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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1917)
fl$5niwr p 'ARIIj, 19X7 .' The"Gb1fnm6"nr ni v jt stroy. The' Intellectual' god Is' a false god and it is leading multitudes astraymultitudes who in the worship of their minds forget God and refuse to admit that there is in the unlverso anything higher than their own puny selves. Sixth among the false gods the third in the second class is the Travel God, the god wor shiped by those who wander to and fro in search of something new. I would not underrato the value of travel when one travels with a purpose. I can testify "that one can learn more in a day by visiting a country than he can learn in many years by reading. One day in Japan or China or India is wbrth more than many books. You can learn more 'about idolatry in one hour upon the Ganges than you gather in a lifo timo from returning missionaries. And you never know when you start on a trip what will most impress you. When 1 vis ited Europe for the first time I had in mind a visit to the Tomb of Napoleon, and, remember ing that, Ingersoll had described in beautiful words the impression which a similar visit made upon him, I secured a book containing what ho said. I intended to quote from Ingersoll in writing about the tomb, but when I visited it myself I saw something which Ingersoll did not see, or which, if he saw it, did not impress him. It was a picture of Christ upon the cross in a stained glass window just beyond and above the sarcophagus "In which rest the ashes of this restless man." I do not know whether it was by accident or design that this god of war thus sleeps at the feet of the Princo of Peace, but to me It symbolized the victory of love over force, the final triumph of that philosophy which finds happiness as well as greatness in doing good. But while nothing Is more instructive than traveling with a purpose, nothing is more un profitable than traveling simply to say that you saw the interesting places of the earth. Such traveling if not only worthless but really harm ful because such a traveler is apt to become dis satisfied with the commonplace things that make up every jday life. - ' But 'these 'thrde gods, the God of Base', , the Intellectual God and the Travel God, though they make life worthless, are of a higher order than the last three to which I invite your at tention. The three on the third shelf are. de grading. The first of these is the God of Chance, tho gambler's god. Those who "worship this god soon find themselves unfit for the or dinary work of life because they are not satis fied with legitimate accumulations. When one sets his heart upon getting, rich by the turn of a card or by the whirl of a wheel of fortune ho rejects God's law of rewards. There 1s a divine law of rewards. When God gave us the earth with its fertile soil, the sunshine with, its warmth, arid the rains with their moisture, He proclaimed as clearly as if His voice had issued from the clouds, "Go work, and in proportion to your industry and intelligence so shall be your reward." This is " God's law of rewards and it must prevail except whero cunning eVades it, government suspends it or force overthrows it. I am not sure' but that it 4s harder to reform a confirmed gambler than a confirmed drunk ard, for whiltf drink diseases the body, gambling rots the moral fiber of the man. The next false god if the God of Passion, the fod whose worship turns human beings into easts and robs man of the likeness of the God in Whose image he was made. The last of the ,nine false gods is the .Rum God the God of Drink. Do you kirow what the worship .of this god costs this country today? Something like two billion and a half per year. And. what does it do for man? It silences every noble impulse and deadens .every humane in stinct. The worship of this god leads the boy to forget the mother who brought him into the world: it leads tho husband to forget the vow which he made to his wife at the altar; it converts the father into a brute and makes his children flee, when they hear his . returning foot fall. It , robs man of his patriotism; he sits in a drunken stupor, Indifferent to his country's perjl. In this Christian land five times as much is spent; on alcohol as is spent in the worship of Jehovah, arid, three times as much as is spent to&dfc'cation!' , And now,, having, exhibited before ypu.each for a moment., these ntnej representative false gods, I remind you that they are but one. What I havo Bhown you aro but tho masks of tho ono falso god worshiped today solf. If wo wor ship gold or fashion or fame it is for sort; If wo worship ease, or intellect, or travel, It is for self. And it is self that wo worship if wo wor ship the God of Chaiice, the God of Passion or the God of Drink. To us, therefore, tho com mandment means, thou shalt not put thysolf before God: thou shalt not, in thy love of self, forget tho God who planned tho unlvorso, who created tho world and who rules over man's destiny. Conversion, if 1 understand the term, Is sur render of ono's self to God. I am not a theo logian; in fact, I havo very little knowledgo of the theological distinctions that separate the churched, and my family connections aro such that I would not dare to lay much emphasis upon church lines. My father was a Baptist and my mother, when I was born, a Methodist, though oho afterwards joined the Baptist church with my father. I joined tho Cumber land Presbyterian church when I was fourteen, and a year later took my letter to the Presby terian because there was no Cumberland church in tho town where I attended college. I did not Join the Cumberland church becauso of its creed and I did not know tho differences be tween this church and the Presbyterian church until some years later, in fact, I did not know until I was thirty-nine tho doctrinal differences botweon these two branches of tho Presbyterian church, and about that time they united, so .that the knowledge was of little valuo to mo. My wife's father was raised a Presbyterian but became a Methodist. My wife wa a Mothodlot when I married, but afterward joined tho Pres byterian church with me, Wo aro Presby terians, In good standing, and I am an older, but .we usually attend a Methodist church at home because It Is near. Wo havo threo child ren our oldest daughter is an Episcopalian; our only son iff a Methodist and our youngest daughter is a Congregationalist; and wo havo .eight gjrand children. through whom wo hopo to connect ourselves with other branches Qf the .Christian church. . I mention the church con nections of the members of my family that you may see why I am restrained frpnT discussing the points of dlfferenco between tho churches, but I yield to nono in my devotion in tho fund amentals of Christianity which underlie all tho churches. But while t am not versed in theology I yen .ture to give a definition of conversion. Con version, as' I understand it, is surrender of one's self to Ood-obedience to the first command ment. If is putting tho kingdom of God and his righteousness first. And how long does it take to bo converte'd? Not longer, I rejoico to be lieve, than it does to reject God. It does not tako longer to bo converted to righteousness than to be converted to sin. It takes but an in stant for an holiest' man to bo converted Into a thief just the instant in which he decided to steal. It takes' just an instant for a law abid ing man to become a murderer. And so it takes but an instant for tlio heart to surrender itself to its Maker and pledge obedience to God. A man may spend weeks weighing be'question beforo deciding to steal, but tho decision to steal is made in a moment; a man may harbor revenge for months and brood over &' real or imagined wrong, but the decision Is" made In a 'moment. And so a man may consider for years 'whether ho will change his course, but it takes 'but a moment to resolve "I will arise and go to my father." And may I venture again into the realm of theology far. 6nough. to state ono effect of Christ's coming? I shall not attempt an elab orate explanation of the theory of atonement, but I believe I know what Christ can do for man, when he takes hold of a human life and brings that life Into harmony with God. To me a spring is tho most fascinating fact in nature. It Is the best representation of the ideal life, just as the stagnant pool is the best illustration of a selfish life. The pool receiv ing the surface water from the sloping sides around it and, giving forth nothing, as last be comes the center pf disease and death. There Is nothing more repulsive than a stagnant pool, except the selfish life which. It so properly rep- The spring, on the contrary, pours . forth its continuing flood of that which refreshes and Invigorates; There Is nothing more inspiring than, a spring, except a human "fffcTbuUt upon .tho plan of tho spring. 'r AND WHY IS". A SPUING A SPRING? BE CAUSE IT IS CONNECTED -WITH A RE8ER VOIH WHICH IS HIGHER THAN ITSELF; It Is tho means through which tho water from above finds an outlet. And what has Christ done by his coming? He has connected man with the Heavenly Father, so that tho gobdncss of God may flow out through him to a waiting world. This hi what Christ has done for multi tudes and what ho can do for all. He can tako tho frailest, weakest mortal and, by bringing him into living contact with tho source of lifo and or light and power, make him an Important factor in tho world's work. If wo measure man In units of horse power ho is not as strong as some of tho beasts about lilm,. If wo measuro him In units of intellectual power we soon find his limitations: but when wo measuro him In unltn of spiritual power thero is no nrltlunotlc which can computo his possi bilities. When a boy I used to read how wicked cities might havo boon saved by a few righteous men; I can understand It better now. Cities can bo saved today, and countries as well, by tho spiritual power which begins with a fow and spreads untfl tho whole body politic is arousod. It is only when wo understand the spiritual power of man that we comprehend tut lines of tho song: , "I know a land that is sunk in shame, Of hearts that faint and, tire; But I know a Name, a Name, a Name, That can set that land on fire." . Tho great need of tho world today Is tho spiritual power necessary for tho overthrow of evil, ror mo establishment of righteousness am lor tne ushering In of tho era of nornetual peace; and that spiritual power begins In the surrender of tho Individual to God. It com mences with obedience to the first command ment. I am glad to press upon your consider ation the commandment "Thou shalt havo no other gods before Me;" or, as Christ phrased, it, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." "This is tho first and great command ment." When ono obeys this commandment, he Is in position to undorstand and obey tho sec ond, "which is like unto it" "Thou shalt lovo thy neighbor as thysolf." Ho who obeys tho two will be neither barren nor unfruitful. CONSHRVH THE FOOD SUPPLY Lincoln, Nebr., April 14, 1917. Hon. Irving Fisher, New Haven Conn. Replying to your tolegram of inquiry, I be lieve that the- federal government should Im mediately prohibit the manufacture of alcoholic liquors for beverage purposes. Tho people of the United States will need the foodstuffs that are wasted in the manufacture of liquor. We can not continue to undermine tho physical and moral manhood pf the country and continue to reduce the efficiency both of the producers and the defenders of tho country if we hope to bring to a speedy and successful termination the tre mendous .conflict which the nation Is' engaged in. Congress should act at once. CHARLES W. BRYAN Mayor. The Sioux City Journal suggests that possibly John Barleycorn is beginning to wonder If It Isn't time he was attracting some ''under dog" sympathy. So- far., the only resemblance Xo a dog's life that he uas been leading has been furnished by the number of rocks voters are hurling in his direction. If there is enough to eat at a'partya boy regards it as a social success; if there is at com fortable place1 to lounge and smoke ;.thef old chaps feel that their exertions in dressing tip and coming have been partly repaid. - " And just to think, only two months-ago we were all excited ever whether Tpm Lawsoa. was tolling the truth or was merely .trying:, ta' get some sensational advertising in tho -Newspapers without paying for It. Great Britain seems likely to make (qua1r suf frage a national policy before theVnlted'States doesr. Possibly It Is duo to her expgtfeiJleV sh has found that a queen Is as good as' a king. HJ jws
