant Of heart dedi-
Gated to God,
!, SO ezra has come down to us
through the centuries, not only as a
great leader of the Jews. but as one
whose life Ia model for an times
for. those who believe and give their
hearts to God.
The great lesson that Ezra's life
holds for us 10, abundantly revealed
In that phase Of his career centering
around the second return Of the Jews
to Jerusalem from their enforced
exile. as human spoils Of war. In
Babylon. Cyrus. King Of Persia. sue
cessor Of the great Nebuchadnezzar.
who had carried away the Jews cap
tive. was moved Of God TO brins
about the first return to Jerusalem,
Artaxerxes. king of kings" to com
mission Ezra to lead the second band
OF exiles home.
Ezra is a fascinating characters; he
was a Levite, a member Of the
priestly branch of the family. He
came from long line OF priests; his
great-great-grandfat was put to
death by Nebuchadnezzar. and he had
a still more remote ancestor In Hill
kiah. who discovered the Book Of the
Law, the basis Of our Bible today.
after II had long been lost to the
Jews during the reigns of their idol
atrous kings.
Heart Prepared to Seek Lord.
AS a youth in Babylon Ezra had
o.. -txrtw. ls..t
education, but his learning. instead Of
becoming a substitute for religion.
was the servant of a heart dedicated
to God. We are told that Ezra had
prepared his heart to seek the law
OF the Lord. and to do 1t. and to teach
In Israel statutes and judgments" II
was an ambition formed early. AS
scribe. he entered upon his duties
at IL, and 1t required seventeen years
Of preparation to fit Rim for his work.
The world does not change rapid
ly-in some respects It does not
seem to change at all. All through
history and in every land we find
instances of early conservation to
a life work.
A countless multitude OF boys
devote themselves to having a good
time. with seemingly no thought of
life's realities: they have no plan
and drift hither and thither as some
promised pleasure points, the way.
While this is often the fault of the
parents. it is not always so: some
times the most favorable environ.
ment fails to furnish the needed
restraint and the necessary incen-
tive.
As time goes on, this multitude
divided into three different groups.
Some catch a belated vision OF life's
possibilities and attempt to make
up for lost opportunities. Some
become habitually worthless and
neglect priceless opportunities for
service. Still otherS wander from
idleness into crime and end their
lives In the custody of society's
guardians.
Blame for wasted Lives.
The blame for wasted lives must
be borne partly by society. Even
Christians may not be wholly guilt
less IL they think only of them
selves and their, own children white
those about them WALL the way to
ruin.
A story is told of a very charit-
able woman who not only refused
to speak evil of others but would
not allow evil to be spoken In her
presence. Her children thought one
day to put her to the test. BY
agreement they assembled in her
room and one after another beca3
to criticize the devil. just to see ie
she would permit the censure.
They had not gone far when she
interrupted chem with the protest:
We'll, children. II We were all as
industrious as the devil is. We would
accomplish mGre."
Is It not true? II all Christians
were as jealous in their efforts to
save souls as the devil Is in his
effort to lead them astray. the num-
ber of the lost would be greatly
reduced. b..
But while the many are hard to
awaken, a few scattered over the
world begin early. as Ezra did. to
plan for life. Great inventors often
manifest their interest in that limo
of work while they are children:
great business men often indicate
fondness for merchandising; great
lawyers begin to prepare themselves
for their profession; great states
men commence as embryo debaters,
and great preachers sometimes in
dicate in their early years the di-
rection in which they travel all
through life.
Where Many Fail In Good Works.
know an Oriental student who,
when only is. had become so alb
sorbed in the study of government
that he left his home with only
few dollars. travelled to distant
country. and worked his way
among strangers until he finally Sc
cured the information which he
soguht. Then, as the bee carries
the honey back to its hive. this
student returned to his native land
to give to his countrymen the ben
eft of garnered wisdom and the
zeal of a devoted heart.
Ezra's life is one that should |
arouse hearts from 1ethargy and |
put high purpose into aimless lives. |
1t will be noticed that Ezra set
his heart to. do according to the
Iaw,> as well as to learn the law
This Is a very necessary addition
10 knowledge. Many who know the
law fail to live up to II. Knowl-
edge that is not translated into
action is of little value.
Ezra carried his plans a step far
.her; his purpose found triple
he learned. he acted. and
lie taught. He went at mis- work
n an orderly way; he could not act
lntil he learned. and he could not
each effectively until he embodied |
lis learning in his own life.
Sin the silent Blackmaiier.