14 The 'Great Enlistment International Sunday School Lesson For July 7 Is "Beginning the Christian Life John 1:35-51 —Acts 16:13-34. By WILLIAM T. ELLIS As an electric storm clears the at mosphere, so this war is driving away many intellectual fogs and clouds and smoke waves and dust storms. There never was deeper or straighter thinking in the world than ia now going on. despite the temp tation to let prejudices control the mind. Never before were so many average men and women grappling with the basic considerations of re ligion. A characteristic of these days is that people drive straight to the heart of things. We are thinking in basic terms. So when the question is newly raised, as it is in the present Sun da v School Lesson. "What is Chris tianity, and what does it mean to become a Christian?" we do not ex pect an answer in the stereotyped theological phraseology of the churchmen. That sort of shop talk Is now as dead as Choctow. The pro fessional lingo of religion is now in tolerable. Life's red realities have come too near to most of mankind for us to be any longer content with mere phrases, however well worn and venerable. We do not want the answers of the catechisms to the most living of questions. We want to hear, in the straight-flung speech of the world stripped for action, so j 308 Market St. I A Sale of Q ! Summer Frocks A special week-end selling: event arranged for the benefit of economy-loving women folks and while the Summer season is at its | height. Large assortment of beautiful frocks to choose from. □ Frocks Worth $7.50 to $lO Specially Priced at | $5.98 Ten different styles in Lawns, Voiles, Fancy Voiles and Ginghams—including every wanted shade gj —all sizes. Very remarkable values. 1 Frocks at $6.98 to $49.50 A gorgeous assemblage of the newest creations in Linen, French Voiles, Georgette Crepe. Crepe de Chine, Jersey and Satin—each an individualized style and most unusual value at the price. Wash Skirts White Linene Wash Skirts, with plain and patch pockets—big selec- 1 QO tion. Specially priced at *J) 1 t7O White Gabardine Wash Skirts— shirred and plain tops—tailored pock- Q QQ ets —wonderful values at J)oti7o White Tub Silk and Gabardine Skirts—some with two deep tucks; gathered tops and inverted pockets. CQQ Specially priced at *PO*7O Other Wash Skirts of Gabardine and Linen at s(>.9B and $7.98 Blouses New creations of Batiste; linen col lars and cuffs; scalloped effects—white with rose, tan, green, lavender and 1 QQ blue. Special u) 1 t/0 Two new styles of fine Voile with I touches of color—square necks—very beautiful models—unusual values New slip-on models of fine French Voile, collars and cuffs of Organdie; QQ Val. lace trimmed, v3t/0 □ I Black Percale Waists A Worth 98c Special at tIC A splendid work waist—suitable for war gar den workers —only 6 dozens in the lot—very specially priced at 39<S a s n _- 1E _ =jß Br ___ in __ [n im „ "tZIot" 11 HOTEL MARTINIQUE t Broadway, 32d St., New York On. Block from Pennsylvania Station Equally Convenient for Am momenta. Shopping or Buaincss * 157 Pleaaant Rooms, with Prfrato Bath, $2.50 PER DaV 257 Eic.llenl Room., with Print. Bath, feeing itTMt, southern exposure $3.00 PER DAY Alio Attractive Rooms from 91.50' Th. Restaurant Prioaa Arm Most Moderate FRIDAY EVENING,, HXHJRISBURG TELEGRAPH JULY 5, 1918 plain and clear that it is understood by the fighting man. what it means | to be a Christian. As tlie Chaplains See It Out of the trenches, especially through the medium of British and Canadian chaplains, is coming a new body of literature, freshly restating religion. Much of this writing is shockingly candid. I would not dare quote it in the average pulpit or min isters' meeting, for our people in the homeland do not yet understand. Xe\ ertheless, the very fact that these clergymen have been so fearless in finding out and stating the present day difficulties of Christianity is elo quent testimony to the truth that the Church is not really afraid of new light, however much the unkonwing may sneer at her for so being. It is a chaplain who says: "It is awful to realize that when one stands up to preach Christ the soldier feels that you are defending a whole ruck of obsolete theories and antiquated muddles. It is all so much barbed wire through which one has to climD before ont finds his heart." This misconception of what Chris tianity really is recurs frequently in all interpretations of the mind of the soldiers. "They have not connetced the truths with ordinary life. Life is one thing, real, pressing, intensely important. The creed is another thing, very excellent in its way, de serving of a certain respect, but be loging to a different region, not con cerned with, or at all bearing upon practical affairs. Another chaplain says—and these quotations are taken from "The Church in the Furnace," by Church of England Chaplains—"lt is start ling, no doubt, and humiliating, to find out how very lttle hold tradi tional Christianity has upon men. It is not only their confounding ignor ance of the elementary Christian facts—not one in ten, I should think, has a clear idea of what our religion is or implies or offei*s—bu that they fail to see how it bears upon or helps then' in our present circumstances. Anc very many have an honest feel ing that it would be a positive handi cap. So far as I am able to esti mate. a Christian life, combined with a pagan creed • • • One of the greatest difficulties we have to face out here is the superstition which prevails, chiefly with officers and N. C. O.'s, that if men begin to "turn religious' they will at once begin to 'gel the wind up.' " l'rom the Soldiers" Viewpoint As if to support this structure upon a self-centuered type of Christianity, another chaplain writes, "1 have heard men praying in the line when I wished they would swear instead, because their prayers, which were purely selfish, expressed nothing but a broken will and the horror of death. It is a dreadful thing to see men whimpering out prayers for per sonal protection in a time of stress. The hard-btten man beside him still unbroken and unbeaten, swearing through his teeth puts such a man to shame • • • One cannot afford prayers for personal safety in times of stress; it is not what one ought to be thinking about. * • • That is the very essence of the Spirit of Christ: His job first. His pals next, and Himself last, and, compared with the other two, nowhere." This parson drops into verse: It ain't as I thinks 'E'll keep me safe While the other blokes goes down. And it ain't as I wants to leave this And wear an 'ero's crown: It ain't for that as I says my pray- When I goes to the attack; But I pray that whatever comes my I may never turn my back. I leaves the matter of life and death To the Lord as knows what's best. And I pray that I still may play the man Whether I turns East or West. I'd sooner that it were East, ye know, To Blighty and my girl Sue. I'd sooner be there, wi' the sun in 'er 'air And the summer skies all blue. But grant me. God, to do my bit, And then, if I must turn West, I'll be unashamed whey my name is named. And I'll find a soldier's rest." The World's Super-Quest Clearly, every teacher of religion has a responsibility to state the es sentials of faith in unmistable and livable terms. All the unreal phrase ology of the pulpit, "the language of Canaan." as it has been called, and all the nebulousness of thinking, and the general tendency to substitute "lessons" for truth and facts, must gi\e way under the pressure of the new day for genuineness and sim plicity. We are bound to state Christianity in terms that anybody can grasp. That is exactly what these two great passages from the New Testa ment do. if we let them have their own way and meaning. Becoming Christians means becoming disciples of Jesus. "Disciples were simply learners and followers. That is to say. the people who thought so much of Jesus tha* they gave up their own ways in order to go His way, and to be near Him, apd to accept His method of looking at things, and to be patterned after Him, and to catch His spirit, gradually came to be call ed Christians. At first, the Jesus crowd were simply named followeers of the Way, His way. ' Nothing more was necessary than this. They did not have to pass a theological examination, or accept a system of theology. They merely joined Christ. The number of these grew so large, and the power of His multiplied life became so great, that it changed the whole world. Now adays, the Jesus way is in a life and death struggle with the heathen way. Of a sudden, civilization has realized that it has been called to enter upon tile great quest. Wrapped up in the issues of this war are all the great social and economic and humanitar ian issues that have lifted their lure before the eyes of forward looking mtn and women. When we erect the Jesus way for the world by our armies and our statecraft and our newer, nobler mind, we shall have established truly a way of life for earth's remotest and neediest inhabi tant. The Greatest Call of All As our enlisted hosts of best young men have proved the lure and power of a sublime call to a sacrificial serv ice, so we may yet see a response, on never, nobler scale, to the great and virile call to walk the Jesus way, to keep company with Him and His friends, and to help carry on the Work He came to do. For becoming a Christian is no such small a thing as joining a church, with the obliga tion to attend a certain set of meet ings, and to abstain from specified practices, and to putter along, in a smali-minded way, about a lot of petty interests and petty tasks. It means an enlistment, an entrance upon the knightliest of all under takings, an offering up of life itselr for the holiest of goals, a dedication of self to ends worth while. Turning again to the meaty book already quoted, I find one chaplain saying, "At last, I believe, we know what Jeesus stands for. Prophets and kings have desired to see the things which we see in our day, and have not seen them. We cannot placidly go back to conventional Christianity —the religion of respectability and anxious avoidance of small faults. No padre certainly, and probably no man, can find rest for his soul when the war is over in the religion of parochial activities. We must have a faith that is elemental; simple and majestic and compelling. lam quite prepared to see such large develop ments in the coming form of Chris tianity that the religion of our sons and grandsons would seem to be al most another faith if it were wit nessed by our grandfathers." Another chaplain plays on the same string: "Fundamentally, Chris tianity is a way of living ordinary life, and is not to begin with a mere matter either of abstinence or of at tending church. A saved man. to Christ's thought, Is a man living all day and evvy day in.a certain way, the way of a disciple. He is not a man concerned' about his own soul. He os primarily concerned about serving Christ." When the Bi gCliane* Comes Mothers and fathers wi this side of the water arj finding that the war is making a tremendous change In their sons who Lhave, been In service "over there." The great enlistment has made over "their life. They arc bigger, and yet fclmpler. They'have become more cosmopolitan, yet more devoted than ever to the things of home. An unwonted dignity, self confidence and self-abnegation now marks them. The war has made new men of them. Which is exactly what happens when one becomes a follower of Christ. It makes men and women over. It takes the Simons, who are merely some man's sons, and makes rock-characters out of them. Also it makes them warriors, sure of their flag. As Paul said to the demon possessed maiden. "In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you out of her," so this Jesus-man finds himself call ed to exercise all sorts of evil spirits from the world. His is a virile gos pel. attended by earthquaking ex periences. All the vested interests that misuse mankind are to be fought by the fearless followers of the Hero whom a cross could not affright. There ,is nothing grovelling or self-contemptuous about Christian ity. Recall how Paul and Silas with stood the unjust officials who had misused them. No man ever really becomes a Christian without taking on a new sense of dignity and man hood. This matter of keeping com pany with the strong Son of God, has lifted up the heads of countless sllr.ktng, despicable men. It makes a man out of the drunkard and the outcast. It takes the child 6f ease and selfishness, and makes him a gallant knight of the common weal. In that fellowship heroes are made. We rise to the height of our possi bilities when we set ourselves along side of the perfect Man, and try to rise to the measures of the fullness of His stature. Beginning the Chris tian life is merely beginning to go the way of Jesus, who to-day is anew leading the made-over world. The ablest are they whom God has enabled. The whole is only equal to the sum of its parts. The ability of Christian Endeavor is but the abili ty of the single member multiplied. The consecration of all Christian En deavor can only be brought to pass by the consecration of the individ ual Fndeavorer. Better one Mopes jvho Is conse crated than a million rebellious Is raelites. The forces of wrong tremble every time a talented person comes out wholly for Christ. If Joshua had not been the wise and able man that he was, his con secration would not have availed so greatly for the God. Because he weighed as a man he also weigh ed mtghtly for God. Every strong man who enlists on the side of the Lord equals a legion of commonplace followers. There is no failure for consecra tion. And there can be no success short of consecration. The vast numbers and overflowing enthusiasm a , nc *. admirable organization of the Christian Endeavor movement are not enough to give it success. But with the spirit of humble consecra tion, all things are possible to it. The finer the engine the more im portant the fire. Paul's consecration probably did not exceed that of the other apos tles. But his ability did, and therefore he was the greatest of the founders of our faith. In him we see a striking example of what God can do with an able man whose talents are consecrated. Consecration is another way of spelling success. Until our abilities are made over to Christ they can bring only failure. Special talents are dangerous. The genius is always beset by perils of wiiich his untalented brother knows nothing. 'When a young per son begins to succeed he needs the greatest wisdom to keep him from blunders and failures. Ability is never safe until it is consecrated to God. But when He Is made king over a life its future is sure success. NAVY RETURNS DRAFTED MAX Scruntoii, Pa.—Frank M. Wymbs, twenty-eight, prominent in local so ciety, must comply with the regula tions of the draft law and enter the national army. After a light of seven months to force Wymbs to go to Camp Meade, city draft board No. 5, comprised of former Mayor E. B. # Jermyn, former Sheriff Ben jamin" Phillips and Dr. J. C. Reif snyder, has succeeded in having the navy department discharge Wymbs as a yeoman and return the reg istrant' to the board. Removes Hairy Growths Without Pain or Bother (Modes of Today) It is not necessary to use a painful process to remove hairy growths, for with a little delatone handy you can keep the skin entirely free from these beauty destroyers. To remove hair, make a stiff paste with a little pow dered delatone and water. Spread this on the hairy surface and in about two minutes rub off, wash the skin and the hairs are gone. To guard against disappointment, be careful to get real delatone. Can't Help But Admire Babies Every Woman Cut! Loving Glance at the Nestling Cuddled In its Bonnet. It Is a Joy and comfort to know that those much talked of pain* and other dl tresses that are said to proceed child bearing may be avoided. No woman need fear discomfort If she will fortify herself with the well known and time-honored rem edy, Mother's Friend. This Is a most grateful, penetrating, ex ternal application that at once softens and makes pliant the abdominal muscles and ligament*. By regular use the muscles ex pand without the usual strain when baby to born and pain and danger at the crisis is consequently less. Women everywhere who have used this famous remedy tell how they entirely avoid ed nervousness, twitching spells, bearing down and stretching pains, and relate bow tbey enjoyed entire freedom from the many debilitating and distressing experiences usually incident to approaching motherhood. Mother's Friend Is recommended only for the relief and comfort of expectant mothers, thousands of whom have used and recommended it. It Is for external use only, is absolutely and entirely aafe and won derfully effective. Write the Bradfleld Regulator Co.. Lamar Bid*., Atlanta, C.a., for their "Moth erhood Book," ao valuable to expectant moth ers, and In the meantime obtain a bottle of Mother'a Friend from the druggist today and tbaa fortify yourself against pain and dla —fill! i^l—————— p. "The Live Store" July Reductions I 'm" on all ' 6n S S ' J It jf fa Doutrichs have been get- I ili I i flf crow<^s every day since fIW jwj U! f we made our formal announcement that v if m l this season as ever before we would sell our standard |j| Jfl w brand of clothing at reduced prices. /■ I j ~j Of course we expected to 1 jE /Jl 1 be busy, knowing what we do jpfc|| Jf y' about the constantly increasing whole- I f Ba^e P" ces on clothing; for in most cases our present r*. prices are less than it costs to replace such clothes as Hart Schaffner & Marx I Kuppenheimer Clothes 1 I Here you will find plenty of high grade 1 suits to pick from, for there's an almost unlimited choice of fabrics and styles at every price. I All $20.00 Suits $17.50 All $25.00 Suits $22.50 All $30.00 Suits $26.50 All $35.00 Suits $31.50 All $40.00 Suits $36.50 All $45.00 Suits $39.50 Boys' Suits r*""' Straw Hats Reduced | I All $6.50 Boys* Suits $5.25 i: |j All $2.00 Straw Hats ... v . $1.59 it | All $7.50 Boys' Suits $6.25 i: j; All $2.50 Straw Hats $1.89 ij | All $8.50 Boys' Suits $7.25 ij j; All $3.00 Straw Hats $2.39 jj | All SIO.OO Boys' Suits $8.50 i> i: All $5.00 Panamas $3.89 |i I | All $12.00 Boys' Suits $10.50 j; ij All $7.50 Panamas $5.95 i: > All $15.00 Boys' Suits $13.50 <j All $8.50 Panamas $6.95 S . | All SIB.OO Boys' Suits .. . .$15.50 ;j <j All SIO.OO Panamas $7.95 f Shirt Sale Begins Saturday—See Page 15 I 304 MARKET STREET HARRISBURG, PA. |
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers