Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-05-24


Then shall the kingdom OF
heaven be likened unto ten virgins,
which took their lamps, and went
forth to meet the bridegroom
And five OF them were wise, and
five were foolish.
They that were foolish took their
lamps, and took no oil with them:
But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps.
While the bridegroom tarried,
they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry
made. Behold, the bridegroom
cometh; go We out TO meet him.
Then all those virgins arose, and
trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said unto the
wise. Give us Of your oil; for our
lamps T gone out.
BY WI. T.. GILROY, ID. ID.
Editor of The Congregatlcnalist
Preparedness Is a subject OF
which we have heard q great deal
in recent years and concerning
which there has been very much
difference OF opinion.
In relation to the safety OF the
state and the maintenance OF mill
tary strength as a lean Of safe
ty. there has been wide difference
Of opinion. There are these who
share Napoleon'S cynicai idea that
God is on the side OF the great
battalionS'-an idea that brought
ultimate disaster in Napoleon's
career and that for the most part
has brought disaster TO every peo-
pie in history who have trusted to
the sword. There are those who
believe that preparedness II the
state and society IS rooted deeper
in the promotion Of friendship and
in the development OF those sound
ideals and virtues without which
there cannot be a great and true
society.
Prepared for Anything
Here in our lessons, however. we
are remindad that preparedness
has a personal and spiritual sig
nificance. There Is a sense IN
which there is a sound philosophy
OF preparedness without reference
to the thing for which one is 10 be
prepared. There is IN life O general
slackness and inefficiency that
would be fatal TO any enterprise
and that is essentially the denial
Of strength Of character, quite in
dependently OF the ends 70 which
character may be directed. There
is a moral discipline to life upon
which all success in any achieve
ment depends, and without pre-
paredness there is no guaranty that
one can meet situations Of difficult
~ as they arise.
AS with most OF his teaching,
Jesus enforced this matter not by
theory but by a very effective illus
tration. an illustration that has
become ~ingrained in literature and
IN our t~hought-the wise and fool
ish virgins going forth to meet the
bridegroom facing this great occa-
sion SO differently where one might
have supposed that the occasion
itself would have ensured the
fullest preparation.
IT is easy to emphasize the fool
ishness Of the foolish virgins, 10
wonder how they could have per-
petrated anything so ridiculous,
and vet the man or woman who
has been stranded some distance
from a filling station in these auto
mobile days cannot scott at the
foolish virgins.
Perhaps we should discover ex-
actly the sort OF teaching that
Jesus meant to emphasize II we
realize that the illustration that he
used applied to his own day just as
the illustration Of an automobilist
who had passed many filling sta
tions, only 20 run out Of oil In a
crisis. might illustrate the matter
today. Preparation is a matter Of
forehandedness. 1t is a matter OF
discipline and calculation. III It in
volved no thought. there would be
nothing special to prepare for.
II Is almost impossible to discuss
a lesson like this without dealing
almost entirely IN platitudes and
commonplace. yet these platitudes
and commonplace relate 70 the
most important and ordinary cir
cumstances OF life. Loss and even
tragedy are constantly associated
not so much with evil intention as
with sheer slackness and failure 10
do things at the proper time and
in the proper way.
Nothing is clearer than the fact
that the foolish virgins meant no
disrespect to the wedding occa-
sion. No one was more surprised
than themselves at their lack Of oil
In their lamps, and they took the
easy way out Of trying to share