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“IT’S ME.”
As the little boy said in his Sun
day-school class: “It’s me; don’t git
skeert.” Now I have bowed myself
back into the charming society of
The Golden Age family, I hope, with
all rights restored.
All winter I had looked forward
eagerly to the coming of spring. I
wanted so much to see some roses
begin to lift their fairy faces around
our “cottage door,” and to coax the
modest violet to raise its azure head
and receive the rapturous kisses of
the April rain. But these things were
not for me. Instead I have spent the
golden days and silvery nights in
watching nature at work in another
sphere. And, paradoxical as it may
sound, “watching a limb knit” does
not promote a rising of hilarious sap
to the addled brain of the “funny
Editor.”
HOMEWARD, HO!
If Mr. Halley’s comet doesn't
switch us with its tail, as the colored
population here in Winona are so
tremulously predicting it is going to
do today, and the weather man favors
us with another fair day from his
cornucopia of spring, we will turn our
eager faces homeward Tuesday morn
ing, April the nineteenth, stopping at
Ackerman and Columbus, Miss., on
the way. To be exact, perhaps, I
should have said “I” will start home
Tuesday, accompanied by a pair of
crutches ,a body brace, a plaster of
paris case and all other appurtenances
thereunto appertaining, topped off by
the wan but smiling countenance of
Will D. Upshaw. If we escape being
taken in as advance agents for a
patent medicine show, we will arrive
in Atlanta in time to read The Golden
Age at our own breakfast table Sun
day morning. And we are anticipat
ing our first anniversary, on May sth,
with a sense of gladness in our hearts
that “everything is as well with us
TWO SABBATH INCIDENTS.
May 1, 1910.
Matt. 12:1-10.
Time, 28 A. D.
Place, Galilee.
GOLDEN TEXT—“I will have mer
cy and not sacrifice.” Matt. 12:7.
SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS.
What should I do?
I. Serve man on the Sabbath day.
Vs. 1-8.
The Sabbath was made for man
(Mark 2:27), therefore it was right
and lawful “to pluck the ears of corn
and to eat.” The Sabbath was made
to meet the needs of man, and the
ceremonial prescriptions must give
way before the need of man, which
they were ordained to serve. God
loves man, and gave His Son to die
that he might be saved and live for
ever with Him. There is not a law
in God’s book that is not intended to
work the highest and best good for
man. All the works of God in this
world and all the teachings of His
book have for this object the good of
man. There is no better way to
spend the Sabbath day than in doing
something to bless and benefit man.
We are rightly keeping the day when
we feed the hungry and administer
to the needs of the sick. To shew
mercy to those who need it is more
PINEY WOODS SKETCHES
SUNT)A Y SCHOOL LESSON
as what it is.” The devotion of my
husband’s wife has at least been
spared the testing that the soldier
boy gave his sweetheart just before
leaving for the battle’s front. “Jane,”
said he, “if the fortunes of cruel war
should play me adversely in the
game, and if I should fall maimed
and wounded with both arms gone,
would you love me still?” Looking
unassumingly at his two trim boots,
she lifted a face, sanctified by martyr
like heroism, and murmured: “Yes,
John, I would love you still.” But,
man-like, the heart of John was grue
somely given to catechising. “But,
dearest,” he whispered, as he gazed
deep into the two blue pools of limped
light that nestled confidingly in the
dimpling peach blow of her face,
“suppose the faithful survivors of a
death-culled corps should bear my pal
pitating body from its bed of gore
stripped of both arms and legs; would
you love me still?” With a low, shud
dering cry of horror, Jane slipped to
the floor, but her sense of feminine
justice rose to the occasion. “No,
John,” she began deliberately, “if you
could not hold me in your arms nor
in your lap, I should feel justified in
telling you to take your trunk and
go.”
Did I say we would come home with
all our appurtenances unto us apper
taining? That was hastily said.
Enough of the exterior resemblance
will be there to make identification
possible, but a large, generous “cor
ner of our heart” will remain in
Winona with all these dear, noble
people who have meant so much to
our lives during these six weeks of
anxious waiting and watching. In
deed, we have had proven to us by
Winona, the mother of the faithful,
the very truth of the Scripture that
says: “She worketh diligently with
her hands, and in her tongue is the
law of kindness.” They are good.
Good in that broad, deep, abiding
goodness that illustrates the possibil-
Christ-like and more in harmony with
the teachings of God’s Word than to
sacrifice and observe certain forms
and rules laid down by man or
church. Pharisees follow rules;
Christians follow principles.
11. Keep the Sabbath Day Holy.
The Bible does not teach us to be
idle on the Sabbath day, but to rest
from all our work which we are com
manded to do in the other six days.
The Word of God directs us the way
to keep holy the Sabbath day:
Ist. Worship God on the Sabbath.
(Ezek. 46:3. )
2nd. Teach God's Word. Acts
17:2.)
3rd. Bo good on the Sabbath (Matt.
12:11 and 12.)
The Pharisees asked Jesus the
question, “Is- it lawful to heal on the
Sabbath day?” The Master answered
them by asking the question, “What
man shall there be of you that shall
have one sheep, and if this fall into a
pit on the Sabbath day, will he not
lay hold on it and lift it out?” The
Pharisees would have lifted the sheep
out of the pit, but would not heal a
man. Jesus regards man of more
value than sheep or other property.
The Pharisees regarded the sheep of
more value than man. The Pharisees
of our day are willing to destroy man
The Golden Age for April 21, 1910.
Margaret Beberfy Upshalv.
2?. Lacy Hoge
ity and the reality of the brotherhood
of man in the bonds of Christian love.
Not only in the city, but in all the
surrounding country, this spirit of fel
lowship impels men and women to lit
erally “go about doing good.”
Out at Scotland, a little rural set
tlement four miles from Winona,
where our good host, Brother Martin
Ball, preaches once a month on Sun
day afternoon, one of the members
of his church fell ill in the early
spring with la grippe. Before he was
able to be up several of his children
were stricken with measles. Crop
planting time came on. Did he have
to sit there in his helpless weakness
and grimly stare a barren field in the
face? Not he; those good neighbors,
hearing of his dilemma, quietly moved
among that group gathered before the
church Sunday afternoon, speaking a
low word, in a business-like, orderly
way, here and there. And on Wed
nesday morning, when the sun peeped
over the fringe of cloud that over
spread his morning couch, instead of
the untilled fields that he had gal
lantly covered with his mantle of
golden lace the day before, he saw
thirty-seven of the happiest men his
bright old face had ever smiled upon.
Twenty-nine of them were gaily
“pulling the bell-cord” over as many
willing horses and mules. Close in
the wake of the gleaming ploughs the
song of the “seed sower” was heard,
while eight sturdy lads were respec
tively knocking down the corn and
cotton stalks, gaunt sentinels of an
harvest past, to make ready for the
performing of that evei’ new mystery,
the birth of a new harvest, and giv
ing a “cleaned-up” look to the fence
corners and ditch banks. Every
mother’s son of them had his full din.
ner pail and feed for his “critter” be
side. When the day was done the
corn and cotton was in the ground,
the potato land was bedded up ready
for the “draws to be stuck in,” and
even the garden was smiling placidly
with liquor and in any other way, just
so they can make money. They want
worldly gain, no matter what the cost
or how many homes may be wrecked
or souls eternally damned.
111. Serve Gcd on the Sabbath.
God gave us six days in which to
labor and do all our work, and we
should do our work in the allotted
time, and not rob God of the Sabbath
day or any part thereof. The world
needs the Gospel, so let us faithfully
use this day in giving the Gospel to
the world. Don’t spend any part of
the day reading the Sunday paper or
novels, but read God’s Word, attend
the services of His Church and be
much in prayer. (Heb. 10:25.)
IV. Observe the First Day of the
Week.
We should observe the first, day of
the week instead of the seventh day.
Ist. Because Jesus rose from the
dead on the end of the seventh day
and began His resurrection life and
work on the first day of the week.
(Matt. 28:1.)
2nd. As Christians “risen with
Christ (Col. 3:1) and servants of the
Lord, we should keep the first day
of the week, which the Scriptures
term the Lord’s day. (Rev. 1:10.)
3rd. The apostles of our Lord ob
served the first day of the week.
at the plight of the offending grass
blades that had suddenly found their
heels turned toward the sun. And
when the good man who had received
this kindly “lift” came out and tried
to speak a word of appreciation his
eyes were suffused with tears and his
countenance was bathed in the ra
diance of “that peace that passeth all
understanding.” But before he could
utter a sentence those brave fellows
had drowned his thanks. “No, Bob,
don't do that,” they cried. “Who
went to Mr. Misskellys, with all his
farm force, and built him a house
when his old one burned? Who goes
all over this neighborhood, nursing
the sick and looking after the desti
tute generally all the year round? I
guess we know you, old fellow, and
we are just having a chance now to
pay you back some of your own coin.”
And, indeed, a few months before,
when Mr. Misskelly’s house was
burned, these noble fellows, headed
by this same sick man, Mr. Robert
Stafford, had met at a nearby saw
mill on a day designated, each man
with his team and tools; and each
man not only gave his time and team,
but in addition he paid for every foot
of lumber that went on his wagon.
By nightfall a comfortable three-room
cottage was framed and covered, and
best of all, it was paid for. And the
man for whom this was done was not
a member of the Baptist church
either. But those sons of Nature —
God’s purest breed —had enclosed him
within that magic circle, diviner than
any sect or creed, the circle of Je
hovah’s heart, which teaches men to
“love thy neighbor as thyself.”
And this is the type of friendship—
friendship from which caste and con
ventionality have not squeezed all the
“milk of human kindness” —that we
have received at the hands of Wi
nona’s children and foster children,
and most of all at the hands of our
faithful, patient, loyal brother and sis
ter in Christ, Mr. and Mrs. Ball.
(Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10; 1 Cor. 16:2.)
V. Know the Scriptures. Vs. 3-7.
The Pharisees criticised Jesus be
cause they had an incomplete knowl
edge of the Scriptures. It requires
but little ability and knowledge to
find fault and criticise. We would
have fewer critics if men would be
careful to know all God’s Word says
upon the subject in question.
VI. Don’t Fear Criticism. (Vs. 2-
14.)
The man that fears and runs from
criticism will never accomplish any
thing. Our Lord was criticised, and
we, too, must expect criticism. The
more we do, and the greater our suc
cess, the more Satan and his follow
ers will oppose us and criticise us.
Don’t fear, but “be sure you are right
and go ahead” with your work.
VII. Do the Impossible. (Vs. 13.)
Our Lord commanded this man to
do that which it was impossible to do,
but with the will to obey the Lord’s
command came the powers to enable
him to act. This man believed Jesus,
and therefore it was possible for him
to do the impossible. “All things are
possible to him that believeth.” (Mark
9:23.)
We are often commanded to do im
possible things, but if we will only be
(Continued on Page 16.)
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