"SAY, FELLOWS--"

Fifty Practical Talks with Boys on Life's Big Issues

by

WADE C. SMITH

Author of "The Little Jetts Telling Bible Stories"

[Illustration]

New York ChicagoFleming H. Revell CompanyLondon and Edinburgh

1921

Adapted from the Author's weekly Sunday School Lesson Treatments in_The Sunday School Times_, by permission of the Editors. 

New York: 158 Fifth AvenueChicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. London: 21 Paternoster SquareEdinburgh: 75 Princes Street

_Dedicated to

her whose instruction and examplefirst inspired in me the purposesand ideals which make for patience, courage, endurance and faith--

MY MOTHER_

Introduction

"My teacher told me to write a composition on the last picture Ilooked at, " said Henry, a sixth grader, when he came in from schoolthe other day. "I had seen a picture of a fire engine, " he added, "soI wrote:

"'With a clatter of hoofs and a whirr of wheels, the fire enginedashed around the corner. The driver was crouched low in the seat. Hewas driving like Jehu. '

"But I could not spell Jehu, so I went to my teacher and asked, 'Please, how do you spell Jehu?'

"'Spell what, Henry?'

"'Jehu. '

"'What in the world are you trying to say, boy?'

"'I am trying to tell how fast a fire engine driver goes--as fast as achariot driver in the time of King David, I think it was. '

"'Well, Henry, I think you had better say the engine driver drove asfast as an ancient charioteer. '"

"And did you?" I asked. 

"No, sir; I said, 'he was driving like mad. '"

It is plain that this grammar-school teacher had never heard of theBible character who had interested her pupil, but the author of thisbook knows how to spell "Jehu" to a questioning boy, or to a "gang" ofboys, or to a Sunday-school class of boys. 

Is there any boy who does not have a motor in his mind? A writer of amethod article in a recent issue of _The Sunday School Times_ relatedan incident of a chap whom he described as "a motor-minded boy. " Hesaid that he was sitting on top of a school desk at recess, kickingback with his heels, and when asked what he was thinking about, replied: "I was wondering, if my legs were horses, how fast they wouldgo!"

It was with a realization of the fact that when a class ofSunday-school boys assembles, their instinct is of one accord to turntheir legs into horses and to drive them as Jehu drove his pair ofArabs, that our paper requested Wade Smith to take charge of itsLesson Help for boys' classes. The management realized the truth ofthe statement of Dr. Walter W. Moore, President of Union TheologicalSeminary at Richmond, Va. , when he said that Mr. Smith was the mostversatile man whom he ever knew. 

Although Mr. Smith was already contributing to its columns "The LittleJetts Teaching the Sunday-school Lesson, " he was asked also toundertake the difficult but important task of writing the lessons forteachers of, and students in, boys' classes. His highly acceptableperformance of this work is but another evidence of his versatility. 

Out of his own richly eventful and happy boyhood, as well as hisexperience as a Christian father and a lifelong student of boys, smalland grown up, Mr. Smith wrote the chapters of this book. They appearedweek by week under the title of "Say, Fellows--" Letters from ourreaders have testified to their helpfulness. The writer of thisIntroduction teaches two Sunday-school classes--one composed of histwo boys in their home preparation for Sunday school, and the other anAdult Men's class in the church to which he belongs. When his own boyshave finished studying their lesson in their Quarterlies, they almostinvariably come to their father and say, "Now read us what Mr. Smithsays, and then we will be ready for the lesson. "

On two occasions I recall introducing the lesson to my adult class byrecounting Mr. Smith's striking stories out of his own experienceabout the boy who was drowned and restored to life, illustrating theResurrection Lesson (See page 60), and of his first and last deer hunt(See page 76), and both times the attention of the men was gripped inan unusual way by these remarkable incidents. No doubt, hundreds ofteachers have had similar experiences in making use of Mr. Smith'sillustrations. 

So great has been the helpfulness of the "Say, Fellows--" lessons thatthe demand has come for their publication in the delightful book formin which they now appear. In expressing my own pleasure that theselesson treatments, having served their immediate purpose, are now tobe rescued from yellowing files and preserved under the covers of abook, I am but voicing the hearty sentiment of the entire staff of thepaper. 

May God's rich blessing rest upon the pages of this book as it takes adeserved place in the libraries of lovers of Motor-minded, Jehu-driving boys. 

HOWARD A. BANKS, _Associate Editor "The Sunday School Times. "Philadelphia, Pa. _

Contents

1. BUILDING 13

2. WORK 16

3. INVISIBLE! 19

4. MR. ALMOST 22

5. FISHING 25

6. SHOWING OFF 28

7. KEEPING FIT 31

8. QUESTIONING 34

9. LOYALTY 37

10. A GOOD SPORT 40

11. FEASTING 44

12. STEWARDSHIP 47

13. TALENTS 50

14. FIGHTING 54

15. DRIFTING 57

16. RESURRECTION 60

17. KNOWING HOW 63

18. FRIENDSHIP 66

19. ALABASTER 69

20. TELLING IT 72

21. READY! 76

22. REMEMBERING 79

23. GETTING EVEN 82

24. GREATNESS 85

25. "PAW, I WANTA BE SOMEBODY!" 88

26. "LET DOWN YOUR FEET!" 92

27. AN "UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAY" 96

28. FORGIVING 100

29. PARADOX 103

30. FRAUD 106

31. THE BIG TASK 110

32. POWER 113

33. CHRISTMAS 116

34. AIMING HIGH 119

35. WAITING 122

36. ACTION 125

37. A CORONATION 128

38. DO IT RIGHT 130

39. KEEPING FAITH 133

40. THE GAME THAT CAME NEAR BLOWING UP IN THE SEVENTH INNING 135

41. THE BITTEN APPLE 138

42. MY KINGDOM 141

43. A TOOL BOX 144

44. SAUL NIAGARA 148

45. "TURNING THE BATTLE AT THE GATE" 152

46. A KING IN RAGS 155

47. SHAKING UP PHILIPPI 158

48. GO IN YET--AND WIN! 162

49. GREEN FRUIT 166

50. THE BEDOUIN SLAVE 170

I

BUILDING

Say, fellows, look at Solomon building a temple! Ever see anythinglike that? Yes, I have. I saw some boys building a dam. It was a peachof a dam when they got it finished; and the little stream thattrickled along between the hillsides filled it up by next day, makinga lake big enough to put a boat in. But, oh, how those fellows worked!For a whole week they brought rocks--big rocks--logs, and mud. Some ofthose stones and logs were dragged and rolled a quarter of a mile. They built right skillfully, too; they ricked it and they anchored thecribs; they piled in the rocks and braced the supports. 

Work? I should think they did. From early morning until dark theyworked, hardly stopping long enough for meals. But it was truly _some_dam when they got through. Then came the big moment for which they hadlaboured and endured: they closed the small outlet protected byseveral sections of terra-cotta pipe at the base--and let her fill!

Solomon went at building the temple pretty much the same way. The boyswho built the dam said they were going to make the best _boys'_ dam inall that country around, and they did. Solomon said he was going toput up the largest, the strongest, the finest, the best-lookingtemple of all for God. He put one hundred and fifty thousand strongmen in the forests and in the quarries, getting out the finest timberand the best stone; he had these materials brought by sea and by land;he employed workers in brass, and stone-cutters and gold-beaterswherever he could find the most skillful, regardless of the cost, andhe himself directed the work. 

Well, it was a peach of a temple, too. Nothing like it had ever beenseen before. Crowning the highest hill in Jerusalem, overlooking allthe country around, its marble walls, its shining brass pillars, itswhite chiselled columns, and its golden interior, it shone like a gemof dazzling beauty. When Solomon had finished it, he invited the Lordto come into it, and "the glory of the Lord filled the house. "

Fellows, we are all building some kind of a temple, and we build someon it every day. I saw a bleary-eyed dope fiend going along the streetthe other day. He has built a temple--a temple to the god Appetite. His temple is truly a sorry looking shack, but it is good enough forthe god he serves. I know a very seedy individual, going aroundbegging a living of whomsoever will give him a dime or a nickel. Hehas built his temple to the god Idleness. It is a ramshackle affair, to be sure, but it is plenty good for the god he serves. I knowanother fellow who has built a very ordinary looking temple--ratherpoor inside and out. He served the god "Let Well Enough Alone. " Thereare many temples like his, and little joy is in them; but they aregood enough for the god "Do-Little. "

I think of one more temple builder. Early in his boyhood he learnedthat the human body, with its wonderful soul, is a temple for God tolive in. Said he, "If God is to live in my body, then it must be fit. "He began to think of everything he did for his health, for thetraining of his mind, his hands and other members, as fitting or_un_fitting the temple, according to whether it was good or bad. Hequickly saw that his choices of entertainment and recreation were asimportant as his work, in the building he was putting up for God'sdwelling. One day he made the most important discovery of all: it wasthat after all he might do to make the temple fit, it could never beso until the doors were flung wide and the Lord Himself should comein. Then, like Solomon, he "dedicated" it--and the Lord Jesus came inand made the temple fit, for "the glory of the Lord filled the house. "

Which simply means that he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Afellow's biggest and best and grandest work is the Temple of the Lord. 

Let's get at the job. 

 _Read 2 Chronicles 5:1-14. _

II

WORK

Say, fellows, shake hands with Mr. Work. Humanly speaking, the way inwhich you meet and hook up with this gentleman will have more to dowith determining your success in life than any other one thing. Mr. Work is a member of the most amazingly successful concern in thecommunity. His senior partner is Mr. Faith. "Faith and Work, Unlimited"--that's the style of the firm, and they certainly have putacross the biggest contracts ever known to the world. 

Some time I hope we may have the senior partner with us, but Mr. Workis here to-day, and we shall get a-plenty from him. In fact, "Plenty"is his middle name. Let's look him over. He is full of life andvigour. See his muscles, firm and hard. Watch the flash of his eye. Something there that inspires a fellow. Notice how he is in demand. Everywhere, people want him. Get that cheery smile; it grew on a welldone job, and stays there by repetition of well done jobs. Observe hissteadiness, his confidence, and, withal, his acceptable humility. Why, he looks good either in Scotch cheviot or in overalls. 

I want to tell you a secret about this fellow. He is often mistakenfor another celebrated and much honoured one--Mr. Genius. ThomasEdison says that genius is just another name for conscientious hardwork. That being so, any fellow can make a success and an honouredname who is willing to dig--and dig intelligently. 

But the best thing that can be said about work is to repeat what ourLord said: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. " Work is a divinecharacteristic, a divine institution. Our great God works. JesusChrist His royal Son worked incessantly when upon earth, and works nowcontinually. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit arethe most tireless workers in the universe. Now what do you think ofanybody who could despise work? What would you think of one whorefused the work at hand and sat idly by, or went off on some uselessexcursion to escape it, while God, unwilling to lose a minute, ceaselessly works?

Of course, fellows, I'm not saying we should never go a-fishing orplay a game of ball. Recreation is in the divine program. Every properrecreation is a help to good work. We owe it to our job and toourselves to keep fit, and recreation is a part of the keep fitschedule. We only need to be careful and keep work and recreation intheir right proportions. 

The bitterest pills a fellow has to take are those produced byidleness. Idleness usually lets down the portcullis and the devilcomes across and takes charge. Not that work alone is sufficient tokeep us clean and out of trouble; oh, no, that would be a fatal error, and many have fallen by it. The firm, you remember, is "Faith andWork, Unlimited. " Mr. Christian Faith is the senior partner of thisfirm, and is absolutely necessary to the truly successful career inthe great business of life. We are simply looking over Mr. Workto-day. 

One other wonderful thought, to me, about this matter of work, fellows, is that when a boy is born into the world, his work is bornwith him--his own particular task, his life-work. God Himself arrangesit. Isn't that fine? Who could do it so wisely? So you may depend yourjob somewhere awaits you, if you have not already discovered it, andit is a perfect fit. 

How to know your task? First, ask God. Pray over this thing. Then dothe thing next at hand, the duty calling now. Do it the best way youknow and put your level best into it. It is the surest way I know fora fellow to find his best level; and usually you _work upward_ to itwhen you seek it in that way. 

Listen, fellows, this is Gospel--"Well done, good and faithfulservant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set theeover many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. "

 _Read Romans 12:11 and Proverbs 22:29. _

III

INVISIBLE!

Say, fellows, have you ever thought what a fight you could put up ifyou were invisible? Why, you could walk right up in front of a fellowand smash his nose or knock him down before he could put up his guardor smash back--and even then he couldn't see you to hit you. Of coursethat would be a cowardly thing to do, but I'm just saying "Suppose. "And this is to introduce right here your arch enemy, the devil, who isnot a "suppose" at all, but is very real, very personal, and veryinvisible, --always present and ready to do his cowardly, dirty work. 

Somebody said people are like a lot of safes. We may be generally ofthe same pattern, but each has a different combination. Perhaps noneof us knows the combination to any but our own, but the devil carriesthem all in his note-book, and he never makes the mistake of trying tothrow a fellow with a drink when his combination is a cigarette, orvice versa. 

The devil's finger is in all our affairs, and we can keep nothingsecret from him. No matter what we try to do, he is ever present totry to make us do it his way. Even when we worship God, or pray, orsing, he has the audacity to try to make suggestions. You think theWright brothers were clever to "conquer the air, " and they were; butthe devil has won the title of "Prince of the power of the air"! Hisairplane is instantaneous and noiseless; he requires no speciallanding field, but can light on the lobe of your ear with a precisionthat is uncanny, and, lighting there, he whispers things into yourheart that you would not dare to utter with your lips. _There_ arethree points scored on the Wrights in one breath, and there are manyothers. 

The devil has won victories over the best men we can think of. Oh, howhe got David, and spoiled a wonderful record being made by the "manafter God's own heart. " All in a trice he tripped David and led him tobreak six of the ten Commandments at once--five to ten inclusive! Andhe got Moses for a bad fall, and Elijah and Abraham and Jacob. Hesimply crept up unseen and caught them with their guards down. 

But in spite of the fact that he took a fall out of each of thosestrong and saintly characters, he met his match and more than hismatch when he tackled our Saviour. He made the strongest attack thatcould have been made, but Jesus overthrew him and put him to flight, and to-day's big news is that there is _a way_ for you and me to throwthis fellow down. Simple enough, if you are on your guard. Did younotice how Jesus handled him? He quoted Scripture to him. Scripture tothe devil is just like salt on a snail. He can't stand it. 

Jesus used God's Word, and that is invincible even against the devil, our mightiest foe. Go into your Bible and select an assortment of"devil-chasers. " Memorize them and have them ready for instant use. Like David, choose five smooth stones from the "Brook" and put them inyour scrip; then you will be ready for this giant, who stalks abroadas a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Only, he doesn't roar:he is noiseless and invisible--don't forget that. 

 _Read Matthew 4:1-11. _

IV

MR. ALMOST

Say, fellows, meet Mr. Almost!

He is one of the saddest, most pathetic figures in all the Biblestory, not because he was a villain or a murderer come to judgment, but because he was so good and fine, and so nearly perfect, "onpoints, " and yet--flunked!

But he was a lot lower down on the honour roll than he thought. "Whatlack I yet?" he asked Jesus. Really, he couldn't see that he lackedanything at all--and that alone was a sign of failure, if he had onlybeen wise enough to see it. 

Think of it, fellows, here was a man clean and safe and upright, astouching the law, yet the fires of torment were leaping up to meethim, along with Ananias the liar, and Judas the betrayer. Ananias didgive a _part_ of his money to the Lord, and Judas threw his bloodmoney back into the bribers' faces, but this Mr. Almost closed hisfingers tight over all his gold when the Lord called for it. 

Mr. Almost kept the Commandments from the time he was a boy. Heworshipped God only; he bowed down to no idol; was very careful tospeak God's name reverently; wouldn't carry so much as a toothpickaround on Sunday because it would be hauling wood and breaking theSabbath; honoured his parents; of course he never killed a person;was pure in deed; took nothing which did not belong to him; told nolie on his neighbours; and he never wished another's property might behis own! Mr. Almost was _a pious man_. 

Jesus saw through Mr. Almost, saw through his luxurious robe and hisclean, washed skin, clear down into his stingy heart, and put hisfinger instantly on the trouble. Jesus has a way of doing that. "Having kept all the Commandments, and wanting to be perfect, " saidJesus, "now go, sell your property, and give the money to these poorstarving, dying people about you. "

Mr. Almost had actually _run_ to meet Jesus, to ask Him that question, "What lack I yet?" says Mark's Gospel. Yes, _ran_. He evidently had nosuspicion as to the answer he would get. Doubtless he thought thegreat Master would tell him of one more hand-washing necessary beforeretiring, or possibly some gnat's burden which Mr. Almost had beencarrying around on his sleeve on the Sabbath. Flick that off and beperfect! Mr. Almost wanted to make his perfection secure. He had allkinds of earthly securities; now this one more, the security ofheaven, guaranteed by Jesus, and he would rest satisfied. He wouldjust nail that down in passing. But Jesus touched him _where helived_, and he crumpled up like some high floating dirigible whose gastank explodes in mid-air. 

Fellows, really I didn't want to bring Mr. Almost into this volume. Hegets on my nerve--and do you know why, fellows? _He's too much likeme!_ for I am rich. Yes, rich in all the abundance of God's wealthwhich He has given me. I live in a wonderful land, a land of freedomand independence and opportunity--the richest and most powerful in allthe world--and as a citizen of it all its resources are mine. I haveplenty to eat and sufficient to wear, lots of friends andwell-wishers. Life is beautiful and bright and comfortable; while justat my elbow, fellows, are many poor, starving, dying humanbeings--men, women, little children. The world is closely drawntogether now, and there is never a time but that in some section of itthere is famine and suffering. If we have the means to give and willgive it to relieve human suffering, there are always reputableagencies ready to properly dispense it. 

None of us can despise Mr. Almost, fellows, if we eat a square mealand turn a deaf ear to the calls to help the suffering and the needy. 

This is the acid test. 

 _Read Mark 10:17-27. _

V

FISHING

Say, fellows, the biggest and finest surprise a certain boy ever gotwas on that day when he was called out of the shop to the manager'soffice, and, reaching there trembling with fright, was told that hewas promoted and would from that time have a share in the profits ofthe business!

It was almost too good to be true. Immediately the shop lookeddifferent--the whole plant looked different--the men, the tools, thematerials, the very smoke from the big chimney, all took on a kind ofglory. The rows of machines looked like a parade and the mingled roarand grinding of them sounded like a brass band at a picnic. The dullroutine of a daily schedule was suddenly changed to a thrillingprogram in every detail. 

Something had happened--not to the shop, but to him. His interest waschanged. Now, instead of simply doing his daily task for daily pay, hewas to share in the big objectives of the whole plant; he was takeninto confidence and partnership with the management. He was actuallyto share and rejoice in the achievements of a business which exportedits products to every corner of the world! With what joy he realizedthat his capacity for higher and larger service had been recognized, and that now he would have fellowship not only with the men of theshop, but also with the head of the plant. 

Fellows, that is about what happened to Peter and Andrew and James andJohn that morning on the shore of the lake. They were simply engagedin making a living. One day was pretty much like another. Sometimes, perhaps, the fishing was good, sometimes not so good. Life was just aday to day affair, and rather disappointing somehow, to souls withcapacity for so much larger and finer things. Suddenly the Master, theCreator and Proprietor of the world, appeared and said: "Boys, it's adull life at best--just fishing for fish; come and join me in a reallybig and worth-while task--fishing for men!"

And those four men caught the vision and followed Jesus. Life for themtook on a new meaning that day. Instead of a daily grind it became aninspiring program with a grand objective. 

I am glad that God is so great and that His plans are so large that Heis still calling out men to share them with Him and work out theirfulfillment. And you and I, if we are wise, will gladly hear that calland promptly respond, for we will realize that the transient things wedaily seek are not sufficient to give us any real or permanentsatisfaction, and that we have a capacity for larger and betterthings. 

Oh, I don't suppose we can all be ministers and missionaries, thoughmany of us may have that highest of all privileges, but we shall alsofind that a merchant's life can be so planned as to be a means of richservice to God; that a lawyer, after all, can be a force for Christ'skingdom; that an engineer can lay out his life-work so as to makestraight the path and level the road for the King; that aschool-teacher can use his influence to bring pupils to the MasterTeacher; that a physician has peculiar opportunity to quicken thespiritual lives of his patients; and that any legitimate occupationcan be made to serve man's chief end, which is "to glorify God andenjoy him forever. "

And when you and I catch and follow that vision of our life task, whatever it is, the whole plant changes, whether our job is in theshop or in the office, or on the farm or in the schoolroom or pulpit, because we have tasted of the power and fellowship of a Spirit-filledlife and a God-used career. 

Listen, fellows, He stands now in the morning of life, on the shore ofyour little lake and calls you to a wonderful partnership!

Let's follow Him!

 _Read Matthew 4:18-22. _

VI

SHOWING OFF

Say, fellows, it's great fun to "show off. " Honest now, isn't that so?If you've got some rare thing the other fellows haven't got, what funto have them come from all over the block to go up in the attic withyou to see it and watch you "work it"!

I knew a boy who made an airplane. Of course it was just a toy, but ithad all the parts. He had gotten a pattern from a mechanical magazine, with explicit instructions; he scoured around and got the dozen ormore materials necessary, then worked for days and some nights in thebasement. Finally, the thing was completed. It had a twist-rubberpropeller, and would actually fly a little--not much. But it was athing of beauty, and its varnished butterfly planes spreadmajestically and glistened in the sunlight. There were the stays andthe rudder, the pilot's seat and the complicated triggers by which itwas supposed to be governed. Well, the boys came from far and near tolook at it, and the biggest fun the owner had was showing it to somenew boy who hadn't seen it before. That is all right, too, if you doit in the proper spirit, but nobody likes to see a fellow get "cocky"over his luck, no matter how good or how rare it is. 

Solomon had the show stuff all right. The Queen of Sheba heard aboutit away down south in her African kingdom, and came many miles with acaravan of camels to see for herself. This man Solomon was a wonder. He answered her best riddles without batting an eyelash--and she hadsome corking hard riddles, too. When she tired of testing him heshowed his wonderful house, his gorgeous throne of ivory overlaid withgold, his great flocks and herds for his household table, his army ofservants, his courtly ministers, his treasuries piled with gold, and ahundred other sights richer and finer than she had ever known. 

But the big event of that show day was the temple! Of course it was, for Solomon had made it the biggest and finest thing in the kingdom. Even if he hadn't told her she would have seen that. And there was butone way to explain it: Solomon's God, to whom the temple had beenbuilt, was the secret of Solomon's glory and power. That was theimpression the queen carried home. 

It is said that when one of the princes of India visited England, hewas overcome by the display of the wealth and grandeur of the empire. After seeing the palaces of Buckingham and Windsor, and the Halls ofParliament; after getting a glimpse of British shipping and commerceplying to every known port; after viewing the greatest navy in theworld and witnessing a review of the army at Aldershot--he exclaimedto Queen Victoria:

"Tell me, Your Majesty, what is the secret of it all?"

In answer the queen took a Bible from a near-by table and placed itin the prince's hand. "This, " she said, "God's Word, is the basis ofall--God is the giver. "

Fellows, if there is anything you take pride in, remember the Giver. Don't make the mistake of Nebuchadnezzar, who actually talked tohimself about how clever he was and how great he was to build Babylonby the might of his own power (Dan. 4:30, 31). Even while he spokethose boasting words God punished him by taking it all away from him. 

But it is not sufficient simply to refrain from boasting. You and Imust see to it that God gets the glory, for God has given whatever wehave that is worth-while. Let the presentation be so made that whoeverwitnesses it will pass out saying: "Surely God is the secret of thatfellow's success!"

Real and permanent greatness is the kind that exalts God above all. 

 _Read 1 Kings 10:1-10. _

VII

KEEPING FIT

Say, fellows, I wouldn't take a lot for the privilege of handing youyoung champions this message: for it comes right out of the heart of aKing to the princes of the Blood. 

Yes, something doing in athletics this time, --and the Big Event forwhich each one of you is preparing, whether you know it or not. 

"Find all that in the Bible?"

Sure! that and more. Why, fellows, don't you know the Bible has moredealings right where you live and play and work and study and eat thanany other book that was ever written? Just let me read you a part ofto-day's Scripture lesson out of Weymouth's translation, which is thesame as your Bible--only saying it in the kind of language spokento-day instead of that of many years ago. 

Listen to First Corinthians 9:24-27: "Do you not know that in thefoot-race the runners all run, but that only one gets the prize? Youmust run like him, in order to win with certainty. But everycompetitor in an athletic contest practises abstemiousness in alldirections. They indeed do this for the sake of securing a perishablewreath, but we for the sake of securing one that will not perish. Thatis how I run, not being in any doubt as to my goal. I am a boxer whodoes not inflict blows on the air, but I hit hard and straight at myown body and lead it off into slavery, lest possibly, after I havebeen a herald to others, I should myself be rejected. "

Now, fellows, it was Paul saying that--writing to the Corinthians, whoknew all about the Corinthian games and races, and contests ofstrength, skill, and endurance. And so do you know how the coach layshis hand on your shoulder, looks you straight in the eye, and says:"Listen, son, we've got to win that game, --you understand? From thison, cut the big eats. No rich stuff and no stuffing. Simple diet. Nosmoking. No late hours. Early to bed. Keep clean; exercise dailyaccording to directions. Keep fit! Do you get me?"

And you meekly nod and say: "Yes, sir, boss. " Do you have to do that?Oh, no, you could drop off the team if you didn't like the conditions, but you don't want to drop off and you comply with the conditions. Yousurprise yourself by your self-control. You are in on that game, andyou're in to win. It is the event of the season. It will be the thrillof a lifetime to win. So you are temperate because you want the gloryof winning--glory for your team; glory for your school. 

Fellows, thus your body becomes the temple of a living hope. And it isall right. Bless your hearts, there are few things finer than thatself-mastery which enables a boy to deny his natural appetite for thesake of an ideal--even though it be a sporting ideal. 

And I think God designed it so. He is continually teaching us thedeeper and richer truths by leading us up to them through ourexperiences with things we can touch and taste and see and hear. 

To-day He is pointing you and me, not to the temporary honour of anathletic victory, but to the eternal honour of gaining the masteryover our appetites for the sake of keeping our bodies, minds, andhearts for His own indwelling. And He, Himself, is our Coach, doingsomething which no other coach can--remaining constantly beside us, within us, establishing that wonderful endurance--that indescribablesomething within us which strives and strives and conquers!

Fellows, talk about thrills! there is nothing like the thrill thatcomes of being used--effectively used--by Him. The thrills of ourathletic victories die away with the shouting, but the deepsatisfaction of "keeping fit" for God's service grows finer and fineras the days go by. 

Oh, say, fellows, _this_ is the thrill of Real Life!

 _Read 1 Corinthians 6:13-20. _

VIII

QUESTIONING

Say, fellows, make a note of this: If you question Jesus in the effortto trip Him, you throw yourself down; but if you question Jesus inorder to know and do His will, you may confidently stand upon yourfeet and defy anything that threatens your peace, your happiness, oryour success. 

"How can a fellow question Jesus in these days, like the Pharisees?"did I hear you ask? This way: You can question God's Word, its truth, its justice, its wisdom in your particular case. Millions are to-dayquestioning in that way; millions who do not want to change theirways, millions who would like to overthrow God's laws, because theywant to go on in their wickedness and our Lord's teachings are acontinual reproach to them. But they are having no better success init than the Scribes and Pharisees had in Jesus' day. 

 "Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's door, And heard the anvil ring the vesper chimes; Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor Old hammers worn with beating years of time. 

 "'How many anvils have you had, ' said I, 'To wear and batter all these hammers so?' 'Just one, ' said he, and then with twinkling eye, 'The anvil wears the hammers out, you know. '

 "'And so, ' I thought, 'the Anvil of God's Word For ages skeptic blows have beat upon, Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone. '"

Now, fellows, those Scribes and Pharisees ought to have known betterthan to try to tangle Jesus in His talk. Already they had beenastonished by the wise words He said, by the unmistakable "authority"shown in His manner and teachings, by the power of His mere word overdiseases and devils. These men were the devil's own servants. Thereare many such to-day, and they never seem to realize until too latethat _their_ master will allow them to walk right into a hopelessfix--caught in their own trap. 

Let's run our eye down the closing verse of this chapter of Matthew, as it tells better than any other how completely squelched were thesecritics of Jesus: "And no one was able to answer him a word, neitherdurst any man from that time forth ask him any more questions. "

But there is a kind of questioning which we do want to practise. Oneof the wisest and finest things a fellow can do is to make it a ruleto ask Jesus _some_ questions every day in His Word. Make a place inyour day's schedule--make it in the morning, first thing if possible, or very soon after you are up. Open your Bible with a question, andlet that question be: "Lord Jesus, what would you like to tell meto-day out of these verses of Scripture which I am about to read?What thing in my life would you warn me against, or what thing shouldI do which I am not doing? Or, is there a better way I should try?

"Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. "

Fellows, start a day like that--honestly--and _you cannot fail_!

 _Read Matthew 22:15-46. _

IX

LOYALTY

Say, fellows, what is the most loyal thing you ever did? I should liketo know. Was it when you waded into a big bully who was licking yourlittle brother, and took the drubbing yourself? Or was it when somefellows accused you of being tied to your mother's apron strings, andyou flashed back at them: "Yes, and she is the finest mother a boyever had!" Or was it when you sat up all night in a coach on arailroad trip to root for your team next day on the enemy's field?

I heard of a British boy in Flanders who was brought back of the linesfor surgical treatment, and when they opened his shirt they foundtattooed on his breast the words: _For My King!_ I read of a Frenchlad whose arm had to be amputated at the shoulder, having beenshattered by a German shell. When he regained consciousness, thesurgeon, moved with deep sympathy, said, "Oh, my poor boy, I am sosorry you lost your arm!" The boy's eyes snapped as he answered:"Lost! No, don't say that; I _gave_ it to France!"

Each one of you fellows has a tremendous capacity for being loyal tosome thing, some principle, or _somebody_. It is a costly part of yourmake-up, because it will cause you to make sacrifice. What are youchoosing as the object of your loyalty?

Fellows, I want to offer you King Jesus as the One upon whom you canspend your loyalty to the limit. There is none like Him. He is thechief among ten thousand. When He gives you a task He gives you at thesame time the power to do it. When He sends you to men, He opens thehearts of those to whom you are sent. You can undertake anything forKing Jesus without fear, no matter how difficult or how impossible thetask may seem. 

Why, fellows, think of those two disciples going after that colt forJesus their King to ride upon! He sent them for it. The beast belongedto some one else, yet they were to untie it and bring it. If the ownerobjected, all they were to say was: "The Lord hath need of him. " Thatwould settle it. They brought it as directed. That was faith, and thatwas loyalty. 

To-day King Jesus wants messengers--not to send out for asses, butinto the haunts of sin for lost men and women; and into the social, commercial, and industrial world to present His claims. Some, hearingthe call, are answering, "But how do I know I will succeed in thatsort of business? Will I be contented in such work? Will it pay? Willit keep me in a comfortable living? Will men come when I tell them?"Listen, fellows, King Jesus says: "All power is given untome--Go!--and lo, I am with you alway!" That is sufficient, it is theKing's own word for it; and here is the place where you can exerciseyour priceless loyalty to the limit, and never know a moment'sregret. The King Himself goes with you. 

The loyal servants of King Jesus never have to root for a losing game;victory is assured from the beginning. 

 _Read Mark 11:1-11. _

X

A GOOD SPORT

Say, fellows, I overheard a remark the other day as I passed a bunchof boys down on the corner. One of the boys was saying, "Oh, he's agood sport, all right, " and I wondered just what that boy thought ittook to make a good sport. About that time one of the boys whom I knewpulled out of the crowd and coming my way overtook me, so I asked himwho was the "good sport" the fellows were talking about. 

"Why, " he said, "it was Jim Love; when he was in the two-milecross-country foot race the other day, with a good chance of gettingahead of Tom Locke, who won it, Jim stopped long enough to help a guyacross a footlog with a sack of potatoes or something--and even thencame in just a few yards behind Tom. He would have won, but for thatstop; but he said the old man looked as if he was about to fall offthe footlog. Tom saw it, too, but he waded the creek and got a betterlead on Jim. "

It did me good to think of those fellows classing Jim up as "a goodsport, " after I knew what had happened. They had the right idea. Ibelieve our Lord would have called Jim a good sport, too, if He hadbeen telling the boys of to-day about it, because the Christ spirit ina fellow is what makes him a "good sport" in the highest sense. Oncewhen a proud Pharisee was trying to trap our Lord with a "catchquestion, " Jesus answered him with a story very much like that whichmade the boys call Jim Love a good sport. 

The Pharisee asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?" and Jesus told himabout the Good Samaritan. A man was travelling from Jerusalem down therough mountain road to Jericho, and was attacked by bandits, beaten, robbed, and left lying beside the road half dead. A priest came along, but he was in a hurry; he had important religious duties awaiting him, and besides, that fellow looked as if he was in bad and it would takea lot of time and trouble to "undertake" him, so Mr. Priest justhummed a little tune to himself, looked at the sky and passed on. 

Then came a Levite. He got down off his donkey and stepped over andlooked at the poor fellow. Yes, he was breathing, but so near dead heprobably would not last long, so why worry? So passed on the Levite. But next came along a man whom the priest and the Levite despisedbecause he was a Samaritan. They regarded him as a very poor sort of acitizen. 

But the Samaritan had a heart in him and he had a way of saying tohimself when he saw anybody in distress: "Suppose I was in thatfellow's fix, what would I like to have done for me?" When he askedhimself that question on this occasion, the answer came quick andstrong: "Get down and help him all you can; yes, your business isurgent, too, but here is a fellow-man in hard luck and you've got thestuff to help with!"

That is the way the heart of a good sport talks back to a fellow, anda good sport listens when his heart speaks, and a good sport actsquickly. So the Samaritan got down off his donkey and ran to the man, felt his pulse, spoke to him, loosened his shirt and looked into thatugly wound all bleeding. Then back to his travelling sack and out withthe oil and wine. 

Pouring in the soothing and healing stuff, he doubtless said: "Therenow, old fellow, you're feeling better already; just keep steady abit, and we'll get you out of this; a little water? yes, hold on aminute--" and down to the trickling stream he runs and brings a cooldrink in his little leather cup. 

Ah, it was fine to see that beaten man revive! He opened his eyes wideand looked the gratitude he was not yet able to speak. Soon theSamaritan got the whole story of the attack, listening withsympathetic indignation as the wounded man told how it happened, howhe was taken by surprise by those cowardly ruffians, stripped, robbed, and beaten into insensibility. Directly he was trying to raise up onhis elbow, and the Samaritan said:

"Now you just put your arm around my neck and hold steady while Ilift. That's it, get your weight on your right foot, lean forward, andI'll get you atop this beast. Ah! that's the stuff, you're gettingstronger every minute--now steady just a moment, let me pick up thatoil bottle--all right--Get up! Bess--steady, girl, keep your hoofs inthe path, and we'll make it fine. There, that's the movement. 

"The inn is only a mile down the road now, friend, and there is foodand a good bed awaiting you--oh, well, that's all right about yourmoney being taken, I'll take care of that. The innkeeper and I aregood friends, and likely with the good treatment you'll get you willbe on your way in a couple of days--"

And so they go, the donkey picking her way carefully over the rougherplaces under the restraining voice of her master, while the woundedman leans heavily upon his benefactor. 

Then, you know the rest, fellows. That despised Samaritan saw thething clean through. He did not leave "his neighbour" until he hadspent a night with him at the inn and had an understanding nextmorning with the innkeeper as to his safekeeping until able to resumethe journey. 

And what did our Lord teach in that graphic story? Why, simply this:Anybody whom you can help is your neighbour. If there is a poor man atmy door needing something I can give, he is my neighbour. Or, if thereis a rich Chinaman six thousand miles across the seas, needing thespiritual help I can send him through my prayers, my gifts, or mypersonal attention--he is my neighbour. Distance, short or long, isnot the measure of neighbourhood; but need and my ability to help arethe tests which determine how near by is my brother man. 

The Boy Scouts have a fine motto: "Do a Good Turn Daily. " There isjust one better--"Do a Good Turn Whenever You Can, " and that is lovingyour neighbour. 

 _Read Luke 10:25-37. _

XI

FEASTING

Say, fellows, a man raised a glass of water to his mouth to take adrink; some one passing struck his elbow, and--! Now an interestingthing has happened: each one of you fellows got a picture, complete inall details, to a climax. Yet there was no real picture; it was all inyour imagination, spurred by twenty-one simple words. And it was a_moving picture_, too, and it went away past the word-spurs, becauseyou painted the balance of it yourselves like a flash. You saw theglass fall and smash on the floor, and you saw the water spatter theman's feet and trousers--then some of you saw him jump back and lookup quick and kind of mad like at the person passing, and maybe saysomething rough. 

Well, that's a wonderful machine you've got there, fellows; anythingthat can make a moving picture out of a thin line of material likethat--a really for-the-moment interesting picture, with all thefinishing touches--has a most valuable and useful outfit. Now Jesusknew His hearers had outfits of that wonderful kind, so in speaking tothem He helped them draw pictures which would enable them to see somevery interesting and startling things--things which they needed toknow worse than a dying man needs a doctor. 

Most of the pictures which He drew in this way were to show what thekingdom of heaven is like. Men in those days, just as nowadays, werewalking around bumping right up against the kingdom of heaven withoutknowing it. So Jesus drew pictures to help them see this wonderfulkingdom, in order that they might not only become glad citizens of itbut also to escape an awful fate. 

The picture I want to present is of a great and rich king who was alsoboth good and generous, making a marriage feast for his son andinviting a large number of guests. 

Now, fellows, use your fine imagination again. You saw the king'ssurprise when the first servants reported; you saw him knit his brows(like this) and stand silently thinking a moment before deciding tosend a second word; but can you imagine his astonishment a littlelater, when two of that second squad came running in, all breathless, and told him that though they fully explained the magnificence of thewedding supper, some turned upon their heels with a flimsy excuse, others rudely laughed outright in the messengers' faces, and--oh, thehorror of it!--still others actually stoned and beat some of themessengers to death!--and their bodies were even at that moment lyingin the street, being licked by dogs. 

I say, can you see the king now? I think you can, for you have heardwhat he did. Yes, his servants went out again to those same people, but this time with swords and spears and fire, a terrible army ofthem, marching to the dread drum-beat of judgment, "and destroyedthose murderers and burned up their city. "

Yes, fellows, I know what you are saying. You are saying, "Well, Idon't see how anybody could be as big a fool as that!" And yet, do youknow that people are just as foolish to-day? Jesus told that parableto help us, too. The kingdom of heaven is just as close to you and tome; the greatest King of all--that's Jesus--is inviting boys and mento come in to the feast of usefulness and happiness and joy of anout-and-out Christian life, a feast which He has Himself prepared, andsome are turning their backs upon His call, unwilling to take theKing's own word for it that they will have the time of their lives, which will grow sweeter and finer and better as the days go by, andnever, never end!

I tell you, fellows, there's nobody who can make a feast like Jesus;things taste even a lot better than they look on the card, for Healways gives more than He promises. Don't _you_ make the mistake ofturning down His invitation. It would be a tragedy. Let's answer Hisgracious call to-day like this:

 "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain or plain or sea; I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord; I'll be what you want me to be. "

 _Read Matthew 22:1-10. _

XII

STEWARDSHIP

Say, fellows, how much is a boy worth in money? The United StatesLabour Bureau in 1914 estimated the average cost of rearing a boy tothe age of sixteen was then $1, 325. It must average at least $1, 500now. Well, fellows, that is what you cost; are you worth it? I amtalking of actual, not sentimental, values. Father and mother wouldn'ttake a million dollars for any one of you, I suppose, but that doesnot mean you are worth it. An investment of $1, 500 ordinarily isexpected to yield at least six per cent. A year, which is $90. 

I know a fourteen-year-old boy who is earning $7 a week. He gives itall to his widowed mother on Saturday night. She gives him back adollar of it. He first takes out ten cents for his church pledge andfive cents for Sunday-school. Then he puts fifty cents in his savingsbank. He has about $25 in the bank. The remainder, thirty-five cents, he spends as his fancy dictates. He is a steady boy and it isreasonable to count upon his putting in eleven months a year at hiswork, allowing one month for vacation. His gross financial value tohis mother for the year, therefore, is not less than $280. It costsher about $12. 50 a month to provide his food and clothing. That takesoff $150, so his net financial value a year is $130, which is six percent. On $2, 166. Thus you see that fourteen-year-old boy is a payinginvestment on considerably more than the average cost of asixteen-year-old boy, and I do not wonder that that fellow's motherwould not take a million for him, for the money part of his value isthe least of all. 

But this is not by any means an accurate way to arrive at a boy's realvalue. The more fortunate boy will be going to school nine months ofthe year. He is preparing for a later very much higher value than theboy who is denied an education, and while he may not be earning moneynow, he is earning a certain knowledge, skill, and development whichwill give him equipment of high value. At any rate, sooner or later, fellows, you find yourself with a capacity for earning andaccumulating money. And, remember, in your relation to your money, that after all it is not _yours_, but God's--no matter how it comesinto your hands. 

In Luke 16 is the account of Dives, whom God permitted to be rich, butwho made the fatal mistake of using his wealth for the sole purpose ofgratifying himself. He built a luxurious home, he bought fine clothesand feasted every day on costly food. There were suffering and wantall about him, but he turned his face away from the needy. One poorfellow named Lazarus, too weak to walk and all covered with sores, waslaid at this rich man's gate where he was bound to see him day afterday. 

The dogs came and licked the poor man's sores, but Dives passed himby. Lazarus got a servant to ask for the scraps taken from the richman's table, but he needed other help. God gave Dives money and gavehim an opportunity to serve his fellow-man with it, but Dives failedto catch the idea, somehow. He foolishly spent his money upon himself, and one night Dives lay down to sleep on a full stomach and woke up intorment. 

Fellows, money was his undoing. Money can be a curse, or it can be ablessing. All depends upon whether or not you recognize God'sownership, acknowledge it, and act upon it. Some of the saddest livesever lived are those built around a wrong conception of their relationto money. Some of the happiest and most successful lives are thosebuilt upon the principle that money is a God-given trust to be usedfor Him. 

Fellows, what are you going to be worth--to God, and to yourfellow-man?

 _Read Luke 16:19-31. _

XIII

TALENTS

Say, fellows, one morning in spring a boy came to me and said: "Dad, let's go fishing; I saw the bass jumping in the lake just now, andthat means they are ready to bite. "

"All right, " I replied, "you get the bait and the lines ready and wewill go at four this afternoon. " He did so. 

Then we went around to the point on the lake where he had seen thefish jumping. I made a dandy throw, first try, and as the bait beganbobbing in and out among the flags I could just see myself hanging abeauty. I was watching the line so hard that I forgot the boy for twoor three minutes; then, turning, I saw him standing there looking verysad. 

"What's the matter, " I said, "why don't you unwrap your line andfish?"

He whimpered: "I want to fish for bass, with a big line, like yours. "

"Why, " I said, "you couldn't handle a big rod and line like this; andif you could, you would get it tangled up in those flags out there;now you just unwrap your little line, put a little worm on your littlehook and drop it over there by that stump, and you will catch a littleperch. "

Well, he didn't want to do it, but because I ordered him to do it hecast in his hook. In the meantime, I was watching my minnow again; itwas playing beautifully, but getting no strike. I was still watchingit intently, when all of a sudden I heard a great splashing beside me, and looking around--there was a sight! That boy's little pole wasnearly bent double, and at the end of his line threshing and churningthe water at a terrific rate was a big fish! The boy was having thetime of his life; oh, he played him, he tightened him and slacked him, but all the time bringing him nearer to the bank. 

In about a half minute (it seemed much longer) there was _apound-and-a-half bass_ flapping out there on the grass. In themeantime, the big hook continued to do nothing--and it never did, thatafternoon. We went home with the one bass, and that night the familysat around the supper table and greatly enjoyed the fish _caught onthe little hook_. 

God will honour the fellow that does the best he can _with what he hasin his hand_. And perhaps it will be a far greater honour than youever dreamed of. 

When our Lord told the parable He did not mean to make small of thefellow who has only small ability. He condemned the fellow who refusedto use what ability he had because it was small and because he did nothave as much as somebody else to work with. Let's suppose the lastpart of that parable had read this way:

"Then he which had received the One Talent came and said, Lord, youonly gave me one talent, and when I saw you giving that other fellowfive and still another two, I was all cut up about it. I did not seewhy you should give them more to work with than you gave me. I boiledinside. I said to myself, Well, if that is the way he treats me, Iwill simply take his talent and bury it until he comes back; then Iwill dig it up and hand it back to him just as he handed it to me. 

"But then I thought again, and I remembered that it was your propertyyou were distributing, and you had a perfect right to do it as youchose. I remembered that you are both a wise and a kind master; youhave never given me a reason to question your love for me and yourinterest in me; and you know me and my capacity for handling yourproperty far better than I know myself. So I decided to take that OneTalent and work with it and do the very best I could with it. And, Lord, I did; and here, see--I have gained another one to go with it;here are _two talents_. "

Bless your life, fellows, do you know what his lord would have said tothat man? He would have said to him exactly what he said to the othertwo men. 

A poor boy in New York got himself a job at a little lunch stand. Hefound he had a little talent for making the lunches attractive andpeople would buy them. He stuck at it, saved his earnings, and after awhile bought out the lunch stand. He enlarged the variety of hislunches and added some other goods. And, to make a long story short, he is now acknowledged to be the greatest hotel man in the world. 

The fellow who uses the talent he has, be it one, two, or five, andtakes Jesus for his partner, is bound to be a success. 

 _Read Matthew 25:14-30. _

XIV

FIGHTING

Say, fellows! of all the boys in the Old Testament, David is mychoice. There was something about that chap that was "real class. "

If David were to happen in your bunch, doubtless when you got toknowing him every one of you would want him for a chum. He was thekind of fellow that real boys like: not a braggart and not a "sissy, "but generally when it came to his turn to bat he smashed the ball fora clean hit. Or if he should happen to strike out, he didn't slam thestick to the ground, but with a smile stepped back and turned ahandspring and lit on his feet rooting for the next man up. Of course, you know there was not any baseball in those days, but that is aboutthe way David would have played the game. 

Out there minding the sheep, David didn't get moody. It might havebeen a slow job for others, but not for him. No, he had a harp and hemade music with it. He had a sling, and could hit a quarter on atelegraph pole with it--if there had been quarters and telegraphpoles. But there were other things to use that sling on, and they gaveDavid a touch of real life. 

David knew that lions, bears, and wolves lurked in the forests nearthe pastures in which his sheep must graze, and he got ready for them. Notice, fellows, here is one of the secrets of David's success: he wasalways ready. His big opportunity came when he arrived at King Saul'scamp on that errand for his father, and he was ready for it. 

He was ready, first, because he believed God's power was greater thanany army, and that God would fight for any one who fought for Him. Didyou notice in the Bible account how David told the king that God wouldhandle the matter; and how he also told Goliath out there on thefield, while all men held their breath, that it was Goliath plussword, spear, and shield, against David plus God?

And so God helped. One smooth stone, the first out of the sling, crunched through that big bluffer's head like a baseball through astained glass window, and the Philistine fell on his face. 

Everybody's giant comes some day. Every fellow's big opportunity comesone time, at least, and he can be just as ready for it as David was. 

That's the big news to-day. 

I like to think of the five smooth stones as representing fivecharacteristics of David's readiness. 

_First Stone:_ (the one he slung) _Faith. _ We have been talking aboutthat--faith in God. David prayed as he picked up those stones, youknow he did. 

_Second Stone: A pure heart. _ God searched it that day at Bethlehemand approved him for anointing. David was clean. You would never hearhim telling smutty stories, nor did he think them. 

_Third Stone: Industrious habits. _ Think of his skill in playing theharp, and his effectiveness with that deadly sling. 

_Fourth Stone: A courageous spirit. _ A lion's mane, a bear's skin, anda giant's head, of which we know, bear testimony to this. No wonderthe shepherd boy could stand before a king and reason with him in thepresence of a national crisis. 

_Fifth Stone: A humble spirit. _ Listed last, but not least by a gooddeal. "Thy servant will go and fight this Philistine"; "Thy servantkept his father's sheep and--" "The Lord will" do this thing--not I. David's humility throughout his boyhood and young manhood--indeedthroughout his whole life--is one of the fine and strong points of hischaracter. 

In the brook that runs alongside your lives, fellows, these fivesmooth stones and others are waiting for each one of you. Put them inyour "scrip" _now_ and be ready for life's opportunities; for they arecoming, head on, to meet you, and _God wants to be on your side_. 

 _Read the seventeenth chapter of 1 Samuel. _

XV

DRIFTING

Say, fellows, there is a little animal in the North Woods, called theweasel. In coldest winter its fur turns snow white and its pelt isvery valuable. The white fur of the weasel (sometimes called theermine) is used to make some of the most beautiful and expensivestoles that elegant and wealthy ladies wear. Therefore, in very coldwinters, trapping the weasel is profitable as well as interesting. 

Now here comes the queer part of this story: The weasel is small, andany scar made upon its snow-white coat is doubly conspicuous. If thepelt is torn or injured it is rejected; so the trapper must take hiscaptive clean and scarless. The weasel will not enter a cage trap, andthe much used snap-jaw steel trap would tear the skin. But the weasellikes to lick a smooth surface, especially if it is the slightest bitgreasy; so the trapper smears with grease the blade of a large knifeand lays it on top of the snow, secured by a chain attached to thehandle, and covers the chain with snow to hide it. 

The weasel comes along and immediately indulges its natural desire tolick the smooth blade, and instantly the end of its tongue clings fastto the cold steel. Try as it may, it cannot pull loose without tearingits tongue out, which usually it will not do, but sits quietly by, until released by the trapper, released only to die. Luckless weasel, trapped by the tongue. 

Now, fellows, the weasel does no more wicked thing than to follow itsnatural inclinations; but natural inclinations are not safe guides;they more frequently lead to death. We folks are much like the weasel;we are much of the time dead bent in the direction of what is worstfor us. Is not our God good to give us the plain warnings which we asintelligent beings can see and understand--and, seeing andunderstanding, "Stop, Look, and Listen!"--turn about and head towardsafety, success, and happiness! Surely, He _is good_. But what mattershow good God is and how plain His warnings if we go right on in thewrong direction?

If a weasel could understand a warning and should say, "Yes, I know, but I am just going to lick this once, " what would it matter how clearthe warning was?

God's warnings are such as should turn us face about; right now, before we are hard and fast in one of the devil's many crafty snares, for he always lays his snares along the path of our _naturalinclinations_. God warns: "Abhor evil, " learn to hate it, pray to hateit. "Cleave to the good, " learn to love it, pray to love it. 

Naturally, we seek our own praise, but face about! seek the praise foranother, in true brotherly spirit. Naturally, we are lazy and wouldshirk our task; but brace up! put vim in the job; that honours God, and incidentally, puts both success and joy in the work. When we getin trouble, naturally we chafe and become impatient; God says, "Bepatient in tribulation. " That's a "Right-about-face!" for you. We prayonce and quit--naturally. God says keep on praying. When folks nag atus and pester us, naturally we blaze out at them. God says, don'tblaze, but bless. And that's "To the rear! Hey!"

Naturally, our noses turn up and our heads are lifted to salute thelofty ones; God says look around for those not so well off as we are, and lavish our sociability on _them_. Naturally, we try to "get even"with the fellow who does us a mean turn; God says turn that matterover to Him; He will take care of it. And when that fellow needs help, as surely he will sooner or later (maybe right now), make him thespecial object of our kindness. 

Oh, yes, I know, fellows, it is much easier to do the way you feellike doing. But when your boat is drifting down the current, which isthe natural way, it takes a Real Fellow to dig his oars in and turnand row up-stream. And that's what you propose to be: a Real Fellow, and the best part of it is you then become a Yoke-fellow with JesusChrist; and let me tell you, _He pulls a good oar_!

Fellows, drifting means "over the falls. " "There is a way whichseemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death"(Prov. 16:25). Pulling up-stream with Christ means getting to thesunshine of the eternal hills. "But the path of the righteous is asthe dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"(Prov. 4:18). 

Fellows, I had rather PULL with Christ than DRIFT with the devil, wouldn't you?

 _Read the twelfth chapter of Romans. _

XVI

RESURRECTION

Say, fellows, I'll never forget one exciting morning on the banks ofthe Etowah River, a treacherous stream that threads its way throughthe red hills of northwest Georgia. A bunch of us boys were spendingthat morning in swimming. Not much swimming, either, for only one boyin the crowd could swim, and all except him were under thirteen yearsold. Bob was fifteen, and a good swimmer. One of the boys waded outpretty deep, and the undercurrent swept him off his feet. There was acry, and he sank. 

Then it was that Bob did a fine thing, which has caused the rest of usto look upon him as a real hero ever since. He ran along the bank, down-stream a little way, and jumped in, rapidly made his way to apoint a few yards below where the boy had gone down, dived, and cameup with him. The rest of us waded out as far as we dared, to meet him, and all together we drew the couple to shore. But, fellows, that boywas dead--at least he seemed to be, and we were certain of it. 

We lifted his limp body out of the water and laid it on the ground. Wewere three miles from town. Scared? We were terrified! All of us weretrembling from head to foot with fright. There were no Boy Scouts inthose days, and boys had not learned the scientific way to restore adrowned person to life. We were alone and helpless in the presence ofsudden death, and knew not what to do. 

One boy suggested that we ought to "get the water out of him, " andthat was followed by another suggestion, to put the body over thelower limb of a near-by tree letting the head hang down, so the watercould run out of the mouth. This we proceeded to do, with a great dealof difficulty, but finally we got it up there, hanging across thelimb, pretty much like a wet necktie. 

After the body had hung in the tree about five minutes, while we stoodabout, panting, pale, and terror-stricken, we again took it down andlaid it out on the ground. All of a sudden, to our amazement there wasa movement about the mouth and a little gasp, as for breath. The roughhandling of the body getting it in and out of the tree had had someeffect. 

Instinctively we began to roll him over and move his arms about. Weknew nothing of the proper method, but the mouth opened and hebreathed again--then again--and as we let him rest a moment on hisback, he opened his eyes and looked at us, from one to the other. 

Fellows, can you imagine how we felt? Well, we couldn't speak; we justjumped around like Indians and shouted and laughed and cried. It waswonderful--the most thrilling experience I think I ever had, but I waswobbly in the knees for a week afterward. 

The thing which tremendously impressed me was the coming back fromdeath to life--for so it seemed to us. But what do you suppose musthave been the feelings of those two women and the disciples, on thatastonishing morning when the two Marys went at early dawn with spicesto place about the Lord's body, --the body which they had seen die uponthe cross two days before; the body they had seen lifted down from thecross and which they had helped to prepare for burial; the body theyhad seen sealed up in the tomb as the sun went down on the darkest, saddest day the world ever knew?

What must have been their feelings, I say, fellows, when suddenly Heappeared before them _alive_ and _well_ and _speaking_? How they musthave leaped to do the thing their risen Lord commanded: "Goquickly--tell. "

Do you know what it all means to you fellows who have accepted Him asyour Saviour and Friend and Guide?

It means this: that you in your youth, full of life and with allthe thrill of growing strength and manhood, have no dead andlifeless program to follow, no fickle and disappointing "rewards"which perish with using; but yours is always a forward, up-goingexperience--something doing every day that is worth while, somethingthat brings a thrill which does not die out and leave you weaker, butmakes you stronger every day, and prepares you for a yet biggertask, --a _living_ task and a _living_ reward--Eternal Life!

 _Read John 20:1-21. _

XVII

KNOWING HOW

Say, fellows, have you heard of the expert who was called in to startthe big engine? Every wheel in the plant had come to a suddenstandstill. Something had gone wrong in the engine room, and theengineer was nonplused. To save his life he could not locate thetrouble. The superintendent was down there mad as a hornet. A thousandoperatives were idle on full pay, and it was like burning money on anash heap. Still that engineer fumbled around. The "super" telephonedfor the expert to come at once and see what was the matter. 

Directly, he walked quietly in, glanced at the steam gauge and turnedthe throttle wheel a bit. Then, with a tiny hammer which he drew fromhis pocket he lightly tapped some parts of the machine, here andthere. He paused at a certain pipe leading to the steam chest, calledfor a wrench, removed a tap and a plate, peered in, then carefullypicked out a piece of cotton waste and replaced the plate and tap. "Now open your throttle, " he said to the engineer. The big enginemoved off like a thing of life, pulleys began to whirl and belts towhirr, and a thousand hands resumed their work. 

In the office the expert handed in his memorandum charge. It was fiftydollars and fifty cents. 

"It is all right, " said the superintendent, "we're glad to pay it, but would you mind telling me what the fifty cents is for?"

The expert smiled, "Why, that is my charge for the one minute spent inlocating your trouble, the fifty dollars is for _knowing how_. "

Fellows, your life is a great big costly engine, built with infiniteskill, and you are the engineer. It is a wonderful thing running thatengine, --wonderful because it is the motive power to turn many wheelsand affect many lives. Rightly understood and properly handled it willproduce great values, and be a blessing to the world. Misunderstoodand carelessly handled, it will cause loss and suffering to you andperhaps many others. 

As a boy, I used to go to the engine room of my father's mill andwatch the engineer. Continually, he moved about, watching itsmovements, its big flywheel half below in the pit, half above, and thebroad belt that glided over it and disappeared through the brick wallinto the mill; now he would be refilling the oil cups, now noting thesteam gauge, or polishing the shining brass trimmings almost with acaress. He was the first man on hand in the morning, and the last manto leave at night. Oh, how well he must know his engine, how carefullyhe must guard its movements, how always he must be on the job, if hewould be a capable, successful, happy engineer!

And what is God's Word telling us about it to-day? Listen, "Happy isthe man that findeth wisdom [to know God, to know himself, to know hisengine], and the man that getteth understanding [how to run hisengine]. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise ofsilver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. Length of days is in herright hand [a long and happy career of productive energy] and in herleft hand riches [the actual wealth which God promises to those whoobey His law and love His service, and the inexpressible satisfactionwhich comes with the honour that honours God first of all]. "

Every fellow can have this wisdom for the asking. Every fellow canknow how to run his life engine, to avoid the breakdowns, to keep thewheels humming the song of industry and success. Life is the mostinteresting thing in the world, and God gives it abundantly. "If anyof you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all menliberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. "

Now, fellows, here is the whole matter in a nutshell: Your lifemachine is the most wonderful, the most mysterious, and at the sametime the most "runnable" thing that the great God has created; but torun it successfully, as God designed it to be run, you must get yourinstructions from Him, the Maker of it. His Book of Rules, the Bible, must be your daily guide, and through it He will speak to you in yourwonderful day as you live it in His companionship. 

Fellows, it is the Life!

 _Read Psalm 119:1-11. _

XVIII

FRIENDSHIP

Say, fellows, if you were blindfolded and walking a plank aboveNiagara Falls, humanly speaking your chances would be about as good asDavid's were when King Saul in a frenzy of rage and jealousy wasseeking his life. David sized it up when he said: "There is but a stepbetween me and death. "

If ever a fellow needed a friend, David needed one at that time. 

And a friend he had--a friend with a backbone, a true friend--as braveas any knight who sat at King Arthur's Table Round or followed in thetrain of Richard Coeur de Lion. 

Young gentlemen, meet Prince Jonathan!

He never got to be a king, but he had a kingly spirit--if that meanssomething high and noble. He never deserted a cause which had a claimupon him. He was true to Saul, his father; he fell at Gilboa fightingby his side. He was true to David, his friend, unto the point ofdeath. 

You may recall that in a former chapter I mentioned the opinion thatDavid was the kind of a fellow any red-blooded boy would like. On thatday of wonders, when in the twinkling of an eye the shepherd ladbecame the champion of two armies, when the musical fingers of theboy who played a harp and tended sheep did the execution which routedthe enemy and laid a giant's head at the feet of the king--that dayJonathan's soul was knit to the soul of David in a lifelongfriendship. It was the kind of friendship which stands the test ofadversity. 

It was no wonder that David could have the admiring friendship even ofa prince on the day of his triumph and for days afterward when allpeople were singing his praises and he moved upon the high places ofroyal and popular favour. If the tide had not turned, Jonathan'sfriendship would have been only an incident upon the page of history, if it had been recorded at all. It would not have been a thing sofine, so inspiring, as to have thirty millions of Sunday-school folksdiscussing it to-day. 

But the tide turned, and there came a day when it was expensive andhazardous to be a friend of David. Jonathan's position became bothdelicate and perilous. Saul his father was a despot who would take hisown son's life if he sought to excuse or defend one whom the kingconceived to be his enemy. Jonathan's friendship stood the test. Hisown life hung lightly in the balance, but Jonathan would rather havegiven his life than fail his friend. He took it in his hand thatevening at the royal feast of the new moon; and he played with deathas the javelin of the infuriated Saul came hurtling across the table. 

Then it was that this thing called Friendship sprang forth in all itswonderful strength and beauty and found its place in poetry and song. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life forhis friends, said Jesus. Ah! there is the best friend of all--Jesus!And what did He do? Well, He did this, which proves it:

There came a day when you and I were fugitives from the king--not atyrant king, like Saul, but a just and holy God; not an innocentfugitive, like David, but a sinner meriting the King's wrath andcurse; and One stood in the councils of Eternity--the Great WhitePrince--and said, "Father, forgive him; let me take his place; let mesuffer his punishment; let me bear his shame; but him forgive andrestore to a place in court and to the joy of the Royal Service. "

And the King consented, and the Son came to earth and died upon thecross to satisfy the law and make it possible for you and me, fugitivesinners, to return to the King's Table--forgiven and restored!

Let's go!

 _Read the twentieth chapter of 1 Samuel. _

XIX

ALABASTER

Say, fellows, a bunch of college students were talking over the newsthat had come to the campus that morning about Bob Allman. They werenot only surprised; they were mad, for "Bob Allman had done thebiggest fool thing ever committed by any decent fellow that thecollege had sent out, "--that was the unanimous verdict. And of all thebunch in last year's graduating class, Bob was the last one you wouldhave suspected of such a thing, he had so much at stake. He was theclearest-headed, the best-balanced, the finest physical specimen, thesmartest chap in the lot. Bob was one of those rare fellows who couldstand high in his classes and be popular with the boys and theprofessors alike. He was president of his class and captain of the'varsity football team, and everybody was glad of it. 

The amazing news had arrived, in a letter from Bob, himself, to one ofthe boys stating that he was that very week at Vancouver, taking shipfor China, where he had accepted a position as school-teacher on thebanks of the Yangtse; there he would preside over a room full ofChinese boys about seven hours every day, while they monotonouslyswayed backward and forward to the droning of their "study voices" inthe characteristic Chinese fashion. 

Bob's friend showed the letter. He had no more sympathy for Bob'sreasons than the bunch had; it was "simply a horrible mess--anoutrageous slaughter of talent. " That was what they decided. Bob'sletter had said:

"I don't suppose you will understand it now; I hope you may, later;but out there are living (dying, I had better say) about four hundredand twenty-five millions of people, practically without a knowledge ofChrist. I know Jesus Christ, not only as my Saviour, but as the veryfinest and best friend a fellow ever had. I know what the knowledge ofHim can mean to _one human life_. I know that He wants those people tomeet Him and to know Him as I do. It has suddenly dawned upon me thatI can go over there and help introduce those strangers to my Lord, andby doing so not only please Him but save them from eternal death. 

"I couldn't be happy at anything else, Gus. Maybe you will smile--ifit doesn't make you mad--but just wait, old fellow; give me time. Unless I am the worst fooled mortal that ever lived, I have got holdof the really big job--one that takes all that is in a man. Oh, it'seasy to make money, and it's easy to do some stunt that wins applause;but after it all, when 'the tumult and the shouting dies, ' what haveyou got?

"And what have I got? do you ask? Well, first, I've got about the bestinside feelings you ever could imagine. I've got a happy heart. I'vegot the courage of my convictions. But, best of all, I've got myMaster's smile; and one day, if my faith does not fail, and I don'tbelieve it will, I'll get His 'well done'--and that will be worth itall. 

"Gus, I wish you were going with me, old fellow. Smile, but think itover. You will graduate next year. Say, I'm going to expect you. Butin the meantime, remember: Nothing you've got is too fine or too rareto lay down in service to Jesus Christ!"

Fellows, that was fifteen years ago. Want to take a look at Bob now?It is a thrilling picture I see. A group of fine buildings--a greatChristian college in China, built for the most part by the Chinesethemselves. Bob is the president of it. He wouldn't swap positionswith the President of the United States, nor would he care to be acaptain of finance or a Supreme Court Judge. Bob has for fifteen yearsbeen "living the life, " and it's going finer each year. 

He has had the supreme joy of seeing Christian Chinese business men, statesmen, and great leaders go out from his college to take theirplaces of influence and leadership in the affairs of an Empire--insome respects, particularly in population and undeveloped resources, the greatest upon earth. Bob himself has been called time and againinto the highest councils of the nation. He is engaged in introducingmen--and through them a great multitude--to his Master, the Lord JesusChrist. 

Yes, fellows, boys have alabaster boxes, too--and there's only oneplace to break them--at the feet of Jesus. 

 _Read Mark 14:3-9. _

XX

TELLING IT

Say, fellows, do you know it is impossible for anybody to tell withwords the whole story of the cross. The only way you can tell thestory in its real power is to _live it_. 

I have heard there was a high-caste Chinese boy, the son of a wealthymandarin, governor of one of the Chinese provinces. This father wasvery ambitious for his boy, hoping that one day he would succeed himas chief executive. Therefore to secure for him the most modern andprogressive education, he sent the boy a hundred miles away to aschool on the Great Canal, taught by American missionaries. "To getthe Western learning, " he told the boy, but not the foreign devils'religion. 

The teacher in Yuan Ki's room was a six-footer, a college graduate, and an athlete. Yuan Ki was much impressed. He secretly admired him, but was ungraciously curt to him. This was Yuan Ki's way of making theteacher "keep his distance. " But the teacher seemed not to notice it. He was always kind to Yuan Ki, even as he was to the others. 

One morning at chapel teacher talked about his God. Yuan Ki sneered atwhat he told. Actually, teacher had said that his God had come down toearth and had given up His life on a cross, as a sin-offering for allpeople, even His own enemies. Yuan Ki wrote his father about this"ridiculous story. "

One day Yuan Ki was taken sick with a high fever and placed in theschool hospital. That night as he turned his feverish head from sideto side on the pillow, he felt a cool hand laid on his brow. It wasthe teacher. Yuan Ki turned his face away, affecting not to see him. The second night, he kept the boy's feverish brow cooled with icedcloths until the fever subsided. Yuan Ki was distressed at thesituation, but all the more determined to ignore the teacher'skindness. 

At noon recess one day the boys were playing on the sloping groundsbetween the school building and the river. It was strictly against therules for the boys to go past a certain low wall, toward the water. But Yuan Ki and Wang To, seeing the teacher sitting near one of thewindows and knowing how it would disturb him, ran over the wall andjumped on to the deck of a house-boat moored near by. Yuan Ki saw theteacher look up in alarm and start as if to jump from the window, which was ten feet from the ground. Yuan Ki ran to the outer end ofthe house-boat, intending to jump to the deck of another house-boatalongside, but in doing so, slipped and fell into the swift current. The boy could not swim, and after a brief struggle he sank and knew nomore. 

It was two days later that Yuan Ki came to consciousness. He waspuzzled quite a little until he figured out that he was in thehospital bed again, and it was in the early dawn of the morning. Thereseemed to be nobody else in the room. Yuan Ki could see through theopen door, across the hallway, into the large reception room opposite. There was a long, strange-shaped, box-like thing, with some candlesburning near by. Curiosity getting the better of him, Yuan Ki got upand crept across the hall. Coming close to the casket, he lookedthrough the glass cover--and there lay the teacher. 

Just then a hand was laid on Yuan Ki's shoulder, and the nurse hustledhim back to bed, scolding him for his imprudence. "But, " said Yuan Ki, "the teacher--how did he die?"

"Lie still, " said the nurse, "and I will tell you. When you fell intothe water, teacher jumped from that high window to the ground. Itseemed to sprain his ankle, or something, for he limped badly as hemade his way to the water. He reached you just as you went down thelast time, and bore you up. A man ran out on the deck with a boat-hookand reached for you both. He caught your sleeve and hauled you in, butthe current carried teacher out of reach, and then we saw him sink. Hewas an expert swimmer, but the sprain must have caused him to loseconsciousness. "

Yuan Ki's next letter to his father read in part like this: "Myfather, my heart is broken, for I shall not see your face again. Iknow that what I shall tell you means that your hopes for me will becrushed and that you will disinherit me; but, oh, my father, I havelearned now what is the love of Christ. Teacher had tried to tell usabout his Christ, who said: 'Greater love hath no man than this, thata man lay down his life for his friends. '

"And now, my father, there is but one thing for me to do, and thatis, myself, to take the place which this noble servant of his Masterhas left vacant--his Master--now my Master, too, for He has acceptedme and I have accepted Him. I have resolved to train to go to mycountrymen and tell them of this wonderful God, the like of whom thereis none other. "

Jesus gave _all_ of Himself for us. We cannot give less than _all_ ofourselves for Him. 

 _Read Mark 15:16-47. _

XXI

READY!

Say, fellows, once in my life--and only once--I had a chance to shoota deer. It was in the Tennessee mountains. A party of us boystravelled over a rough mountain road all of two days before reachingthe hunting grounds. About daylight of the third day each one of uswas given a "stand, " that is, stationed at a point where the gamewould likely pass when started by the hounds. The seasoned old guidecautioned us to keep still and watch. "One thing sartin, " said he, "deer is in thar, an' when they comes out they comes this a-way. "

I had never been deer hunting before. I have never been since. It wasmy one opportunity, and as the party left me, to distribute themselvesat other points of vantage along the "run, " I took up my stand underconsiderable excitement. In an hour I heard the dogs far in thedistance. They were evidently running. That meant the game wasrunning, too, --how many and in what direction I could only guess. 

Every nerve and muscle was tense with expectation. The music of thehounds grew fainter. "Evidently circling again, " I mused. I wasgetting to be quite a huntsman, and chuckled at how David Crocketty myobservations were. 

Another hour I waited. A squirrel came out on a limb, and with itsantics and barking helped me pass the time. A while I watched it, nowand then dropping my eyes to a level for the expected deer. Suddenly, as I dropped my eyes, the most thrilling sight confronted them. Theynearly popped out--my eyes. There, within fifty feet of me, stood amagnificent buck. 

I shall never forget the picture. His beautiful, keen limbs slightlyquivering, his sleek sides glistening in the slanting rays of the sunas they throbbed in and out with his rapid panting. His head heldhigh, the antlers looked like a picture. 

All this had happened in less than five seconds. I only had to veer mygun two inches. My hand was on the trigger, and with a perfect "bead"on his left shoulder--right where the old guide had said the nightbefore was the spot to aim for. 

Snap! left barrel. 

Snap! right barrel. 

Off like the wind, Mr. Buck!

Fellows, I have never been sicker than I was at that moment, but once. My sickest was in the next moment, when I unbreached my gun and found_there was no shell in either barrel_!

Foolish?

You can call it any name you please and I won't defend it. Think of meat the camp-fire that night, fellows. 

Foolish? Yes, I suppose that is the right word. It is a much strongerword, though, than we realize. Jesus used it in this parable of theten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. But He used it todescribe a real tragedy, the greatest tragedy of life; the tragedy ofbeing unprepared at His coming. 

And when is He coming, fellows? Nobody knows. He has not even told theangels that secret. We don't have to know it. We only have to beready. 

And how to be ready? Simple as A B C, fellows. Just be busy, doingGod's will--or making an honest effort to do it, and asking Him tohelp. Anybody can be ready to meet Him when He comes, if he wants toand will try. Just be doing your work and playing your play, as Hewould have you do it. 

But, fellows, it is a big risk to "put off" getting ready. Do it nowwhile you are young, with all life before you, by saying: "Lord Jesus, here is my life. Use it in just whatever way you choose. Plan it forme and help me carry out the plan. " That is the way to bag the BigGame. Some of life's greatest opportunities come but once, and then bysurprise. The happiest and most successful life is the God-plannedlife, and a God-planned life never misses the Big Opportunity, becauseit is ready--always ready. Ready for life, however long or short itmay be; ready for death whenever that must be; ready for the Coming ofthe Lord Himself, which may be any moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 

Are you ready, fellows?

 _Read Matthew 25:1-13. _

XXII

REMEMBERING

Say, fellows, all through the United States some years ago theresounded a slogan. It was a slogan of hate, --a slogan of revenge. Itwas the rallying cry of the Navy, it was shouted by the Army. Newspapers carried it daily on the front page, alongside their titles;business houses had it printed on their stationery; it was engravedupon souvenirs; it hung as a motto upon the walls at many publicgatherings, and it became a household word throughout the nation:"Remember the Maine!"

Remember--remember--never forget. And the purpose in remembering wasRetaliation. One night while the United States battleship _Maine_ laypeacefully at anchor in the harbour of Havana, an explosion tore agreat hole in her hull and she quickly sank, carrying down manyofficers and men to sudden death. 

There was hardly any doubt that Spanish officers had from the shoretreacherously exploded a mine underneath the battleship, and laterinvestigations seemed to confirm this theory. Immediately the UnitedStates, an outraged nation, arose to drive the Spanish army from Cubaand her navy from American waters, and the spirit of revenge was keptalive by the slogan, "Remember the Maine!"

Now, fellows, those are just the cold facts to show how powerfullycan be used the word, Remember--how powerfully to kill and to destroy;how powerfully to nourish the harsh and cruel side of our natures. Notthat it was wrong for America to lift the Spanish yoke from helplessCuba, we are not dealing with that question. That with which we haveto do to-day is the energy and force developed by _remembering_. Likedynamite, it can be force for good or for evil. Remembering the tauntsand cruelties of our enemies usually carries us into a cruel anddestructive program. 

I am so glad this lesson presents to us the good side of that reallygreat word Remember, for to-day it is Remember Jesus. When you linkthat Name with a word it transforms it; link that Name with a life andit transforms it. Jesus Himself gave us the slogan. He was so intentupon our keeping it in mind that He instituted a feast by which wemight commemorate it. 

Even the food of that supper had a significance: Bread, to representHis own body nailed upon the cross for us, and wine to represent Hisblood which flowed for us. I think, fellows, if you should give yourlife to save another, you would not like that one to forget all aboutit, would you?

But Jesus had more than that in mind. He knew that "remembering" wouldmean much to you who are trying to live a straight-out Christian life. Celebrating at stated times by this Remembrance Supper would help youto remember Him also _between times_. It is in these between times weso much need the power which comes by Remembering Jesus. 

Am I downhearted because I have been mistreated? Remember Jesus. Hewas most mistreated of all men. Am I feeling that I'd like to "geteven" with somebody and redress a wrong? Remember Jesus. He did notstrike back, but laid down His life for His enemies. Am I feeling thatI cannot hold out in this Christian program? Remember Jesus. He isright by my side and will help me hold out. Do people seem tomisunderstand me? Remember Jesus. He understands, and that issufficient. Does it look as if I am about to make a failure? RememberJesus, through whom we are more than conquerors. 

I tell you, fellows, it is the biggest and finest Remember of all, because it makes us strong, it makes us happy, it enables us toovercome, it makes us invincible!

Remember Jesus. 

 _Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. _

XXIII

GETTING EVEN

Say, fellows! I saw a big touring car sideswipe a Ford runabout andknock it several feet to one side on the country road. Of course eachof the drivers thought the other was to blame, and a warm argumentfollowed. 

The big car was unhurt, and proceeded on its way, but the flivver hadits running board and fender badly battered. While the young fellow ofthe runabout examined to see what further damage his car might havesustained, the prosperous-looking gentleman was speeding up thehighway, chuckling over his own car's escape from injury. 

I asked the man of the Ford if his engine had suffered. No, he thoughtit was all right; he would crank up and see. Good! She started offwith a clutter, and he asked me if I wanted to ride. I had not far togo, but gladly accepted, for I was rather struck with this youngfellow's grip on himself. It took self-control to avoid making the airblue with abuse. The way that big fellow had hurried on, leaving therunabout in trouble, was certainly not on the square, to say theleast. 

A turn in the road brought a fresh surprise. There was the touringcar, a hundred yards ahead, standing in the middle of the road, hoodup, and the big man peering into the engine. There was room to pass, and I wondered what the man at the wheel in the runabout would do. Would the little car rattle past with its damaged fender? It would beonly human nature to sing out some sort of a taunt: "Thought you werein a hurry!" or "Don't block the road!"--and yet this young fellow didnot seem to be that kind. His self-control during the incident backthere in the road made me expect something different, and I was notdisappointed. The runabout did pass, but stopped ten yards ahead, andmy companion got out. 

"Engine trouble? Need any help?"

The big fellow's face was a puzzle, as he looked up with a worriedgrin and mopped his brow with a grease-smeared hand. Yes, there wasengine trouble, and it was serious. 

To make a long story short, when last I saw them as they turned thecurve of the road ahead, the big car's front axle was connected by achain to the rear of the runabout as it chugged away in low geardragging the big one to the nearest garage. 

Say, fellows! it takes a dead game sport to do a trick like that. Anycheap skate can whiz past and give his enemy in trouble thehard-boiled eye, but it takes a fine soul to be generous when thenatural impulse calls for spite work. 

In the small hours of that fine morning, as Saul slept and as hisguards were heavy with sleep about him, David put one over on hispursuer--an act of kindness which overwhelmed him with shame. Davidhad not only to fight a natural impulse to get even, but he had withhim an adviser who used the most persuasive arguments to induce himto take Saul's life. Indeed, Abishai proposed to do the deed himself, as though that would leave David clear of guilt in the matter. But no, David was a man of principle, and he knew three very vital things:

1. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, " said the Lord. 

2. A magnanimous spirit wins, and no sad regrets cloud the victory. 

3. He that ruleth his own spirit is better than he that taketh a city. 

 _Read twenty-sixth chapter of 1 Samuel and Romans 12:20-21. _

XXIV

GREATNESS

Say, fellows, if I should make up an unusually good story about you, some noble thing you did, or some kind and generous act, to whomshould I tell it, to be sure it would be believed? Yes, I see you knowof whom I am thinking--your mother. I might tell your brother andsister, and they would say: "Phew! are you sure it was Dick?" I mighttell your employer, and his eyes would roam around over the objects onhis desk; or your teacher, and he would look at the sky and say:"Think it will rain?" I might tell your father, and he would begrateful--but surprised! But let me tell your mother! There I wouldfind one who is ready to believe anything good I would say about you. 

I tell you, fellows, a mother is a wonderful gift to a boy, for herprayers alone. Long before you learned to say, "Now I lay me down tosleep, " she was praying that you would be a great and good man someday. Those prayers of mothers have kept many a boy from going wrong. One night in a great city where I had gone to find work I had fallenin with some young fellows who "knew the ropes, " and being far fromhome and lonesome I was glad to accept their companionship. Theyinvited me to join them in an "evening lark" to which no loyalChristian would lend himself, and though I was a nominal Christian Iwas tempted sorely. I regarded myself as "my own man, " having justturned twenty-one. 

But just as I wavered between right and wrong, my mother's faceflashed before me. It was only for an instant, but it was enough. Iheard her voice, heard it in prayer. That night a thousand miles awayshe was praying for me, and saved me from what might have been a fatalstep. I firmly believe, fellows, but for my mother's prayers thatnight and many nights, before and since, I should not now be enjoyingthe privilege of talking about the great things of life and theKingdom to you. 

Treasure that dear mother, if you have one, fellows; she is God'speculiar gift. 

Well, James and John had such a mother, and she did the most naturaland motherly kind of a thing. She wanted _her boys_ to go away uphigh; they must even stand in the highest places, on the right andleft hand of the King in His glory. Like all mothers, she wasambitious for her boys. 

Then Jesus in His wonderful way explained that the road to truegreatness was not that which the world was following, in which thosein power and authority were overbearing masters to their inferiors;but it is a path of service to mankind, a path already blazed byHimself. Last night in the local evening paper I saw these headlines:CHATTANOOGA DOCTOR ATTAINS EMINENCE. The article stated that a veryremarkable invention for the removal of foreign particles from thelungs or bronchial tubes, such as might be accidentally swallowed, hadbeen successfully demonstrated before a national medical society, andhad been written up in the _American Medical Journal_; it was saidthat the discovery had brought great honour to the doctor in the worldof medicine. 

That was the recognition, but what had preceded? Days and nights atbedsides of suffering; days and nights in the laboratory; days andnights of study to relieve pain; hours of weariness unknown to theworld, but borne on by the thought of doing a service to humanity. Anddo you suppose the final publicity is what rewards this doctor?Hardly. A reporter on his local city paper sought an interview, afterthe far-away medical journal had published the first news, but thedoctor, in his service overalls in the midst of treating his patients, declined the interview, saying it would involve a technicaldescription which the general public would hardly be interested in. Then it was "Good-morning, " and the doctor returned to his work. 

True greatness does not care to make one dash to fame, then loaf inits glory. 

The thing our great Commander wants us to be earnest about is doingour best, wherever the place of service. He will look after thereward. He is even more ambitious for us than our mothers are. 

 _Read Matthew 20:20-28. _

XXV

"PAW, I WANTA BE SOMEBODY!"

Say, fellows, away back in the mountains of western North Carolina, far up on the mountainside, at the head of a cove, there lived afifteen-year-old boy. He had sisters and brothers and parents, butthey dwelt in a little tumble-down shack and were wretchedly poor. Jake was the oldest of the children, and he had to work hard in thelittle patch of corn on the steep mountainside, which barely yielded acrop. 

Down the path a mile or so there was a little log schoolhouse where alady teacher gave some of the mountain children lessons in "readin', ritin', and 'rithmetic. " Jake had passed and repassed that schoolhousemany times and wished that he might "go thar and larn, " but Jake wastoo important a hand on "the farm" to "waste enny time at sich"--sothought his parents, neither of whom could read or write. "An' Jakewas pow'ful handy 'bout fixin' things, like tools en sich. "

One day, when "the crop" was pretty well "laid by, " Jake came to theshack and, throwing his hoe into the corner, said: "Paw, I wanta beSomebody!" Then Jake went on to say he had been thinking that now thecorn was in shape to go ahead and make what it would, he "might putin some time ev'y day at the schoolhouse a-larnin' how to read andwrite. "

"But y'ain't got nothin' to buy books, " was suggested. 

"I'll see 'bout that 'ar, " said Jake. 

Next morning when the teacher arrived, Jake was waiting at theschoolhouse door. 

"Teacher, " said he, "I ain't got no money to buy books, but I kin gitup the wood ev'y day for the stove, 'n I kin sweep out the schoolhouse'n keep it clean--cain't ye loan me a book 'n let me come 'n larn?"

Jake's terms were accepted. No boy was ever prouder of a universityscholarship than Jake was of that chance to "larn" in the littlemountain schoolhouse. Jake went after "larnin'" as a boy goes for pieat the picnic dinner. 

A few months later, the school was visited by the superintendent ofone of the large North Carolina mountain mission schools. When theteacher told him about Jake, he offered him an opportunity to enterthe mission school and succeeded in persuading his parents to let himgo. Jake was put to work taking care of the farm machinery in theagricultural department of the mission, but with ample time to pursuehis studies in the schoolroom. 

It was noticed that he had special aptitude for fixing the farmimplements and adjusting the parts--even making some of the missingparts at the old blacksmith forge. The superintendent was so impressedwith this that as soon as Jake's education had made pretty fairprogress, he secured him a position in the dynamo room of a largemanufacturing plant in a near-by town. Jake had accepted Jesus Christas his Saviour and Master while at the mission school, owned hisBible, read it faithfully every day, and was a consistent youngChristian. 

It was a triumph for Jake, when he got a discarded dynamo out of itscorner and saved the purchase of a new machine. His employers soon sawthat he was entitled to even a better chance than they could give him, and after they had some correspondence with a great electricalmanufacturing firm in New England, Jake one day bade farewell to his"Tarheel" friends and took a north-bound train. 

At the great electrical plant, his career was continuously upward. 

It takes five figures to name his salary. Every Sunday morning youwill see Jake and his family get into their big car and motor into thecity, where Jake teaches a large and enthusiastic class of young men. 

The mountain boy has realized his wish: he is Somebody!

No fellow can do a finer thing than make his life count as a force inChristianizing the nation--to make it stand out a shining light, pointing the world to Christ. And one effective way to do that is toapply himself, with a Christ-loving heart, to the opportunity thatcomes to his hands to build himself up in a Christian way and in abusiness way. For good business and Christian integrity are twin screwpropellers. 

The fellow that gets the good job, the fellow that suddenly findshimself in a position of power and privileged service to his worldabout him is the fellow who is found faithful to the smaller work orthe smaller opportunity that lies next to his hand. 

Oh, fellows, it is the only life!

 _Read Matthew 25:14-30. _

XXVI

"LET DOWN YOUR FEET!"

Say, fellows, something happened two summers ago at a well-knownresort in the mountains, which even at this late day it quickens mypulse to recall. I was one of the very few eyewitnesses of the"tragedy, " and it nearly put me to bed with nervous prostration. Itwas about twilight one evening when I passed near the lake on my wayto our cottage for supper. 

The gay throng of swimmers had apparently all dispersed to the hotelsand cottages for the evening meal and preparation for the concert inthe auditorium. That lake was a very popular place in the afternoon;there were accommodations for all grades of swimmers--from the expertdivers who used the platform, spring-board, and tall diving ladder onthe deep side, to the smallest children, who paddled and waded in theshallow water under the watchful care of their nurses on the otherside. The lake was not over a hundred yards wide at the widest. 

I was just noting how deserted and quiet was the place which only afew moments before had been fairly alive with a happy throng of sportlovers, little and big, when I saw coming toward the platform from thebath house a tall, thin man in his bathing suit. He looked so pale andweak and thin that I wondered if he could possibly be thinking ofgoing into that cold water at that time of evening and _alone_!

I had not long to be in doubt about it, for straight out on theplatform he went and then _on the spring-board_! He lifted his armsabove his head and pointed his hands together as a man going to dive. The man looked so weak and thin that I felt positive he would not beable to swim in that water, so chilled by the mountain springs thatfed it. I wondered if he knew how cold it was and how weak he was. 

Should I run the risk of "butting in, " and warn him? Suppose I did notand he should begin to sink, could I jump in that fifteen-foot waterwith my clothes on and save him? These thoughts flashed rapidlythrough my mind, but in the twinkling of an eye he was off thespring-board, head downward into the water. 

I held my breath and waited for him to rise. It seemed he had gone tothe bottom and stuck there; the water became actually smooth again, and almost still, where he had disappeared. I thought he would nevercome up. My heart jumped into my throat. 

Then he came up--very near where he had gone down--and faintly struckout swimming. I thought of course he would at once make for the piersof the platform; surely a fellow swimming as weakly as that, allalone, and in water cold and deep, would not risk himself far fromshore. But, to my amazement, he was apparently starting for the otherside!

It was then I discovered I was not the only witness. On the other sideof the lake, down close to the water's edge, and watching with evidentanxiety, was a lady. It was easy to see by her movements that she hada strong personal interest in the swimmer's actions, and that she wasvery anxiously watching him. She had evidently come down to keep himcompany, or as a precaution, while he took his solitary evening swim. 

These things, which were taken in at a glance, coupled with the factthat the swimmer was plainly growing weaker and making very poorprogress, confirmed all my apprehensions, and I was just thinking Imust quickly take measures for his relief when I saw coming out of thebath house on a dead run, two husky young fellows in bathing suits, making for the spring-board. 

At the same time the lady shouted: "Father! Father! can you make it?"

The swimmer gurgled something which sounded like, "No. "

He had gotten about half-way across and was merely struggling to keephis head above water. The two huskies went off the spring-board soclose one behind the other that it looked foolhardy, and struck outrapidly for the drowning man, but he had gone down his second timealready. 

It was a race between life and death. I said: "They will never reachhim in time. " The lady screamed. Then a new voice broke upon the stillevening air. A boy over on the walkway by the dam shouted at the topof his lungs: "_Mister! Let down your feet!_" The struggling man heardit; he did let down his feet, rose up about waist deep in the water_and walked out_!

Fellows, as I walked on up the hill toward supper, trying to work myheart back down where it belonged, I did some tall thinking. Had _I_ever "drowned" in shallow water? Sure, I had. The great big things Godhas planned for you and me to do seem impossible because we do nottake into account that they are to be done through God's power and notour own. 

We summon the nerve to tackle the task, but, forgetting Him, likePeter trying to walk on the water, we sink. We foolishly try to do thething in our own strength, when there at our hand is the great powerof Almighty God just waiting to flow through us and accomplish itgloriously. 

Oh, fellows, if you would just let down your feet on the mighty powerof God, you would walk out of all your difficulty. Here is a greatoverpowering temptation getting the best of you--and you, drowning inshallow water. 

Let down your feet! Here is an inspiring challenge out of God's Word, to put forth your hand and heart and mind and help win the world forHim. You are tempted to say: "Who am I?" Let down your feet, andyou'll see who you are. You are a child of God, through whom He iswilling to do mighty works. 

And you will rise upon your feet, you poor, weak fellow, and you willhold aloft the Banner of the Cross, and you will achieve for God in away that will set all the bells of heaven ringing. 

 _Read Matthew 28:16-20. _

XXVII

AN "UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAY"

Say, fellows, when that "Indian, " Wambganss, put three men out withone unassisted play in the world's series and retired the BrooklynDodgers with bases full, twenty thousand frantic Cleveland fans roseas one man and sent up a yell that sounded like the roar of Niagara. It comes but once in a generation for a lone baseball player to makean "unassisted triple play" in a world's series, and doubtless thatnight the Cleveland second baseman was the most envied baseball playerin the world. For one man to do, alone, what thousands of onlookerscould not do, was enough to turn all fandom topsy-turvy in a deliriumof amazement. 

There is something in you and me, fellows, that leaps to its feet andscreeches with delight when we see any one rise to the demands of acrisis and do the fine thing. Now, I want you to turn to a place inthe Bible where is described a finer thing than could happen in anyworld's series. It has always seemed to me to be about the mostwonderful event that ever happened. It is John's account of one of themost wonderful miracles that Jesus performed. 

More than five thousand hungry people lingered on the hillsides nearthe lake shore, and there was nothing for them to eat. Jesus wastesting His men that day to see how far they had recognized Hisdivine power. He turned to Philip and said: "Where shall we get foodfor them?" Philip did not know it was a test question; neither did herealize that Jesus could turn every blade of grass to a loaf of breadif He chose to do so. Therefore, Philip replied: "I do not know, Lord;it looks as if they will have to go home hungry. "

Now Andrew was casting about to see what he might discover to help outthe situation, and his eye fell upon a boy standing near by with arather familiar shaped bundle in the folds of his tunic. Andrewsniffed, and saw the tails of two dried fish sticking through. Andrewhad a long nose for fish. He knew what it was: the boy had brought alunch with him. 

"How many barley cakes have you, son?" inquired Andrew. "Five, "answered the boy. "Wait a minute, " said Andrew. Something had flashedinto his mind. It was a big moment for Andrew; he was on the verge ofdoing a fine thing, himself, and he stepped quickly to where Jesusstood. 

"Master!" he said, his eyes snapping with the very thought of what_might happen_--"Master, there's a lad here with five barley cakes andtwo small fishes--" and (oh, the tragedy of it!) then he must havecaught Philip's hard-boiled eye. He must have thought, "Now, Philip issaying I'm a fool for suggesting such a thing--and I guess I am"; forhe quickly added "--_but what are they among so many?_"

Jesus calmly turned His eyes on Andrew, as though He said:"Almost!--Andrew--almost did your faith win a victory; make the mensit down on the grass, and bring the lad's lunch to me. "

Now, fellows, I can imagine Andrew going back to that boy and saying, "Son, the Master has need of this food you have brought; shall I takeit to Him?" And this boy's first thought, naturally, was: "Then, whatwill I do? I'm a long way from home; I'm hungry, and I was just fixingto eat it myself--but--"

The boy had been listening to Jesus as He talked to the crowd. He hadseen those wonderful eyes melting with compassion. His own eyes hadfeasted upon that majestic countenance, and his ears had tingled, andhis boyish heart thrilled with the marvellous words which fell fromthe Master's lips. "Surely, " he had thought, "this _must_ be theMessiah, for no other could speak like Him, nor work these marvellouscures. " So quickly he brushed aside his self-interest, and held outthe little bundle of fishes and bread. 

Now, fellows, watch--What?--a triple play at a world series and twentythousand fans leaping and yelling like mad? Bless you, no. Somethinghappened right then which will be remembered a millennium afterbaseball has been forgotten. Jesus took the boy's lunch and fed fivethousand hungry men, besides women and children, until they could eatno more. 

I have many times tried to picture in my imagination that glad andastonished boy. His eyes must have nearly popped out when he saw whatwas going on, the Master giving out the bread and fishes--and thebread and fishes _never giving out_!

And the big news to-day, fellows, is that you and I can make a playlike that. No matter what it is you've got in your hand, let Jesus useit. He can do more with it than we can. No matter whether it is muchor little, give it to Him. In fact, that's the way to save it and makethe most of it. He said so (Luke 9:24) Himself; give it to Him. Itmatters not so much _what_ it is in your hand; the thing that mattersis _what you do with it_. Give it to Him. You may not hear thebleachers roar over your gift, but, listen, fellows, when a life issurrendered to Christ the battlements of heaven ring with a shout thatencircles God's throne, and the score is for Eternity!

Fellows, let's play the REAL GAME. 

 _Read John 6:5-14. _

XXVIII

FORGIVING

Say, fellows, I want you to take a look at Simon Peter to-day. He isas interesting as a fast game of volley ball. And he did get some hotones handed to him. Impulsive fellow that he was, he was alwaysgetting his foot into it. Peter was a plunger; he wanted to _dothings_, and do them right now. Loyal soul--he would fight for hisfriend at the drop of a hat; but he was subject to fits of depression, and at such times his heart would fail him, or he would lose his gripon himself and do something to regret sorely afterward. 

Now, fellows, Jesus loved Peter with a mighty love, and He spent muchtime helping him to gain self-control and learn to be a steady, thoroughgoing, dependable Christian. Many times Jesus had to call himdown sharply. Once He even called Peter "Satan" (see Mark 8:33). Itreally was Satan to whom Jesus spoke--Satan operating in Peter, as heoperates in you and me sometimes when we are weak enough to permit it;but it must have been an awful jolt to Peter to get that from hisMaster. 

Peter gradually improved. He was making an honest effort to be the manhe ought to be; but there one thing which gave him more trouble thananything else. He got to the point where he could close his jawstight and keep from calling down the fellow who made him mad, but hecouldn't keep from surging inside. He would surge when he went to bed, and he would be still surging when he got up--all inside. After awhile he got to where he could forgive, but when the offense wasrepeated it was "all off, " and Peter would find himself surging again. Now the second surging was just as uncomfortable and made him feel asmean as the first, so Peter began to wonder just what would be thelimit, according to Jesus' idea, to which a man must forgive and thensurge and feel good over it. You see, Peter was trying to train by therules of Jesus, so it was quite the proper thing for him to ask Jesusabout it when in doubt. A good sport is always ready to listen to theCoach. 

Jesus was teaching the Golden Rule, the law of kindness and ofgood-will. He had just been showing how to make peace with one who hasdone you an injury, when Peter spoke up and asked the question whichbrought forth one of Jesus' most remarkable parables. Peter said:"Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?until seven times?"

Seven times! Think of that. It was going some, wasn't it? DoubtlessPeter thought so. Perhaps he said to himself: "Well, for once I haveproposed something which will show the Lord that I have learned to bea longsuffering Peter. Just imagine it: Forgave him Sunday; herepeated the offense Monday, and I forgave him again; also the same onTuesday. He deliberately did that dirty trick again on Wednesday, andI still stood my ground on the forgiving program. Thursday and Fridaythe rascal repeated the offense, and I forgave, and did it again onSaturday; that was seven times, and lo! when Sunday came theungrateful wretch was at it again, and I'm done. Seven times! It was awonderful test of my control, and I shall present it to the Lord--"

And what did Jesus say? Why, Peter must have staggered under thatanswer, for it revealed to him far more than the "four hundred andninety times" program. In the light of that parable in Matthew18:21-35, it revealed to Peter that God had already forgiven so muchthat was sinful in him that he might just as well settle down to aprogram of forgiving his brother every day for the balance of hislife, if he did not want to forfeit the forgiveness of God. No moresurging for Peter. 

And that is what the lesson means for you and for me to-day. Amissionary once said, "We cannot outgive God. " It is quite as truethat we cannot out-forgive God. And, moreover, we dare not harbourunforgiveness in our hearts against any fellow-being, for when we doit we are dangerously close to the edge of a fearful precipice, whereone slip would put us--with the Tormentors. 

Let's all shake hands--hard!

 _Read Matthew 18:21-35. _

XXIX

PARADOX

Say, fellows, do you know what a paradox is? It is something whichseems to contradict itself. I saw a man hold in his hand somethingworth one hundred dollars. I would have been willing to give him onehundred dollars for it. He destroyed it right before my eyes; yet hisaction caused nobody any loss. Now there is a paradox, and it seemsquite puzzling, doesn't it? It looks quite impossible, you may say. But the explanation is very simple. What the man held in his hand washis own check on the bank. He had made a slight scratch on it whichdid not affect its value, only its neatness, and he preferred to tearit to pieces and rewrite it. 

Here now in the eleventh chapter of Matthew, our Lord in Hisimpressive way is teaching in a paradox, and you may mark it well, forit indicates a specially important proposition. He says: "Come untome, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly inheart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. " It seems queer that incoming in answer to that invitation you should have a yoke to put on. 

But your first wrong impression is that the Lord is sorry for folkswho work. Not at all; work is a blessed privilege. Pity the pooridler, not the worker. Be sorry for him who is by any cause debarredfrom working, not for the red-blooded fellow who is feeling the thrillof accomplishing something. Our Lord is sorry for those who are "heavyladen" while they work--laden with worry, with anxiety, with fears andforebodings--yes, even with a guilty conscience. 

Then the yoke. Who would think of a yoke in connection with rest? Isuppose you fellows have seen oxen wearing yokes. They do not lookvery restful, do they? Yet Jesus clearly says His yoke is "easy"!Well, let's see. 

For a moment, think of life as a great game. In many respects it isjust that. It takes skill and wit and patience and determination towin the ordinary game; also the willingness to take a lot ofpunishment at times. There are three things about the game of lifewhich are like all other games: (1) We must either win or lose; (2)there is uncertainty; and (3) we all want to win. But there are alsothree things true of the life game which are not true about othergames. 

The first of these three dissimilarities is that in the life game youhave got to play whether you will or no. You can beg off from a gameof tennis, or baseball, or dominoes; but the life game you have got toplay, willing or unwilling, sick or well, fit or not fit. There's nochoice; you've got to play--_you are already playing. _

Second, you must play against an adversary who is not only moreskillful, more speedy, more enduring, but is _invisible_, and whom, humanly speaking, it is absolutely impossible to beat. Such a game!Such an adversary!

But the third dissimilarity is the most remarkable of all, and it isthe shot which carries the big news to-day, --there is a rule by whichyou can certainly win. Can you say that about any other game? In othergames, your rival can apply the rule as well as you, but in the gameof life the rule is only available for you, and it is an absolutelysure winner. Turn to your Bibles and look at it, in the twenty-fourthverse of the ninth chapter of Luke: "Whosoever will save his lifeshall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the sameshall save it. "

Losing your life for Jesus--which simply means _investing_ it for Him. Whatever you do, do that thing in His name and in a way worthy of Him. Your _life_, you know, is simply made up of the events of thetwenty-four hours of each day. Invest each event with Jesus. Thatmeans your play as well as work. It means clean play and good hardplaying to win, but in the way Christ would approve, honest, fair, chivalrous--and it is true sport, I tell you. That is a part of whatit means, wearing Jesus' yoke, simply doing the thing as Jesus woulddo it. 

 _Read Matthew 11:28-30. _

XXX

FRAUD

Say, fellows, the greatest circus man who ever lived said the Americanpeople like to be humbugged, and proceeding on that theory, P. T. Barnum got together more animals and performers and freaks undercanvas than had ever been seen before. He made a tremendous fortune. There is something in human nature which makes us an easy mark for anypretentious thing that comes down the pike with banners flying. Thebigger the claim and the larger the figures, the more readily we fallfor it, but simple things must be proved. 

When we are told there are 290, 680, 493, 115 stars we accept it withoutquestion, but if there is a sign saying "FRESH PAINT" we touch thepaint with our fingers to see if it is really so. 

Fellows, there is a big sign posted all over the country, carrying inlarge letters the two words, "It satisfies. " It is the expensiveadvertising propaganda of cigarette manufacturers, and the"satisfaction" they are offering you is that brief and fleetingsensation of being doped, so that "stern realities are changed topleasant seemings. " It matters not to them that your health and moralsand money and life pay the cost, just so they sell their product. They tell you cigarettes "satisfy. " It is a preposterous fake. Theydo not satisfy--they produce further craving--and they know that thatcraving grows, until the habit is formed and their "satisfied" victimbecomes a hopeless slave--known as a cigarette fiend. There is onlyone drawback for the cigarette manufacturer, his consumer is too shortlived; the cigarette devitalizes, pauperizes, and destroys. Like theshock troops of the German army, they must be continuallyrecruited--recruited in numbers which almost stagger the imagination. 

Did you know, fellows, that to keep up the consumption of cigarettesat the present rate of manufacture there must be _two thousand_ newsmokers _daily_ to contract the habit? Nearly all these new smokersmust be boys, for men are not fooled into this practice so easily. 

In a village I recently saw a large bill-board sign at the top ofwhich in bold letters were the words, WANTED: ONE MILLION RECRUITS!Upon reading farther, I found it was the advertisement of a certainbrand of cigarettes, and the manufacturers boldly stated that the "onemillion recruits" were wanted to join the large and growing army of"delighted smokers" of their "richly blended" cigarette. 

You don't have to fall for it. You do not _have_ to be one of the twothousand daily new recruits to the cigarette manufacturer's army ofshock troops. 

But the sly wolf comes in disguise, and in this case the disguise is"satisfaction" offered. Once the wolf gets its victim it throws offthe disguise and stops talking about "satisfaction, " but simply handsthe "coffin tacks" across the counter, and takes your money, health, morals, success, and real satisfaction, in exchange, while you--well, you proceed to drive the tacks, one by one. 

Says the cigarette: "I am not much of a mathematician, perhaps, but Ican ADD nervous trouble; I can SUBTRACT from physical energy; I canMULTIPLY aches and pains; I can DIVIDE the mental powers; I can takeINTEREST from work and I can DISCOUNT chances for success. "

Dr. Heald, writing in _Life and Health_, says cigarettes are in manycases the direct cause of cancer, blindness, deafness, heart diseaseand dyspepsia. He further says they dwarf the body, benumb the brainand weaken character. 

That cigarettes "hinder the development of the body" is testified toby the following physical directors of universities: Drs. Seaver andAnderson, of Yale; Dr. Hitchcock, of Ambrose; Dr. Meylin, ofColumbia--as a result of repeated and careful measurements both ofsmokers and non-smokers. 

Judge Ben Lindsey says: "No pure-minded, honest, manly, brave boy willsmoke a cigarette. "

"Home-Run" Baker says: "I do not smoke--never did. If any youngsterwants advice from one who doesn't mean to preach, there it is: Leavecigarettes alone!"

Dr. Coffin, of the Whittier Reform School, says: "Of the 1, 700 boyswho have been inmates of this institution, 1, 670 were cigarettesmokers!"

_There_ is "satisfaction" for you; no, not for you, but onlysatisfaction for the cigarette manufacturer and dealer, suchsatisfaction as comes from ill-gotten gains, which after all cannot bepermanent. 

Yes, "it satisfies"--the cigarette, --it satisfies--satisfies thedevil, and _he_ laughs, and _his_ is the only real long laugh that thecigarette affords. 

The cigarette-tree is known by its fruit. Cut it out. 

 _Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. _

XXXI

THE BIG TASK

Say, fellows, some years ago France gave a man a large task. The man'sname was De Lesseps, and the task was to cut a ditch seventy-two feetwide across Panama, to unite the two great oceans. Part of the cuttingwas to be through hills two hundred and fifty feet high. It was a bigorder, and although De Lesseps had the resources of a great republicback of him, he failed to deliver. Aside from the gigantic feat ofdigging and removing stone and earth, there were malaria and yellowfever in the swamps, which killed thousands of labourers, and therewere theft and bribery in the financial management, which swallowed upthe money. These things were like giants invincible, blocking the wayagainst success. 

Twenty-two years later the United States tackled that same job. General Goethals was sent to Panama, and he put it through. Himself askillful engineer, confident of the success of the enterprise, andwith all the resources of Uncle Sam back of him, he set to work. Surgeon-General Gorgas stamped out yellow fever and malaria bydraining the swamps and eliminating the mosquito, making the canalzone practically a health resort. 

Thus, with unlimited financial power, the latest discoveries ofscience and invention, skill, and an ample supply of labour, coupledwith faith in the plan and an unconquerable spirit, the man cutthrough, two oceans came together, and the world's commerce passedback and forth in an endless stream. 

It was a big order, nobly executed. 

Yet, fellows, there was an infinitely bigger order given to thosetwelve faithful, believing men, when our Lord calmly told them to goout and do five things, namely: "Preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils"--infinitelybigger, in that it required infinitely more power. Jesus furnished thepower, the disciples furnished the faith and effort, and the fivethings were done. 

There was the malaria of sin in the way, and mountains of unbelief, but they _cut through_, and the ocean of God's love, on one side, andthe ocean of man's need, on the other, were united!

Had you thought of it, fellows, that every Christian is challenged andcommissioned to do a big, hard task for Jesus? The task is big andhard because it requires Almighty Power, but Jesus supplies the power. Our part is simply to throw ourselves into the job. We hesitatebecause we forget that God gives no task but that He sees us through, and the bigger and harder the job the more abundant and free is thesupply of power. Our part is to _proceed_. He will see that wesucceed. We take a step at a time; we go by the blueprints while Heholds the future in His hand. 

 "A man went down to Panama, Where many men had died, To slip the sliding mountain And lift the eternal tide. A man went down to Panama, And the mountain stood aside. "

That's the poetry of it, fellows, but the practical prose is likethis:

 A shovel. A pick. And dig. And dig. And dig. 

 _Read Matthew 17:14-21. _

XXXII

POWER

Say, fellows, Marconi has succeeded in lighting an incandescent bulbeight miles away without the use of a wire. It is the transmission ofpower by wireless. Experiments have also been successful inelectrically guiding, starting, and stopping, without visibleconnection, a torpedo or even a battleship from the land or from aship. The human voice has been projected through the ether fromWashington, D. C. , to San Francisco, by wireless telephone. 

These things are sufficiently marvellous to make us gasp--and yet howfar they fall short of the things which Jesus did, as recorded in theeighth and ninth chapters of Matthew. The centurion's servant was sicksome distance away. It would have been miracle enough if Jesus hadgone to him, touched him, and healed him; but Jesus met a new brand offaith in the centurion, and He more than matched it with a new sampleof His divine power. 

He simply spoke, and the man in the distance was instantly made well. In Hebrews 1:3 you will find this phrase: "By the word of his power. "It was that word which created the universe; by that word He hadcreated the centurion's servant; and now by that same wonder ofwonders He reaches through space and re-creates; He lifts the sickman off his bed, twelve miles away (it might just as well have beenthousands of miles), puts him on his feet, sound and well, and servinghis master!

Now, fellows, you and I can link up to that power, and we only have toapply for a connection; we need not make a journey to get it. When wewant light or fuel gas or a telephone in our home, we simply apply forit; the company connects the house with the supply mains, and thepower comes within reach of our hands. But here is divine poweravailable, and we do not get it because we do not ask for it. 

The centurion had unusual faith when he believed Jesus could commandthe forces of nature and be obeyed, just as he [the centurion] couldcommand his household servants and be obeyed, and Jesus met that faithin a marvellously unusual way. You and I are continually makingmistakes and failures and "messing things up. " We want to be a successin life. We want everything we undertake, in work or play, to "panout" well. But unseen forces are at work to hinder, and circumstancesintervene which we cannot control. Here's the magic secret: link upwith Jesus' power. 

I asked a modest tennis player how he had managed to win out in thefinals against an opponent who was much his superior in skill andtraining. He replied: "I'm afraid I took an 'unfair' advantage ofhim--I prayed to win"; and he smiled. I heard of a famous quarterbackon one of the big 'varsity teams who linked his game with prayer andgot unusual power in the play. And why not?

But there is more to the secret. To make that "linking up" effective, it must be accompanied by complete surrender of the life to Jesus'authority. Power is unsafe unless divinely controlled--worse thanthat, it is fatal. 

Let's put the whole matter in Jesus' hands, and we'll have a greattime!

 _Read John 4:46-54. _

XXXIII

CHRISTMAS

Say, fellows, when it was announced in the Edison home seventy-threeyears ago that a boy was born, and his name was Tom, it was a greatday for the world. It was a great day for you and for me--though wewere not yet born. Think a minute how it would be without the electriclight, now illuminating every city and town in the world--at the touchof a button in millions of homes and halls and offices and factoriesturning darkness into day. It is wonderful that the birth of one boynamed Tom should mean so much to the world. Yet who can say that hadEdison not been born none would have discovered the incandescent lamp?

It was another wonderful day when Mr. And Mrs. Watt announced thebirth of their son James--a wonderful day for the world and for youand me. Think of how many ways steam power, through manufacture andtransportation, adds to our comfort and pleasure. Yet who can say thatno man would have discovered and harnessed this giant to serve mankindif James Watt had not seen the light of day?

Still another wonderful day it was when the Bells announced the birthof a boy whom they named Alexander Graham--a wonderful day for theworld and for you and me. How would we get on without the telephone?Yet who can say that no one would have invented the telephone ifAlexander Graham Bell had not been born?

But, oh, fellows, the supreme birthday of all time was that which wasannounced by the angels to the shepherds watching their flocks bynight in the Judean fields; it was that birthday signalled by aglorious star to the Wise-men who came to Bethlehem with gifts of goldand frankincense and myrrh. The birth of Jesus means more to the worldand to you and me than all the other birthdays combined. Those otherbirthdays brought material blessings. The coming of Jesus into theworld not only made possible the highest enjoyment of all materialblessing, but--far more important--made possible the most wonderful_spiritual_ blessing imaginable, and that is the only benefit whichcan endure through life and eternity. 

Neither can it be said that if Jesus had not been born some othermight have brought us salvation and life and joy, for "there is noneother name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. "

Edison was used of God to give us light to read by; Jesus gives uslight to live by and to die by. 

Watt was used of God to give us steam power with which to manufactureand to haul; Jesus gives us power to overcome evil which would destroyus, body and soul, and that power is infinitely more necessary. 

Dr. Bell was used of God to supply us with the means of speaking andhearing over long distances; Jesus gives us connection with God andshortens to whispering nearness and forgiveness the long distance ofseparation between an outraged Heavenly Father and a disobedientchild. 

 _Read Luke 2:1-20. _

XXXIV

AIMING HIGH

Say, fellows, on the train sometimes a fellow-passenger becomesconfidential and tells a story right out of his heart. One of thiskind came to me the other day. 

There were two brothers--clever boys, keen, alert, ambitious. Theylived in a Christian home. God spoke very clearly to both of them, calling them to lives of consecrated service for Him. 

A---- decided to train for the ministry. B---- said the ministry waspoorly paid. He felt that A---- was needlessly committing himself to alife of sacrifice. He shuddered at the prospect of a poor preacher'shand to mouth existence. As for him, he would sell _his_ talents inthe world market, where brains and training counted for something andbrought a large price. Not for him the narrow life in a small corner, when a young man of ambition and push could live and have a good timein the big current. A fortune, a fame, and a life on the high road ofease and pleasure were the things really worth striving for, and forthese he proposed to drive. 

Twelve or fifteen years have passed since these decisions were formed. A---- finished his seminary training, was licensed as a minister, andaccepted a little country charge. It was hard sledding, the salary wassmall, and the work was more or less discouraging, but it was a cleancourse and a clear road, and he buckled down, throwing into his workall his resources. 

B---- went to a large city and got a trial job as reporter on a bigdaily. He had a mind for writing--a good vocabulary, and a flow oflanguage which gave promise of carrying him to the goal of hisambition. He wrote verses in good style, and had had a number of poemsin his college magazine. B----'s program, you remember, put specialemphasis upon "having the good things of this life while you may. "Putting the emphasis there is likely to warp one's judgment as to whatare really "the good things, " and so it proved in B----'s case, for hespent his salary on luxuries, and for the temporary gratification ofhis appetite and his ideas of "a good time. "

He had to call on his father periodically for money to pay for direnecessities. It was not surprising that B----'s jobs changedfrequently and he went from city to city--the general direction of hisfortunes, habits, and health being downward. Just now he has a job ona little weekly paper in a village. His bare pittance in these parlousdays of H. C. L. Hardly sustains his solitary bachelor existence. He isa broken-hearted and discouraged man--not old in years, but with thesnap and vigour of young manhood gone. He is in debt, and there issmall chance of his getting out. He is practically a cipher in hiscommunity. Life is one daily reminder of failure, and the relentlessbearing down of bitter disappointment. 

But look at A----. He is the happy and enthusiastic pastor of a largeand growing congregation, which congregation is simply "daffy" abouthim. They pay him a good salary, even as salaries go in these advancedtimes, and he is absolutely free from financial care. He has acommodious and comfortable home, presided over by his wife and blessedwith little children. His congregation recently made him ananniversary present of a three thousand dollar car, replacing one theyhad previously given him, of a cheaper make. 

My passenger companion (who, by the way, is the father of these twoboys) said when he was at A----'s home recently, two dressed turkeyswere sent in by two families of his congregation on the same day. Hisis one of the progressive churches of the state. It supports a numberof outpost missions, "manned" by the members of his congregation. Heis held in high esteem, not only in the community but in the state. And with all this, he seems to be only upon the threshold of hislife-work, with a career of greatest usefulness laid out invitinglybefore him. Endowed, like his brother, with unusual natural ability, he is finding widest scope for the free play of all his powers; andthese powers being fully consecrated, are illuminated and energized bythe very-power of God. 

Now, fellows, which of these two was wise? Which would you rather be?

Truly God means what He says when He tells you and me to-day: "Seek yefirst the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these thingsshall be added unto you"!

 _Read Matthew 6:25-34. _

XXXV

WAITING

Say, fellows, are you "game" to consider a tough little word in thelanguage to-day? All right, brace up, for it is one of the hardestthings a fellow has to tackle, and the main reason _why_ it is hard isthat you can't tackle it, but have to wait. 

There! I have said it--the word is W-A-I-T. 

The boys who went to France say they didn't so much mind "going overthe top" as they did the sometimes long waiting and suspense whichpreceded. 

In every fellow's boyhood days there are necessary periods of waiting;not idle waiting, mind you. The "prodigal son" couldn't stand it, you remember. "Dad, give me what is coming to me, and let me getaway from the humdrum life of the farm. I want to see life!" and hepicked his fruit green and ate it. That poor fellow got an awfulstomach-ache--and it was the worse ache of _emptiness_ and not offullness!

But maybe you are wondering what all this has to do with these threeparables of the kingdom spoken by our Lord. Just this: they are "wait"parables. The servants of the man who had sowed wheat in his field, said: "Master, look! tares are coming up with the wheat--what shall wedo?" Their master said, "Wait. " Then when the harvest ripened and thething could be safely handled without injuring the wheat, the tareswere separated and destroyed. A fellow struggling along, trying to doright, finding it up-hill work and the denial of many so-calledpleasures, sees another fellow running a loose and reckless program, doing all the forbidden things, yet without injury apparently. 

It looks as though one can disobey all the rules, have a fine time, and suffer no setbacks. What's the use stinting and pinching oneselfinto a straight and narrow track when those out on the broad way arehaving all the life--and getting away with it? Well, bo, you just_wait_. It looked awful gloomy for the Allies all through those trenchwaiting months of 1915 to 1918; but in 1918 Chateau-Thierry poppedthrough. The strength of an ally had been developing, and therefollowed in rapid succession the victories of Belleau Wood, theArgonne, and St. Mihiel--and Right came into its own. 

Remember, the waiting time of a boy's life is that time of silentgrowing of the moral fiber, the character, and at the proper moment hewill rise in the full strength of a well-rounded manhood and take hisrightful place in the world of things, while tares which were ever soflourishing go to the dump heap and the trash burning. 

The mustard seed was very small, lying there in the ground. It had to_wait_. Even when it came up and looked about, it seemed there washardly a chance for so fragile a stem, but it _waited_, and while itwaited, it _grew_. After a while it became a full-grown bush, and thebirds of the air came and lodged in it. There is a legend about treeslonging for birds to come to their branches, some trees growinglonesome or jealous because other trees seemed to be more inviting tothe birds. That is much like human nature. We naturally like to besought out. "Wait" is the watchword; keep sweet and hustle, and soonenough our branches will reach high and spread. 

The woman put the yeast in the dough, then set it by to _wait_. What amistake it would have been to try to cook it at once; the bread wouldhave been almost as heavy as lead, and totally unfit to eat. But whileshe waited, the leaven _worked_--and so while you patiently wait, doing God's will as best you know how, _God works_, and what a mightyWorker is He! Then, as you grow, He gives you a part to do alongsidewith Him; He and you work together. 

Let's not be in too big a hurry for the Eats, fellows; let's work andwait--and then how good the Reward will taste. 

That is the style of the kingdom of heaven. 

 _Read Matthew 13:24-43. _

XXXVI

ACTION

Say, fellows, there come times when a fellow must act, and actpromptly, or lose his chance to clinch a good thing. In the precedingtalk our key-word was "Wait. " To-day it is a shorter, quicker, sharperword, and one that a boy likes better. A-c-t--that's it. _There_ ismovement, --something doing. The word is all pep, touch and go! We likeit, don't we?

When he was twelve years old, Thomas Edison was a newsbutch on a roadrunning out of Detroit. As the train left Detroit one morning, Edison, as usual, went back into the first-class coach with the morningpapers. Near the front sat two young fellows, acting very gay. Theyhailed everybody who passed in the aisle, and they hallooed out thewindow at folks and objects as the train rolled along. They were on alark, and wanted everybody to know it. 

"Morning papers!" called out Edison. 

"How much are they worth?" sang out one of the jolly fellows. 

"Five cents, " said Edison. 

"Oh, how much for the whole bunch?" retorted the young man. 

"Why, " said the newsbutch looking a little surprised, "there areforty--they're worth two dollars. "

"We'll take 'em, " said the noisy passenger, and whipping out twocrisp one-dollar bills, took the papers from Edison and handed them tohis companion, who threw the entire bunch out of the train window. Evidently these young men had plenty of money to spend, and wereinclined to make a sensation and attract attention. 

Edison quickly took in the situation. "Phew, " said he to himself, "here is a chance for real business, " and he hurried forward to the"baggage" where his supply trunk was stored. He quickly returned withan armful of magazines, some rather out of date. 

"How much are they worth?" promptly inquired the young spendthrifts. 

"Twenty-five cents apiece, or $5. 50 for the pile. "

"Take 'em, " said the spokesman, and paying the money he and hiscompanion dumped the magazines out of the window. 

Back to the "baggage" went Edison, and returned with his basket offruit, candy, chewing-gum, and other things. Again the transaction, and goods, basket, and all went through the window. 

Then Edison rushed once more to the "baggage. " He piled everything hecould lay any claim to into his supply box, some things old, some new, some unsalable, dragged the box through the train, crossing its openplatforms between coaches with some difficulty, and at last drew upnearly breathless before these reckless buyers. Quickly he pulled offhis coat, hat, collar, tie, and shoes, and piled them on top of thebox and announced: "Everything I've got is for sale!" The price waspaid, and the young men directed their servant, who was near by, todrag the box to the back of the coach and throw it out, which orderwas obeyed. 

The newsbutch with a chuckle went forward to tell his friend thebaggage man about his "streak of luck, " while he fondly fingered a fatlittle roll of bills down deep in his trousers. His entire stock intrade had been transmuted into the coin of the realm, his profits weresecure, his losses were nil. He had found a good thing, he hadrecognized an opportunity, and he had let no grass grow under his feetwhile he laid hold upon it and reaped the golden harvest. 

Fellows, there is something like that, only far better, offering toyou this moment. It is the _treasure_--not of perishable value likegold, but of eternal value. Jesus Christ is offering to take you intobusiness with Him and let you deal with values so much finer andhigher than anything else that the surprise and joy of them will lastthrough all eternity. 

 _Read Matthew 13:44-52. _

XXXVII

A CORONATION

Say, fellows: This is David's big day. Let's enjoy it with him. Let'sget in the crowd gathering at Hebron and see a coronation. 

And what a crowd! About three hundred and forty-four thousand mightymen of war--all the tribes of Israel were represented there thatday--and they came over the hills of Judah from north and east andsouth to put a crown on David which would make him king of all Israel. 

For many years David had waited for this day. At the death of Saul, two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, had proclaimed him king, but ten ofthe tribes had crowned Saul's son, Ishbosheth, as his father'ssuccessor. So David waited seven and a half years longer, and then thewhole kingdom came under his rule. 

Many times during those long years when a fugitive from Saul, hidingin caves or seeking the protection of heathen kings, it must haveseemed as if God had forgotten him, and once David did almost breakdown, but he rallied, took a fresh hold, and "carried on. "

Now, fellows, it must be a fine sight to see a man receive a royalcrown, but it is a finer sight when there are fine qualities in a mandeserving honour and reward. No head deserves a crown unless thereare crowning virtues in the life. What were some of the qualities inDavid which merited a crowning on that great day?

One was his faith. Faith in God; faith in his fellow-man; faith inhimself. It takes faith even to start anywhere, and it takes morefaith to arrive. David's faith was of the coronation variety. 

Another was his patience. David waited. He did not try to forcematters. Whenever God was ready--that was David's time. In one of hisgreat psalms, he wrote: "I waited patiently for the Lord, and he heardmy cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miryclay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. " David'spatience was crowned. 

Another was David's continual kindness to a foe. He was even kind toSaul's memory and rewarded the men who reverently took Saul's bodyfrom the wall of Bethshan and gave it decent burial. David's chivalrywas crowned. 

But, fellows, the fine thing to know is that the same princelyqualities can exist to-day in each one of us; not for crowns on ourheads, but for a great satisfaction in our hearts. Faith, patience, and a knightly spirit are just as possible possessions now as theywere in David's day. They are spoken of in slightly different terms byPaul in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, --Faith, hope, andlove. You can have them all. They are priceless, but you can have themif you ask for them. 

Be a prince of the Royal House!

 _Read 2 Samuel 2:1-7. _

XXXVIII

DO IT RIGHT

Say, fellows, down-town the other day a man tried to save a boy whowas caught near some wires, and got killed himself for his trouble. Hard luck, wasn't it? Yet he had nobody to blame for it but himself. He took hold of a wire which carried the electric current for thestreet cars. He broke a law of nature and got punished. There was away he could have gotten the wire away from the boy. A Boy Scout didit later _with a pole_. 

Just the difference between touching with the hand or touching with astick--very little, perhaps, but the law of electricity made thedifference important, so that the one meant death--the other, life!

Now here comes along King David trying twice to move the ark of theLord up to Jerusalem, where it ought to be, the first attempt provingfatal because he was foolish enough to try to handle it as thePhilistines did, instead of doing it strictly by the rules God hadmade--rules which David should have known very well, because they werein his Bible (Num. 4:4-6, 15; also 1 Chron. 15:11-15). The rulesrequired that the ark should be carried on poles resting on theshoulders of certain men set apart for that service, but Davidpermitted them to put it on an ox cart, attended by Ahio and Uzzah, two well-meaning fellows, no doubt, but not according to the rules. One of the oxen stumbled, the ark jostled, and Uzzah put his hand onit to steady it. Presto! Uzzah a dead man on the side of the road!

They called David from where he was marching at the front of theprocession, and when he got back there and saw what had happened, itgave him an awful shock, for he knew he was just as guilty asUzzah--and perhaps more so. He ordered the men to take the ark intoObed-edom's house beside the road and be careful to pick it up by thepoles. Then he went on back to Jerusalem without it. He got out theBook of Numbers and went over the rules about the ark very carefully. For three months he studied the matter. Then he went after the arkagain--this time in God's way. He called for the priests and the menappointed to carry the ark; he organized a band and a great choir ofsingers, and went to Obed-edom's house. There they picked up the arkby the poles and started. Still David was scared, and when they hadmoved forward only ten yards ("six paces") he made them stop, while asacrifice of oxen and rams was made to the Lord. 

David was overjoyed when he saw everything going well, and he began todance and to sing. All the way to Jerusalem he danced and shouted forjoy. 

David thought a lot of the ark, because it meant the presence of God, and that meant in this case the blessing of God. As he grew older andwiser he had greater reverence for God's house and all the holy thingswhich were tokens of God's presence. In one of the psalms he wrote:

 The Lord is in His holy temple; Let all the earth keep silence before Him. 

The least a boy can do for God's honour is to keep quiet in church. 

The best a boy can do for himself is to put God at the very center ofhis every interest--the fear of God, love for God, and reverence forall His holy law. 

Take hold as God says, and everything will go fine!

 _Read 2 Samuel 6:1-11. _

XXXIX

KEEPING FAITH

Say, fellows, it takes a real sport to live up to a promise whenconditions shift on him. If there is a streak of yellow in his systemhe will find some way to kick out every time. Life is a big game, andit takes a real man to play it on the square--if only square and nomore. 

But, fellows, what can you say about that one man in a thousand whoplays the game of "Remember and Pay" as finely as David did?

Young gentlemen, please meet Mephibosheth, this man of the twistedfeet and outlandish name. Kings did not usually choose such to live intheir courts and sit at the royal table. Only the fine-looking men andbeautiful women were invited to become members of the king'shousehold. 

But, worse still, this Mephibosheth, being a grandson of Saul, was atany time a possible pretender to the throne. It was the custom ofkings to get rid of such. Not so David. When he finds out about thepoor cripple over there across the mountains east of the Jordan, hesends for him and invites him to come and live at the palace inJerusalem. 

Now you will find David's promise to Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:14-17;and his promise to Saul in 1 Samuel 24:20-22. David had only agreedthat when he became king he would not kill Saul's descendants. Hecould have fulfilled his promise by simply allowing Mephibosheth tolive as he was doing, visiting around, kind of sneaky like, withoutany pocket change, among the few friends who would take him in. 

What do you suppose Mephibosheth thought when the messengers showed upone morning at Machir's house and called for him to appear before theking? Scared to death, don't you think? No doubt he thought it was allover for him now, except the "slow driving and music on the hill. "Why, when he came before the king he bowed clear down to the marblefloor, doing obeisance, and called himself a dead dog. Then, whathappened? He had to pinch himself to see whether he was dreaming. Henever got over the surprise of it as long as he lived. King Davidhelped him up on his crutches and told him to cheer up, for from thattime forward he should sit at his table, and be as one of the king'sown sons. 

More than that: with all the thoughtfulness and fine courtesy of aChristian gentleman, David turned over to this cripple his grandfatherSaul's estate, together with Saul's servant, old Ziba, with hisfifteen sons and twenty slaves, to till the land. That was to provideMephibosheth with an income. 

Now, what do you know about that, fellows? It was playing the game ofkindness to win, wasn't it? Win what? Why, to win the satisfactionwhich can only come to one who keeps his promise--and then some, forgood measure!

Yes, it takes even more than a good sport to do that. It takes one whois willing to be Christlike. 

 _Read 2 Samuel, Chapter 9. _

XL

THE GAME THAT CAME NEAR BLOWING UP IN THE SEVENTH INNING

Say, fellows, have you heard the sorrowful news about David? Too bad!Just as we were beginning to think David, with his fine manly ways, his love for God's honour, for God's ark, his bravery, his fairnessand kindness--just as we were thinking he would make a clean record tothe end of the game, now here comes an awful flunk!

It's kind of like when the score is 2 to 0, in favor of the home team, and we are feeling good--then all of a sudden in the seventh inningthe boys go all to pieces, and let the other side put four men acrossthe plate. 

Strange how David fumbled and played badly when he had had such a longwinning streak, but so it must ever be when you get the idea you're"it" and can't slip. David let down, and away down. Fellows, would youbelieve it if it were not in the Bible--he broke all the commandmentsfrom the sixth to the tenth, inclusive. God says whatsoever a mansows, that shall he also reap. David sowed the wind and reaped thewhirlwind. Absalom, his son, committed all the sins his father did, and added some, for he broke the fifth commandment also, and broke hisfather's heart. 

David was very fond of Absalom, and would have done anything for him, but that boy didn't appreciate it. He was a good-looking chap; thegirls admired him, and a lot of foolish fellows hung around him, flattered him, and made him vain. 

Absalom had the big-head. If there is a sorry sight upon earth it is afellow that is stuck on himself. Absalom was conceited and proud. Hewanted even to be king in place of his father, and was unwilling towait for what would have come in due time. Many a fellow spills thebeans by being unwilling to wait. He ruins his best chance by tryingto pick the fruit before it is ripe. If there is ever a time whenpatience is golden it is in the time of youth. A boy wants to stopstudying and training, and take a short-cut to fame and success. It isusually a bad mistake. 

Absalom's blunder was fatal. He tried to land on his father's throneby treachery; he landed in a tree, caught by his head. He thought towin a crown; he got three hot darts between the ribs from Joab. Heplanned to have a pile of wealth quickly gained, but by the end of theweek his handsome form was buried deep beneath a pile of rocks. Everafterward when an Israelite passed that monument of dishonour, hepicked up a stone and cast it upon the heap to show his contempt forthe memory of a disloyal son. 

Oh, fellows, the tragic day of a boy's life is when he decides tothrow over a good father. No matter what prize is offered. It may beto get more liberty; it may be to escape restraint or rebuke, but itis a bad trade at best. Ordinarily a boy's best man friend is hisfather. If this does not seem to be the case, usually it is becausethe son won't allow it. Many a father longs, like David, for his boy'sconfidence and companionship. Many a boy could have in his father thefinest chum imaginable, if he would give his father a chance to showhim what a real chum is. 

Fellows, let's give Dad some of that fine Scout loyalty and watch himwarm up to it. He may have some chum qualities you never thought of. 

 _Read 2 Samuel 11:1-27, and 2 Samuel 15:7-18. _

XLI

THE BITTEN APPLE

Say, fellows, I was visiting a boy friend one afternoon and while weplayed his mother called him. Wondering if there was anything wrong, Iwaited and listened while he answered the summons. I could hear herspeaking to him as she said: "Bob, here are two apples--one for youand one for Wade. "

Then I waited, and as Bob did not return at once I stepped to thecorner of the house to see what kept him. That fellow was sitting onthe step digging his teeth into one of the apples. I thought: "Well, that's polite, starting on his own before he gives the other to hisguest!" It rather disgusted me. Directly Bob came round the corner, kind of sheepish like, and what do you suppose he did? Well, fellows, he offered me _the bitten apple_!

That was enough for me. Take it? I guess not. I turned on my heelwithout a word and went straight home. I don't think anything everinspired more contempt in me as a boy than that piece of pettythievery. 

Of course, fellows, that was not a Christian way to treat an erringplaymate, and I fear I had very little charity in my heart; I am justtelling you frankly how that act of Bob's impressed me. And it wasonly in the beginning of Bob's eventful career. Twenty-five yearslater, Bob's name was in the daily papers all over the country. Hehad gotten away with a big sum of money that belonged to others whohad trusted him, and now he is a poor hunted fugitive from his nativeland, if indeed he is alive. 

The boy who begins taking just a bite of somebody else's apple islikely going to pull off _something big_ some day!

Suppose Bob's mother had handed him seven apples and asked him to saveone of them for her, and he had made away with the whole lot, don'tyou think that would have been pretty mean and low down?

Listen, fellows, something mighty close to that--only a lot worse--ishappening with boys to-day who look upon themselves as the souls ofhonour. I am just wondering if they fully realize it. It is not intheir relationship to mother, but to God their heavenly Father andcreator. He has placed in your hands and in mine, each week, sevenfull twenty-four hour days. He says, "Six for you and one for Me. "

He trusts you to keep that One Day, the Sabbath, for Him. How do wedischarge that trust? Are we worthy of it? God does not lock us up ina dark room on Sunday and handcuff us and chain our feet to the floor. No, He trusts us; He prefers to trust us. He wants us to honour Hislaws about the Sabbath, of our own free will. That is the kind ofservice God likes--willing service. 

And, fellows, you cannot abuse that trust and escape the penalty. Godhas commanded in His Word, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh dayis the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work. "No man, no boy, can continually break the Sabbath day and get awaywith it. Sooner or later he will come to sorrow because of it. 

On the other hand, God distinctly promises blessings upon those whohonour His Sabbath (Isa. 58:13, 14). 

Fellows, God is the best "payer" that ever promised. He always paysmore than He promises. His day concerns our happiness, our health, ourprosperity, our usefulness, our success. All these vital issues areinvolved. 

And I am going to tell you just one more fine secret. It is a nuggetof pure gold. The best way to avoid violating God's Sabbath is to getbusy honouring it with service--service to Him. Go regularly toSunday-school and to church service--and go _on time_. You will findsomething to do there. 

Spend your Sabbath afternoon in the study of God's Word, read somegood book that will feed your soul; spend some time in some work ofmercy. Take a bit of something good to eat to the poor fellow in jailand tell him you do it because you love Jesus Christ and are trying toserve Him, and want him to love Christ and serve Him, too. You willfind it a short day, but, oh, such a fine and happy one, and you willgo to bed refreshed. Next morning you will wake up whistling and youwill turn off work at the store or at school like a forty-horsetractor. 

 _Read Exodus 20:8-11, and Isaiah 58:10-14. _

XLII

MY KINGDOM

Say, fellows, I heard a boy quoting Shakespeare the other day. He wascoming out of a movie with two other boys, just as I was passing. Theyhad probably been in there an hour or more, for they seemed glad toget out in the fresh air. But the boy's exclamation was what caught myattention; it was this:

"My kingdom for a cigarette!"

To be sure, Shakespeare makes Richard III say, "My kingdom for ahorse!"--the boy changed a word; and it was just a careless remarkexpressing his craving for a smoke, but it raised a question in mymind: Did that young fellow realize he said a very important and truething? When Richard III cried out, "My kingdom for a horse!" he wasdead in earnest; he was fighting for his very life againstoverwhelming odds, and he was really willing to surrender his kingdomfor some swift means of getting away from that desperate scene ofcarnage. But if the cigarette boy had been faced pointblank with theproposition I do not believe he would have agreed to give up _his_kingdom for the "coffin tack. "

Yes, this boy had a kingdom; every boy has a kingdom. 

As I paused on the corner, the three boys entered a store and quicklycame out, each with a cigarette in his mouth, taking deep inhalationsand expelling smoke through lips and nostrils as they sauntered downthe street. 

I was still thinking of the boy's kingdom. Through a wonderful planGod, the Creator, puts each boy over an empire. Perhaps you may thinkit is a small one, but to him it is greater and means more for hissuccess and happiness than any empire on earth. God places a scepterin each boy's hand and says, "Govern!--Rule over your kingdom!" And itis a very wonderful kingdom, with four splendid provinces calledPhysical, Mental, Social, and Spiritual. Each of these provinces iscapable of producing great values and making rich and powerful almostbeyond belief. 

God also places at each boy's hand the resources for fighting off theenemies of his kingdom. This defensive armament, which is also forbuilding work, in part consists of common sense, information (oreducation), will-power, determination, aspiration, and physicalstrength--and to make each of these effective, He gives His Word andsends His Holy Spirit to guide and sustain. If a fellow just realizedit and would use what God puts in his hand he would have a kingdom hewouldn't exchange for Solomon's. 

But, fellows, what a pity when a boy will exchange his kingdom for acigarette; in comes the cigarette; down goes the physicalprovince--the cigarette destroys the delicate tissues of the mucousmembrane; down goes the mental province--the cigarette makes the minddull and listless and takes away its snap and vigour; down goes thesocial province--the cigarette makes its victim shun the best and seekthe lower grades of social life and activity; down goes the spiritualprovince, the most precious of all--for spirit chokes and dies in theatmosphere of the cigarette and its inevitable accompaniments. 

This, of course, is just one of the enemies of a boy's kingdom; I havespoken of it particularly because it is the one which seems to catchboys off their guard most easily. There are many others. Intemperanceof any kind is an enemy to the best interests of your empire. Send outa proclamation to yourself, to-day, and put all provinces on noticethat _you_ are on your throne and God is your Counsellor--and thathenceforth none of the kingdom's enemies will be admitted across theborder. 

 _Read 1 Corinthians 10:9-15. _

XLIII

A TOOL BOX

Say, fellows, on one of my boyhood birthdays I received a tool box. Itwas a peach of a tool box, too; not one of the dime store variety, with a saw the same length as the gimlet, but with a set of tools thatno amateur carpenter would despise. I was greatly delighted with thattool box, and immediately began planning the things I would make. Mother wanted a shelf on the back porch and a coop for an old hen justoff with her chicks; my dog needed a dog house, and I even aspired toa rowboat for the pond. I could hardly wait for material beforegetting to work. Fingering over those tools, my eye fell upon a mottograven on the inside of the lid of the box. It read:

BE SURE YOU ARE RIGHT--THEN GO AHEAD

Very good advice, I thought; but perhaps intended for fellows who knewless about tools than I did. I guessed I was not so apt to makemistakes, knowing so well what I wanted to do, and being so determinedto do it. Several dollars' worth of lumber and nails were laid in, andI entered at once upon the work of "general manufacturing. " Fritz waswagging his tail and barking as if he had scented the dog house in myplans, so I decided to attend to that first. It would have been betterto start with the shelf, as that was simpler; but I slashed away onthe dog house, and soon had some stuff sawed up for the framework. Itdidn't match. I sawed some more, and that didn't match. I began tothink perhaps Fritz didn't specially need a dog house anyhow; so Itried to work the dog house materials into the chicken coop, but thatwouldn't go, either. Then I sawed some more for the chicken coop. Itwas not as simple a proposition as I had thought it would be, besidesthere was a confusion of design somehow in my mind. The day wound upwith nothing accomplished, except a lot of good material butchered tothe point of kindling wood only. Next morning I tackled something I"knew I could do, "--the shelf. But that proved to be a surprisinglyobstinate job; the supports I sawed at different angles, and whentrying to force the joints together by nailing, I split them both. Theshelf was a failure. 

Then I saw a light. 

I was rather dejectedly pondering the situation as I stood by the toolbox, and my eye fell again on that motto! In not one instance had Imade sure I was right before I went ahead. My zeal had been withoutknowledge. I had mistaken "Purpose" and "Determination, " as the highprerequisites, instead of "Being Sure I was Right. "

Fellows, Saul the Pharisee had zeal without knowledge. He blazed awayupon the presumption that Jesus was an impostor. Why, the Jesus ideawas preposterous, Saul mused. God's Kingdom was to be set up with agreat capital at Jerusalem and a great and powerful king on the throneto whom all the world around would come and pay tribute. Anybody whoclaimed that the King had already come and been crucified like a thiefwas a dangerous fanatic and should be haled to prison or put to death. 

This brilliant young Pharisee, carefully trained in ecclesiastical lawand the traditions of the elders, went forth bitterly persecuting thefollowers of Jesus--even witnessing and approving the cruel stoning ofStephen. This showed Saul's Purpose and Determination, which hemistook for being Right. Well, we know that after that Saul suddenly"saw a light"; but think of the havoc Saul wrought before he came tohis senses. Think of the Service Time wasted. Think of the fineMaterial destroyed--sawn asunder. Think of Stephen!

Fellows, are you building anything these days? Are you sure you areRight? Or are you just blazing away at something because you have warmred blood and all the zeal and purpose of youth? There is one thingeach one of you is building. You are building a Life. Oh, fellows, besure you are Right, for it is the most important structure you willever put up, and remember that "other foundation can no man lay thanthat is laid, which is Jesus Christ. " Be sure you are right--then goahead. When your life is built on Jesus, you may go forward withconfidence. Any other way means wasted time, wasted material, regrets, disappointment--and Failure at last. 

 "I have not built my house on sands, Tho' golden sands there be; I have not built with greedy hands A building fair to see; But my house on a solid Rock, And not the Builder I, But guest in house to stand the shock When tempests rend the sky. Lo, Christ! the Builder of my house, He laid foundation stone, So reck I not if storms carouse, For He will hold His own. "

 _Read Acts 7:59-8:3. _

XLIV

SAUL NIAGARA

Say, fellows, if there were two hundred railroad tracks out there, andon each track, every moment, passed a freight train carrying fiftycars, each car holding fifty tons of water (maximum load for thelargest tank car), the two hundred trains, with their ten thousandcars per minute would not be more than sufficient to carry away thewater as fast as it tumbles over Niagara Falls. With crushing anddestructive force that mighty volume plunges downward into a greatstone bowl which it has carved out for itself, so deep that if theWoolworth Building were set down in it not more than half of it wouldshow above the top of the Falls. Engineers have estimated the totalenergy of Niagara Falls at sixteen million horse-power!

Fellows, I think of the life of Saul, afterward known as the ApostlePaul, as somewhat like Niagara River. The great river flowsmajestically, uninterruptedly, more than half of its length, having afall of not more than twenty feet in twenty-two miles. Then suddenlysomething happens. Something tremendously tragic and startlinghappens. It plunges headlong over a precipice. Here is power gone mad. 

Saul, the Pharisee, the scholar, the zealot--the colossalmind--sweeping everything before him like an irresistible tide, ridingupon the crest of power, haling men and women to prison, breathing outthreatenings and slaughter and making havoc of the church, fellheadlong to the earth, as a blinding light burst forth from heaven andthe voice of the Lord sounded in his ears--the "still small voice, "yet mightier than the roar of any cataract. 

"Who art thou, Lord?" "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. " "Lord, whatwilt thou have me to do?" Saul's conversion was complete. Convertmeans to _turn about_. It means an entire change; not to be robbed ofone's powers, but to have those powers diverted into another andentirely different channel. 

Look again at the Falls--that great destructive mass tumbling over thecliff, beating rocks to pieces and slashing gigantic gorges in itscourse. What is happening? Science is harnessing the power of thecataract and with it producing light and heat and power for the citiesof Canada and the United States. Darkness is dispelled, warmth takesthe place of chill, the wheels of industry are humming, and men andwomen are enabled to live and make bread for their little ones, because of the conversion of a mighty force into life-givingusefulness. 

Fellows, some people seem to think to accept Christ as the Master oftheir lives means to take away or paralyze their powers--to deprivethem of some special activeness they possess and which they shrinkfrom giving up. Bless you, there could not be a worse mistake. Toaccept Christ means to have those same powers, even though they mighthave been devoted to evil, now turned into channels of finest, highestservice--the kind of service that really satisfies the cravings of thehuman heart. I see a boy who, because he is of an intensely sociabledisposition, seeks the companionship of a gang of fellows around theloafing places and pool-rooms in the evenings. Touched by the spiritof Christ, those social qualities will be even more enthusiasticallydevoted to winning other young people into Christian life and service. I see a young fellow with an unbroken will, glorying in his freedom, as he sees it, to resist the counsels of wiser ones against his evilhabits, cigarettes or any other destructive thing that may have gotteninto his life. That same will-power, that same stubbornness, touchedby the power of Christ becomes the rock-ribbed steadfastness that hasenabled men to put through great achievements for God. I see a boy whocan invent much devilment and get himself and others into an almostincredible amount of trouble and sorrow. It might be the judgment ofsome that "killing is the only thing good for him, " but touched by thespirit of Jesus, that boy becomes a veritable genius for doingeffective things to promote the Kingdom of God--and no fellow in thecommunity happier than he. He verily throbs with the joy of living. 

No, fellows, you don't turn a river back up-stream to convert it; yousimply harness it, and its powers flow on, but for good and not fordestruction. If you want to be a power that blesses wherever ittouches, and dashes back into your own heart the spray of the saltand the tang of the fresh morning air, hear to-day the Voice of yourMaster, and quickly answer: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

 _Read Acts 9:1-19. _

XLV

"TURNING THE BATTLE AT THE GATE"

Say, fellows, now and then a thing happens which sets our bloodtingling and makes every nerve in us want to send up a mighty shout. For instance, when the score is against us in the ninth inning, andwith two men out and the bases full, our pinch hitter comes to bat, coolly waits, picks out the "good one, " and swats the pill overleft-field fence! Or when Hindenburg's hordes are pouring into theMarne wedge, almost to the gates of Paris, Foch calmly waits--andprays while he waits--then at the crucial moment hurls those chafingreserves against them, turns disaster into victory and enshrines thenames of Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, and the American Marines insong and story for ages to come. 

Fellows, every life is a campaign, and it is the biggest game of all;into this great contest come crises now and then, and the way we meetthem largely determines the result. If those crises have not begun tocome in your life, let it be the sure sign to you that God is holdingthem off while He gives you the opportunity to make the necessarypreparation for them, for come they will. There will be times when thestorm is breaking around your head and the ground will seem to becrumbling beneath your feet. Such times come to every fellow who setshis face to a principle and determines to stand like a man, no matterwhat it costs. 

Fellows, Paul was that kind of a man. He had that steadfastness toprinciple, that firmness of purpose, which gave him poise when allabout him was tumult. Other men lost their heads; Paul kept cool. Itwas a critical moment around the temple court that morning; the Jewishmob was murderous, the Roman chief captain was petulant, and he wascold and relentless as steel. 

Paul had to handle both on separate grounds to keep them from"handling" him--and both at the same time. He shrewdly "played bothends against the middle. " He drew from his quiver two keen butentirely different arrows, and both "went home. " To the chief captain, he whispered one small word, "I am a Roman citizen. " That made thegrim warrior's jaw drop. It thoroughly frightened him and gave himsuch profound respect for his prisoner that on a later occasion he didPaul a very vital service. 

To the mob of Jews clamouring for Paul's life, Paul having gained thechief captain's permission, turned and informed them in the Hebrewtongue that he was a better Jew than any of them, and he made out hiscase so well that they listened--and before they realized it, Paul hadaccomplished his object and delivered his shot, which was to proclaimChrist as "that Just One, " the Saviour of the world--including thedespised Gentiles. The Truth had gone home, and they gnashed theirteeth, tore their own clothes into shreds, and threw dust into theair, while Paul was taken into the castle for further examinationand, for the time being, was safe. 

Fellows, baseball does furnish now and then a moment's thrill--andthank God for the clean game; a world war makes the earth tremble formany years--and may the Lord have pity upon its victims; but Paul wasgrappling the Big Event upon which Eternity shivers--the Disaster ofrejecting Jesus Christ! And as we look upon Paul's life, his superbmanner of meeting great crises as they came, how he held not his ownlife dear, we think of one of the great sayings of the prophet Isaiah:

"_In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and fora diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spiritof judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength_ TO THEMTHAT TURN THE BATTLE AT THE GATE. "

Fellows, if you and I want a career that will give highestsatisfaction now, and will best bear record in Eternity, let's makeChrist at once its dominant Theme and sustaining Power!

 _Read Acts 21:27-40 and 22:1-24. _

XLVI

A KING IN RAGS

Say, fellows, a little ragamuffin--so the story goes--was being setupon by a mob of larger boys in the streets of London many years ago. These big bullies were jeering him and throwing sticks and cans athim. The little fellow was plucky and defiant, and it made them allthe more cruel. 

Suddenly there appeared in the crowd a tall swarthy young fellowslashing the tormentors right and left; until, after a stiff andunequal fight, in which the rescuer was greatly outmatched instrength, the cowardly ruffians were put to flight. That littleragamuffin was no less a personage than the King of England, and thecurious circumstance by which he got into those rags and into thatcruel torture is told by Mark Twain, in his most interestingstory-book, "The Prince and the Pauper. "

In a later chapter we see the little king restored to his rightfulplace upon the throne, and there amid the splendour of the court withall the lords and ladies looking on, a tall, swarthy young manadvances and kneels and is knighted by the king. It is the same youngman who broke through the crowd, and at the risk of getting his ownhead cracked took the part of the helpless little ragamuffin, notknowing he was a king. 

That sounds like a romance--and it is; but, fellows, the same thing inall its interesting elements and its happy outcome is happeningto-day in the streets and homes of your town and mine. All about usthere are folks being set upon--cruelly set upon. The tormentors maynot be ruffians in flesh and blood. They may simply be cruelcircumstances. Sometimes fire, sometimes sickness, sometimes financialloss, sometimes accident, sometimes a combination of a number ofpestering calamities, getting the victim down and making life verymiserable in mind and uncomfortable in body. 

Now think of the folks in your block, fellows; how many of them are insome sad plight which would make you shrink from exchanging placeswith them? They are being set upon; can you get in there and help insome way, --you with your good free strong arm, your big, sympatheticheart, your pocketbook, your resources of interest and fun?

And whom will you choose to help, and why? Will it be Tom Jones uphere on the corner, who broke his arm and needs somebody to come sitwith him and talk, --Tom Jones, who is rich and has a car of his own, and who will likely share it with you when he gets well, if you aregood to him? Or will it be little Willie Bell over there across therailroad, who is a hopeless cripple, whose folks are poor as anything, and who can probably never repay you in any sort of way?

Do you know, fellows, why some folks choose the Willie Bells to help?Why, it is because they love Jesus Christ. They believe God's Word asit tells us in to-day's wonderful passage in Matthew: "Then shall theKing say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave medrink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me;I was sick and ye visited me.... Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see _thee_ hungry, or thirsty, or naked, orsick--and helped?... And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least ofthese, ye have done it unto me. "

You see, fellows, it takes some faith and some imagination. Ask God togive you, first, Faith. Then ask Him to give you a consecratedImagination. Then you will see in every unfortunate person that youcan help--you will see _your King_. You have His own word for it, tojustify that imagination and to confirm it. 

Oh, yes, you may sometimes in your zeal help somebody who is unworthy. Don't let the fear of that make you miss the blessing. The very factthat you go to him in the name of your Christ and for His sake, may bethe means of helping that poor unworthy one to cast off his rags ofsin and become clothed in the righteousness of your King. 

I tell you, fellows, it is a wonderful thing to be in the service ofsuch a Master. All your efforts for Him are given full value. Evenyour mistakes, if honestly made are transmuted into the gold ofsatisfaction. Let's launch out for Him, to-day. Let's take Him at Hisword, and see how it works. 

 _Read Matthew 25:31-46. _

XLVII

SHAKING UP PHILIPPI

Say, fellows, that was one exciting day in Philippi. Not since MarkAntony's Roman legions went tearing through to meet and destroy thearmies of Brutus and Cassius, nearly a hundred years before, had thetown been so shaken up; and all because of two inoffensive lookingJews who had quietly walked in there and told about Jesus Christ. Theyhad come over the winding road from Neapolis, nine miles distant onthe seashore, where they had gotten out of a ship from Asia. A poorcrazy girl, a fortune teller, heard the message, her heart was changedand she became sane and normal; it put an end to her "fortune telling"and this enraged her masters, who had Paul and Silas arrested and putinto prison. 

That created some stir, but it was nothing to what was to follow. Thejailer seemed to take special pains to make his prisoners secure, putting them in an inside cell and making their feet fast in thestocks. These fellows looked so unworried that he probably suspectedthey had a well-laid plan to escape. The jailer was further surprisedto hear the two prisoners singing--actually singing some of theirhymns, though they must have been in great discomfort. 

Away into the night they sang. The other prisoners heard them andmarvelled. Surely these new jail-birds had something which they, theold ones, did not possess. The jailer, as he retired, doubtlessremarked to his wife: "Well, there's something uncanny about those twomen; here it is midnight and they are singing and going on like twoschoolboys on a picnic excursion!"

He hadn't been asleep long, when a brick fell out of the mantelpiecenear the jailer's bed and the furniture about the room began to dancea jig. Mrs. Jailer screamed and the children began to cry in terror. The door creaked and pushed off its hinges, falling with a slam-bang. The jailer jumped and landed in the middle of the floor. A flash oflightning put a photograph on his staring eye that he never got rid ofto his dying day. The prison walls were cracked and falling, the doorswere down and the dazed prisoners were groping about. 

Alas, poor jailer, the thing of all most dreaded was about tohappen--his prisoners would escape! Earthquakes were bad enough, butthe sudden thought he got of himself answering to the governor nextmorning with his life for the escape of those put in his charge wasmore than he could bear. Reaching for his sword he placed it, hilt tothe ground, to fall upon its point and end his life right there;--thenhe heard a clear voice coming through the darkness: "Stop! don't dothat. We're all here; nobody wants to get away. "

It was one of those psalm singing Jews! he recognized that at once, and putting up his sword he called to his wife to light the lamp quickand bring it; then he rushed into the cell where Paul and Silas stood, their feet free from stocks and hands unmanacled, and fell down on hisface before them. 

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And the Philippian jailer wasthinking about the peril of his soul, for like a flash it had beenrevealed to him that these men were from God. Paul's answer came quickand true: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. " And thy house--for Paul saw behind the jailer hiscrouching, trembling wife and children. Paul told them all about itthen, and as the blessed truth came into their hearts, they stoppedtrembling and began to find new hope in Jesus and a new joy inservice. Immediately, the jailer and his wife got basins of water andwashed the bruised stripes on the backs of the men. They saw in thosestripes the suffering Saviour's wounds which they would like tosoften; very differently they had viewed them the evening before. Right there Paul baptized the whole household, and quickly afterwardthe jailer straightened up the tumbled down kitchen stove and Mrs. Jailer cooked something good and savoury for the men of God to eat. 

Fellows, it ends like a fairy tale, which says "they lived happy everafter, " for the record says the jailer "rejoiced, believing in God, with all his house. " And in this one word, "Rejoiced, " I would like tohand you the strangely wonderful and fine thing in to-day's lesson. Rejoicing puts the climax of satisfaction of joy into any experience. Let it stand the test proof of rejoicing and you've got the truevalue. If believing in and serving Jesus Christ could bring rejoicingto a jailer and his household under such circumstances, surely then wecan better understand the force of Paul's word to Timothy when hespeaks of "the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. "

Here is a jailer. A jailer's office at best would not be much of arejoice shop. This jailer's life is in jeopardy when his prisonersescape. His jail is cracked open, the doors are down and he cannotshut them. The prisoners are walking about. At daylight he must reckonwith the authorities. Yet he is rejoicing. And the secret of hisrejoicing is in his believing--believing God. 

Fellows, it means everything to believe--to believe like thePhilippian jailer did. He not only accepted Christ and was baptized, but he immediately began to minister to Christ's servants. It was theone way in which he could in those first moments of his belief expresshis faith, and he did it. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of theleast of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. "

This is the thing which is crowned by Rejoicing. 

 _Read Acts 16:16-34. _

XLVIII

GO IN YET--AND WIN!

Say, fellows, look in upon three interesting personalities--Paul, Barnabas and Mark; each one widely differing from the other two, yettheir lives bound up together in the biggest enterprise the world everknew--the winning of the world for Christ. 

They are planning another big "hike"--one that will be full ofhardship and perils, and Paul and Barnabas are having a hot discussionabout Mark. Barnabas wants to take him and Paul wants to leavehim--and why? Well, last year when they were taking a trip of thiskind, Mark left them and went back home. Paul says he's done withMark; if a fellow hasn't got a backbone better than a stick ofspaghetti, he doesn't want to load up with him. Barnabas, on the otherhand, thinks a lot of Mark; in fact, Mark is his nephew and he has astrong interest in him. He knows Mark made a mistake back there inPamphylia, but who does not make a slip sometime? "Let's give himanother chance; he will make good because he is deeply sorry; I havetalked to him and I know that he is determined to redeem himself. "

"No, " says Paul, and his jaw is set; "I would like to give him anotherchance, but the Cause is too great and too important to take chanceson a fellow who has thrown a chance away. "

So it goes. Both men are determined, and there happens the only thingthat can happen under such circumstances; they separate. Paul choosesSilas as his companion, while Barnabas takes Mark with him. Barnabaswas one of the biggest-hearted fellows you ever saw. His very namemeans, "Son of Consolation. " He couldn't bear to see a fellow deniedthe chance to make good. Paul, himself, had been befriended in thatsame way by Barnabas at Jerusalem only a few years before. Humanlyspeaking, it was through the friendly offices of Barnabas that Paulhad risen to prominence in the church. 

Fellows, I am not criticizing Paul (far be it from me), because Paulwas doubtless conscientious in his stand about Mark; but let me tellyou fellows--don't ever miss a chance to help some poor fellow who hasmade a mistake, to make good. One of the finest things that will cometo your experience will be seeing your touch of sympathy andencouragement put life and hope into some unfortunate "Down but notout. "

What happened to Mark? Why, he made good. He made so good that Paulafterward sent for him, and he and Paul put through some great schemestogether for Jesus Christ. And that was not all; one of the fourGospels bears Mark's name. Think of what an honour that was! Peter gothim to help him write it. Yes, Mark made good. 

I heard of a fine young fellow the other night, only eighteen yearsold, who because he had made a mistake--had made a bad break and losthis job--who knowing he was himself to blame--had formed some habitsthat contributed to his downfall--for all that was hopelessly dejectedand actually saying he wished he could die. Well, what do you think ofthat? With all the best and biggest part of his life before him, withyouth and health and loving parents, and some good friends ready tohelp him, wanting to die! Piffle!

Do you know, I just wanted to slap that fellow on the back and bringhim to his senses. Make good? Of course he could. "Come back?" Sure!There is just one thing to do with a failure, fellows. Get on top ofit with both feet and bury it--with success. 

I heard of an old horse, too old and sick to work. His owner wanted toget rid of him but was unwilling to shoot him. The old horse justwouldn't die. He was that spunky. One day, he dropped into a well inthe pasture, but he hit the bottom still upon his feet. His owner, thinking it a chance now to rid himself of his horse, took a shoveland began vigorously shovelling the dirt in to cover him. But as eachshovel of dirt landed on the horse's back, he shook his skin, likehorses do, and trod the dirt down under his feet. Soon, the horse'sback appeared at the top of the well, and in another moment the oldfellow climbed out and began to crop the grass. 

 "You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that? Come up with a smiling face. It's nothing against you to fall down flat; But to lie there--that's a disgrace. 

 "The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce. Be proud of your blackened eye! It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts; It's how did you fight--and why. "

Fellows, what must be the opportunity for rising, to a fellow whoseGod says to him: "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength ismade perfect in weakness!"

 _Read Acts 15:36-41. _

XLIX

GREEN FRUIT

Say, fellows, did you ever spend two days making a kite and just aboutthe time she was all ready, bridles adjusted and tail properlybalanced, it set in to rain?

Can't you see that beautiful thing, done in blue, all spangled overwith silver stars, leaning up there in the corner, panting for itsmaiden voyage into the empyrean? And you have wound on a stick a finestrong cord from the ball you purchased and hold it in your hand asyou stand by the window, looking with disgust and disappointment atwhat seems to be developing into "a United States rain. " No, son, youmight as well get a book and settle down for the afternoon, for thereis no kite-flying to be done to-day. Thank your silver stars if youget her up by tomorrow!

And right here, fellows, make a note of this: whenever you are balkedin a scheme, stopped in your plans--right spang up against a stonewall!--ninety-nine times out of a hundred it will prove a godsend anda blessing to you in the end--IF you take it right. 

I wish every fellow could get the habit under such circumstances, ofstopping still a moment and saying to himself: "Hey here, this thinghas a _meaning_--what can it be?" That will yield a better dividendthan fretting over the interruption. As a rule, he will discoversomething he can be doing while he waits, something that immenselystrengthens the main chance. 

When Lord Clive, "the founder of the Empire of India, " sailed fromEngland for Madras, at the age of eighteen, all impatient to enterupon his life plan, storms overtook the ship and so far diverted hercourse that within a month young Clive found himself stranded in aport of Brazil instead of India. There he had to remain nine monthsbefore he resumed his voyage; but what did he do? Chafe over theinterruption and delay? Bless you, no; he seized the opportunity tomaster the Portuguese language, which accomplishment proved to be atremendous asset later on, in his great constructive work in India. 

Paul and Silas, as they travelled through those provinces of WesternAsia Minor, all afire with their great purpose of preaching theGospel, met blank disappointment. Upon arrival at each point they wereconfronted with an unmistakable message from the Holy Spirit to keeptheir mouths shut. What could it mean? What was the use? Should theygive it up? Should they sit down and sulk? No, said Paul, we will keepagoing; the Lord will show us what He wants us to do when He is ready. And sure enough, the big orders came one night in a vision to Paul, inwhich a man appeared and delivered to him the great MacedonianCall--the call which opened up to that patiently waiting servant"God's Greater Plan" for his life--a far more splendid one than hehad ever dreamed of. 

Fellows, I cannot give you any finer thing out of that period ofPaul's life, so full of fine things, than the thought of patientwaiting upon God's plan--His plan _for you_. And it does not mean tosit still; rather the contrary. "All things come to him who (hustleswhile he) waits. " That is the revised version of an old saw, and Ilike it better. 

Here is a sad case of a young fellow I know. He had an ambition toshine, but he wasn't willing to do the tedious grinding and polishingso vitally necessary to shining. He had a chance at college, but healso wanted to be a social lion, all too soon. He could not afford itin the first place; he couldn't spare the time from his studies, inthe next place; but he spent his dad's money anyhow and he let hisclasses go bang. He did the social stunt--on credit. Result: he gotE's and F's on his grades and he was shipped. The faculty regards thatkind of a student as demoralizing to the morale of a first-classinstitution. In fact he could not be called a student; he was an"inmate, " and it is hard to make an alumni out of inmates. 

This young fellow landed back home for the summer, "out of luck, " indebt, and a cruel disappointment to his doting parents. He had donethe social stunt, but he picked the fruit before it was ripe, and nowit's hurting him inside. 

_He flew his kite in the rain!_

He decided he would make good by being a civil engineer. He wanted tobe a civil engineer right away, but when he started in he found thatthe first stages of civil engineering consisted in carrying a chainand a rod up and down hill in the heat and taking orders from a smartchap who looked through a telescope and made notes, so within a fewdays he quit; he wasn't willing to pay the price. He thought he wouldplay the violin, but he wasn't willing to spend hours practising thescales and simple fingering, so he laid aside the violin. He wanted toplay Schubert's Serenade right off, but on learning the cost, hecontented himself with whistling it. 

Fellows, he is of the sort that make up the great throng offourth-raters in the world to-day, drifting here and there; orsettling down with a family on his hands and a little two-by-four jobto eke out a bare living. And you fellows may as well face this fact:you've got to _stint_, if you're going to pull off a stunt. No stint, no stunt. Stinting is only another name for work and patience andeconomy combined, and it brings its inevitable fruit--Success!

 _Read Acts 16:6-15. _

L

THE BEDOUIN SLAVE

Say, fellows, I heard a story from the banks of the Nile which stirredmy blood. It may be only a legend, but it contains a big thought, andI want you to have it. All day upon the hot sands the battle hadraged, and as the sun was setting a Bedouin chief fell, mortallywounded. Quickly his watchful body-servant eased his master's dyingform from the back of the Arabian steed and dragged him out of thethick fighting to a protected spot where he might say his last wordand die in comparative quiet. The chieftain's words were few butsignificant. He simply said to his man: "Go and tell Allah that Icome. " The loyal slave knew what it meant: only his spirit could carrya message like that, and the clay house it occupied must be destroyedbefore the spirit would depart. 

Possibly he hesitated as his hand grasped the hilt of his dagger, forlife was sweet even to a slave; back home was a slave-maid in thehouse of his master, and she had been promised as his bride uponreturn from this campaign in the valley of the Nile. Many a daydreamof the future had served to shorten the tedious marches over the hotsands as he rode beside his master. Long after the camp was asleepthe slave gazed at the star which seemed to guard her whose life andfuture were bound up in his own. But only a moment he paused; one morelook at his chief, whose fast ebbing blood stained the sand upon whichhe lay--this chief who was not only his master by right of actualownership, but one who had been always his benefactor and friend--onesearching look into the eyes whose merest glance he had learned tointerpret for a last sign of recognition; then with a firm, unfaltering hand he drew his blade and thrust it deep into his ownheart, that his spirit might be free to fly "to Allah, " with theannouncement of his master's coming. 

Now, fellows, there is something fine about that, even if itbe only a romance. Loyalty that rises to the height of completeself-forgetfulness challenges the best that is in us. But, after all, the picture falls to pieces because it is built upon a false faith anda suicide. I am glad that you and I can to-day, in real life, takepart in something finer--something requiring just as superb loyalty, and for a Cause that is really worth the best that is in us. 

Jesus Christ is the Chief of all chieftains. His last words upon earthwere, "Go ye--tell them. " They were not the words of a dying chief, but of one gloriously alive and triumphant over death, the last andgreatest enemy of all; not the command of one powerless in thepresence of his foes, but one who could say, "All power is given untome in heaven and in earth;" not a master who must send his obedientslave on a fearful and futile mission alone, but one who girds hiscourier with the assurance, "And lo, I am with you alway, even untothe end of the world. "

Saul caught a great vision of service when Jesus spoke to him in theway. Prostrate upon the ground in the blinding light, Saul did notsay, "Lord, let me die!" He said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to_live and do_?" You and I may say just as big and fine a thing as thatto our Lord to-day. Jesus' command to Saul was in substance, "Goye--tell them. " It is the same to you and me. 

Will it cost you anything to obey? Yes, it will cost you your life. But not in the hopeless way the Arab's slave gave his. Your hand is onthe hilt of the dagger, but Jesus is not requiring a man so much todie for Him these days; He is calling for living couriers, those whowill give their lives _in life_ for Him. So you plunge the dagger deepinto--not your heart, but your false pride--that thing which keeps youback from "announcing" your Master's Name. You plunge it deep intothat thing in your life plan which would interfere with a real programof witnessing for Jesus. With God's help you stab that habit ofthought or act which stifles your impulse to do His will andembarrasses you in trying to serve Him. It is what Paul meant when hesaid to the Galatians, "And they that are Christ's have crucified theflesh with the passions and lusts. "

Fellows, every one of us can be a herald of our Master's coming to thesouls about us who have not realized His near approach. No matter whatour "business" or "profession, " if it be a fair and honest one we canmake it a help to our witnessing. There is no proper relationship inlife which may not afford the opportunity to tell about Jesus Christand His deathless love. 

Saul became a messenger of Christ for his whole time. Comparativelyfew are called of God into the ministry; but every boy shouldseriously face the question, under God's guidance, whether or not hebe one of those few. Take a pencil and draw a vertical line on a sheetof paper. On one side the line put down the reasons why you should gointo the ministry; on the other side, the reasons why you should not. Be honest with yourself and with God. Weigh each reason, for oragainst, upon your knees. Ask God to give you a clear vision of thecourse He wants you to take. With all the earnestness of your soul, ask Him, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Be still and listen. And then, fellows, you will hear that unmistakable but "still smallvoice, " and He will send you forth surefooted in a path plainlymarked. 

Oh, fellows, it is great to have clear running orders, with such aMessage and such a Master! Don't miss it. 

 _Read Matthew 28:16-20. _

 * * * * * *

CHURCH AND SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK

WILLIAM ALLEN HARPERPresident Elon College, North Carolina

Reconstructing the Church

12mo. 

Dr. Harper solves the problems of federated and community churches, industrialism and social reconstruction, etc. , along lines compatiblewith the teachings and spirit of Jesus. 

PETER AINSLIE, D. D. Editor of "The ChristianUnion Quarterly"

If Not a United Church--What?

The Reinicker Lectures at the Protestant Episcopal TheologicalSeminary in Virginia. 12mo. 

The first of a series of Handbooks presenting the proposals of aUnited Christendom. Dr. Ainslie writes vigorously, yet without heat orpartisanship, and presents a cogent and lucid plea for the cause thatmust be answered. 

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Plans for Sunday School Evangelism

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"Here is a record of a successful superintendent's experience, supplemented by unusual opportunities to observe how othersuperintendents and pastors won their scholars to Christ. If you buyonly one book this year--let it be this one. "--_S. S. Times. _

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Methods of Church School Administration

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A Text Book for Community Training Schools and International and StateSchools of Sunday School Methods. Margaret Slattery says: "Practicaland adaptable to schools of various sizes in either city or country. Will meet a long-felt need. I endorse both plan and purpose heartily. "

E. C. KNAPPGeneral Secretary Inland EmpireState Sunday School Association

The Sunday School Between Sundays

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Mr. Knapp offers a large number of ideas and suggestions, all of whichare practical and capable of tangible realization. Pastors, teachersand all other workers among folk will find Mr. Knapp's book of greatinterest and special value. 

EXPERIENCES OF LIFE

DONALD HANKEYAuthor of "A Student in Arms"

Letters of Donald Hankey

With Introduction and Notes by Edward Miller, M. A. Illustrated, 8vo. 

"As a further revelation of the personality of the man who wrote 'AStudent in Arms, ' these personal letters possess an interest difficultto overestimate. They are intimate, human, appealing; they coverHankey's college days; the periods spent in foreign travel; the yearsin Australia, and the fateful months he spent in France as one of theimmortal 'First Hundred Thousand, ' and where he made the supremesacrifice. "--_Christian Work. _

ARTHUR PORRITT

The Strategy of Life

A Book for Boys and Young Men. Foreword by John Henry Jowett, D. D. 12mo. 

"I wish that this little book might be placed in the hands of everyboy and young man throughout the Anglo-Saxon world: Here we havepractical guidance in the essential secrets which lie behind allSocial Reconstruction; even the fashioning of character and thenourishing of life. "--Rev. J. H. Jowett. 

EDWARD LEIGH PELLAuthor of "Our Troublesome, Religious, Questions"

Bringing Up John

A Book for Mothers and Other Teachers of Boys and Girls. 12mo. 

"It is not only a mother's book, it is a book for fathers, for allteachers of children, and also for pastors, who will be especiallyinterested in the author's efforts to separate what Christ actuallytaught from the ideas which we have inherited from our paganancestors, and who will find in the volume abundant fresh material onthe most pressing problem of our times. "--_S. S. Times. _

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Guiding Girls to Christian Womanhood

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In her progress towards maturity a girl requires something richer, something of a more permanent, fundamental order. How this may beprovided is set forth by a writer who knows, not only the adolescentmind, but the methods best calculated to enrich and develop the natureas life becomes fraught with increasing responsibilities. The book hasan excellent bibliography and list of activities suitable for growinggirls.