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Feb. 20.
TRUST GOD AND BOOST
■Hp 'Buy thee the field that is in Ana-
Jeremiah 32:7.
Gibbon lias given ns a superb exam
«BHle of patriotic t>ith. It is in that
■■■Mhapter* where lie depicts tin- it..man
of mind when the t'arthagen
nS I ,us hed their invasion to the heart
|Bip the empire. Hannibal was within
HHBi>' aa miles of Home. The imperial city
SafeA'as besieged. To express complete
■Bflonfidence in their ability to throw off
aSiMglm invader, the land upon which Han-
BBeMl’al was encamped was offered at
BBfl uction and promtly purchased a fabu
We are to consider an identical ex
■|Kmple <>f faith. In the case before ns
B|fl ,u Babylonians are encamped within
BmM g-hree miles of Jerusalem. The inhabl-
MM »ants are. in a state of panic. At this
Hg| Baleful moment God directs Jeremiah
H| fl> "' JUJ field that is in Anathoth.”
HBBN’ow, Anathoth was where the enemy
flaMvas encamped. Without a murmur the
SaHprophet invests his meager saving in
B|vhe field. The transaction saved Jew-
Hfl I s ' l morale and steeled the heart of the
I’f}| whole nation against an inevitable
B disaster.
Fellow citizens, I ask you in the
B quiet of this Thanksgiving Sabbath to
H reselect upon the far-reaching influ-
H ence of such intrepid patriotism. This
gfl is the faith we sorely need as the na-
Hjg tion goes forth to meet the foe. A staff
Mg correspondent at the front has likened
® America to a spear. Mr. Wilson is the
fl spear point and the people are aligned
|1 behind him as the steel rod. The fig
fl ure is striking. It should be added,
H that faith is the temper in the
B Jstefeel.
>' must an <l we shall keep up the
B (morale of the republic. This is more
(needful than men. money or munitions.
■ Important as was the Liberty Loan, I
Ido not hesitate to affirm that morale,
B [that infallible something, is the su
£»,T iperlative rerepuisite of victory. Well
U| does the enemy realize this fact
Wherefore every influence at at Ger
fl many’s command is being exerted in
H,, a supreme attack behind the lines. The
■ bullets of socialism, pacifism and an
archy are more deadly than thirteen
inch shells, and pessimism than pois-
Sfl on S ases - The incessant blasting at the
tWI .foundations of American confidence
and ardor with propaganda of one kind
B or another reveals very clearly what
Germany thinks of the importanc of a
B nation's morale.
'/ I recognize the voice of ’76 in “buy
jc thee the field in Anathoth.” This war
fl ’must be won behind the fighting lines
F’S V Jeremiahs ready to invest heart,
i Juul,, mind and ' strength in one
fl > .'upreme venture of faith that gathers to
fl JU self the very ground now occupied by
; fl he enemy, Belgian, French, Italian.
■ --Salkan. Have you that faith? If so
K SC'°u are in a position to render the
dghest service possible in your coun
gß 31. ry’s hour of peril.
B Ule The m ost unlikely man in Jerusalem
B jr such inspirational work was Jere-
B a l>niah. He was a pessimist with a na
fl ' reputation. “The weeping
B prophet” is his pseudonym. He pos-
M \ sessed inside information (from Jeho-
B vah) that the impending attack would
fl. be-successful and that seventy years
fl must elapse before he would be per-
Bp mitted to claim his property. Further
■B more, he was a prisoner at the time of
the purchase. The King of Judah had
locked him up for prophesying this
H very invasiodn, considering Jeremiah a
B.® public nuisance, a much-raker and a
B scold. And he was poor.
flpii None can dodge the manifest appll-
B>sp: cation of all this. I see in this bit of
8 56 history my own unmisakle duty as a
B of citizen. The issue is so clearly drawn
B' wa that evasion is impossble, inasmuch as
Blair rnv every excuse has been anticipated,
■anil If I am a patriot at heart it is my duty
■hdeito trust God and boost, circumstances
Hui ito the contrary notwithstanding.
p “Trust God and Boofft,” a line of
EsJ”. thought suggested by an illuminating
KI /-'book** which I readjust summer. Hav
■'Tning propounded the question, “Are we
fl> • vcapable of self-government?” the auth
or fourfd America’s mind so enshrouded
p 'n clouds of pessimism and her pro
fl gress so enmired in a slough of de
fl- spond that he could only guess at the
fl an< lnsW er. But after reviewing, with in
fl-> side knowledge, the nation-wide de
fl '■'generacy of recent years and diagnos-
■ y cing the insidious diseases of the body
fl pm i tic, the body corporate and the
Breta body social, the book closed with a
chapter in ■which a hit the trail
I- -T. thanksgiving was suggested as a pos-
B, Mar ble remedy. Mr. Nixon urged the
■ ' lvldr, .j er g. yrnan w ho is not above secular
lllip '.hemes” to focus a stern eye on the
| nan in the street (for the moment the
I ■ -nan in the pew) and admonish him
I I Picjomewhat like this:
I in r “Upon this day of Thanksgiving I
l«ffirp= ive J ’ ou a P iece of counsel, part grat
l.y to‘ tude < P art dut D P art P rltdence - Here
es. mlt is: Fear God and Boost.”
misur That paragraph was like a blow be
nditi'tween the eyes. But, instead of put
ting me to sleep, it brought me to my
irith feet. I saw my duty as an American
e . n h'—and yours. So I pass it up to you
I'on' today- There’s something bigger than
the jCentimeter guns needed just now. It
that van neither be bought nor manufactur
> its ed. It is something from God that lifts
th sermen and nations out of the slough and
hole hthe fog. Like electrictj', it is instantly
f possessed when certain well known
/ laws are obeyed. Given a Jeremiah.
L who is a good conductor, and “presto”
g vision, ventiire, victory. I want to be
a Jeremiah to my country. Don’t you?
The path of the past week brought
' me to a gathering, where the convic
tion, forming since summer, was con-
TRENc. H AND CAMP
firmed. It was a war council. Some
two hundred or more moulders of pub
lic -opinion had bden called together to
consult how best to strengthen the
arm of the Government. We had as
our advisers such men as Dr. Sher
wood Eddy and Dr. “Labrador” Gren
fell, both just returned from the storm
centre; also a member of the French
Commission to the United States, and
a member of the British Commission.
The Frenchman fought at Verdun and
elsewhere. With one voice these men
of knowledge and authority asserted
that the outcome of the war depended
largely upon the hopeful spirit in
which those at home perform the daily
task and the cheerfulness with which
inconvenience and sacrifice are met.
We were urged to- go back to our con
stituency and make it very plain that
the greatest need is that every citizezn
shall trust God and boost. A collaps of
American morale means almost certain
disaster. The less believe the more
we fear. The more we fear the more
certain is defeat. The stakes are so
great and the demand so relatively
small that everyone should resolve to
do his bit.
Now, none need look beyond the
sphere of daily life for a chance to
boost. Jdremiah's was not a public
transaction; it was a’purely private
and personal matter. Strange how a
real estate deal, of no particular im
portance, loomed up so conspicuously
and influenced the community so pro
foundly that it was incorporated in the
permanent history of a great people.
The field in Anathoth was an old
homestead. There Jeremiah was born.
When the invaders arrived, an uncle,
who owned the place, used all haste to
sell out. By so doing he made a bad
matter worse, for he added to the pre
vailing panic. The elaborate, even os
tentatious, manner in which his neph
ew proceeded with the purchase and
transfer of title had the desired effect,
and hope returned to Jerusalem. One
man kept a tight grip on God and a
whole city felt the thrill, the boost of a
power greater than Babylon's. Never
in all his life had Jeremiah done a
greater day’s work. And he did not
step out of prison or private life to
render this high service to his country.
At this point may I ask a very direct
and personal question? Which kind of
a citizen are y'ou? Are you Hanameel,
the uncle, or Jeremiah, the nephew?
Are you the bear or the bull, the pes
simist or the optimist, the self centered
farmer or the high-minded patriot?
Are you Hanameel, selling out your
interest in government, democracy,
justice, religion and the kingdom of
righteousness? Or, are you Jeremiah,
shouting above the panic, “I take more
stock in God, the church, the power of
right over might, law, order and civ
ilization. Give me more stock, and
more, and yet more.” In fine, are you
a kill-joy or a booster?
Let me say to you very earnestly it’s
the kind of citizen you are in daily life
that counts most. If you honestly de
sire to help Uncl Sain, load up. Don't
unload, or you will give the surest
comfort to the enemy. Load up! We
Americans have been unloading for the
past twenty years, or thereabout. That
is the reason you hear so much grumb
ling and and kicking. Empty wagons
always make the most noise. Load up
with faith. Go to the first bookstore,
tomorrow, and say in your most cheer
ful tone of voice, “Here, give me back
my Bible.” Walk up to your newsboy
with, “Say, son, let me have ‘The
Morning Confidence. I am giving up
‘The Sewer Gas.’ ” Wire Miss Democ
racy, “I take it all back. Accept apolo
gy. Henceforth, I will not doubt by
you.” Then top off a good week’s work
by telling your minister next Sabbath
that you have decided to renew yopr
membership in the church, which, in
spite of all deficiencies, has boosted
humanity more than any other one in
stitution. God says, “Buy.” Will you
do it?
You cannot boost so long as you
think only of yourself. The editor of
the “Atlantic Monthly” has likened the
average American to a professional
gambler who “would spin the earth
round and round till it stops at his
number. ”
A chronic malcontent cannot boost.
I agree with Macaulay that “to’be con
stantly discontented with a condition
which is constantly improving is un
grateful” to say the least. Even now
the mills of God are grinding out the
finest product of all the centuries and
some are too blind to take stock in the
enterprise. The world is growing bet
ter, so buy a field in Anathoth.
Os course one cannot boost so long
as one is in the business of fomenting
trouble. It would be wholesome if cer
tain Americans could toe prevailed up
on to take a good dose of such medi
cine as Mr. White administered to
Kansas, “raise less hell and more
corn.'”
A.year ago I was in Montreal. Ev
erywhere one turned were soldiers
flourishing canes or riding whips. It
struck me as rather unusual. At least
I had never heard that such articles
were part of a soldier’s equipment.
Being curious by nature, I asked a
Canadian, “Why do your soldiers car
ry canes?” This was the gist of the
reply, “To keep the boys braced up
when off duty. You see when a man
in uniform mingles with the crowds
he is apt to be embarrassed. Not
knowing what to do with his hands
the instince is to thrust them into the
pockets. The cane is intendd to keep
a fellow spruced up. Therefore, it is
called a ‘swagger stick'.’”
Now, faith is the moral equivalent
for the swagger stick. I wish I might
drive home this fact. Mighty effectual
Faith is as a bracer, scientist, inven- :
tor, promoter, patriot and, saint must :
have it before he can “make good.” It ■
would pay you some fine' day to take
a walk through the pricipal thorough- I
fares of scripture ana note the swag- j
ger sticks. For instance, turn into :
Fifth Avenue (Hebrews 113, where reijJ
aristocracy resides, Abel, ' Enoch, !
Noah, Abraham, Sara, Moses. Or wend
your way through American history
and note how the fathers kept braced
up. Beneath evry superficial and
transitory event the real history of
humanity goes forward guided and
controlled by those who walk with
God and boost.
American democracy is the admire
tion and inspiration of her friends. It
is the bewilderment of the foe. The
world has been on top-toe of expec
tancy since we entered the war. The i
mood of our w. r-worn allies is ,
breathless to respond to your bracing
optimism. When you suscribed to the
Liberty Loan so handsomely the ef
fect was electrical. The French franc
jumped high on the international ex
change. What a chance to make one’s '
life count for something real and no- 1
ble. Who can resist the witchery of,
the hour?
It comes, then, to this—the whole of
the nation's morale is the sum of all
its daily individual activities. Live
your normal life, think victory and
talk it lend a hand when called upon
In a word, be an American or be still.
A chapter in a recent war book* af
fords a graphic example of the thought
I have in mind. It was early morning.
The soldiers awaited the command
go over the top. With them was a
detachment of Royal Engineers whose
duty was to follow the fighting men
and prepare defences against the in
evitable counter-attack.
As the command rang out a flood of
valor rolled over the top sweeping
down o’er the foe. The first to answer
the advance was an Engineer. He
leapt upon the parapet, and stood like
a lightning conductor amid the raging
storm. With one hand pointing in the
direction of the enemy and the othei
extended ncouragingly to the soldiers
behind him. his voice rang out above
the tumult, “On, Scottish, on! On,
Scottish on!”
When the action was over the en
gineer, a nervous wreck, collapsed in
the arms of an officer amid glorious
cheering. And the Colonel, in making
up his report, did not forget to men
tion in his list of heroes the name of
the “Inspirer of the Parapet.”
The point of the story in the mind of
the narrator is this: “The engineer, in
private life, is a modest Christian, and
an ardent worker in a London church.
Week by week he had, amid the drab
ness of civil lif, sought to guide and
inspire the youth to deeds of noble
ness, and when the blaze of battle
burst upon him it found him un
changed—an ispirer still. The bayonet
and its glory had been denied him. On
ly the shovel was his. He could not be
a warrior but he could be a warrior's
inspiration.”
Friends in the dull gray of everyday
life, what are you doing for your na
tive (or adopted) land? What is your
attitude of mind and heart at this
moment of public anxiety? I invoke
the blessing of Morris, Revere, Betsy
Ross and a thousand other noble
hearted private citizens of the'past
that you and I may become imbued
with thir spirit and be in our day and
genes ition inspirers upon the para
pet. If you cannot inspire in citizen
dress, it is most unlikely that you
would do better in khaki.
The Kingdom of God is on the wav.
Stake out a claim for yourself and buy
the field that is in Anathoth.
♦Gibbon’s Rome, Chapter 31.
♦♦“ Are We Capable of Self-Govern
ment?” Frank W. Nixon--Harper.
♦♦♦“ The Cross at the Front.’/’ Tip
lady-Revell.
MY ROWS AWRY. .
It is seldom that the Register prints
a parody, but this is a worthy excep
tion, says the Christian Register. It i
at present one of the joys of Smith
College:
“The hours I spent in sweater art
Are as a string of purls—l sigh
To count them over, every one apart,
My rows awry! My rows awry!
Each hour I purl, each purl take care
To drop no stitch lest I be stung;
O count, yea count, unto the end, ant
there —
A sleeve is hung, a sleeva is hung.
O memories that bless and burn!
O raveling out at bitter loss.
I drop a purl, yet strive at last to
learn
To knot across, sweet art!
To knit across!”
COMPLETE LINES OF JEWELRY AT
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Most Complete Line
of Camp Supplies
in the City.
WE WANT YOUR
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