The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1925-04-30
BUILDING A BACKBONE.


BUILDING A BACKBONE.
"Why didn't the lions eat Daniel?"
asked Sturgeon one day. When no
one could think of an answer he ad-
ded: Because most of him was back
bone and the rest clear grit" And
that is a pretty fair statement of the
condition, but it is not true in every
case. How did it happen in this one?
Well, it didn't happen at all; it was
the result of much hard work and of
many days of it. For years earlier
there had been born into Jewish home
in the hills of Judea baby boy. His
name, Daniel, is made by joining the
name of one of the tribes of Israel,
Dan, to eel" the old Hebrew express
sion for God. 1t may be that he be-
longed to that particular family and
in any case it is a mark of their pat
riotism that they gave him a name
that ran its roots back across the CEN
turtles of conquest and national
achievement. That they added Jehovah
reveals the piety of that home in the
hills. He was of princely line which
would bring him breeding as we'll as
social familiarity with the leaders of
Judea that may even have taken him
within the palace. His father may
have been killed in the siege and his
mother probably did not long survive
him, so that the boy was an orphan
under the care of his teacher. And
this would be jeremiah who would
have poured into that boyish mind
the stories of the early heroes of the
Israel with which his name linked
him and the God who had guided the
wilderness journey and had made a
people for His purpose in the world.
In Jerusalem and across the hills the
boy would travel open-eyed and alert,
creating strong body and a vigorous
mind and becoming familiar with SIM
pie fare and high thoughts. Old be-
yond his years thru his experiences
it would not be strange that jeremiah
who was in favour with the conquer
ors because of his constant protest
against the rebellion, should choose
this pupil of his for admission to the
State College in Babylon where the
kings scholarship gave opportunity
for recommended youths from every
province to qualify themselves for
service in the state.
AT THE TRAINING TABLE
With home gone and country gone,
the Jewish boy at foreign court
found himself in an atmosphere ut
terly alien to that to which he had
been accustomed in Judea. He missed
the towering hills, the democracy Of
the mountaineer, and the sensuous
worship differed radically from the
chaste surroundings of Jehovah's tenn
pie. But there was need that he fit
himself into the new life as speedily
as possible and being a pensioner of
the king made it imperative that he
should not be antagonized. He was
-billetted in the dormitory and found
all the school given to very differ
ent procedure from the rigorous re-
gime of the hills. Sleek, well-fed boys
were on all sides, but the muscles
were soft and the climate encouraged
the stimulus of spiced food and the
lessening of exercise. Swinging in
from a vigorous walk with his COM
rades of Judea the hungry boys were
placed amidst a veritable feast of
meats and wines that had been bless
ed by the priests of Bel and to which
the whole school was assidulously ap-
plying itself. What should they do?
Under obligation to the king should
they not compromise little in order
that they might show appreciation
of his bounty? Knowing an idol to
be nothing, why shouldn't they eat
the meat? Suppose they were turned
out of the school? There were plenty
of others who would jump at the
chance Of getting in and they were
homeless in a foreign land with no
land of their own to which to turn.
Yet in the face of every dictum of
common custom they dared stand
alone and refuse for conscience sake
to do what they believed was wrong.
When Bishop Mcdowell visited the
Rugby School and walked into the
little dormitory where Tom Brown had
''laid him down and slept" the men,
DRY of that scene in which the timid
boy knelt beside his bed while all the
rest had clambered under cover for
prayerless sleep, was emphasized by
the word of the guide, "Tom Brown
made it easier for every boy in Eng
land to say his prayers" And it is
as true of Daniel who planned the
first training table ever installed at
any university.
IN THE LABORATORY.
Daniel refused to be less gentle
man than a believer. He carried his
cause by courtesy instead of curses.
Going to the Head Master he stated
his paSp oOd fO1Dd +bo zop,o fro.1.