Exeter Advocate, 1906-4-26, Page 2N,O' ''hS AND COa"1' . '1ENTS
:tom Oliver Lodge, in an article in the
roe knightly Review, appeals to men o
ealence to approach the marvelous with
k Inore open and investigating mind.
Considering the results that have been.
gained in the last third of a century one
3s.
Seely to think the imputation that
modern scientific men do not keep an
open mind toward such phenomena as
Sir Oliver Lodge refers to is hardly
.warranted. There has been a change in
the scientific attitude since Michael
Faraday classed mesmerism among
things unworthy serious attention. In
consequence of that.ehange the realm
of the "marvelous" --Which Faraday and
his fellows looked upon as largely one
of mere fraud -has been much narrow-
ed and grows daily less.
Take the progress made by psycholo.
gists in e:tpiaining what are now recog-
nized as the kindred phenomena of
hypnotism, "divine healing," and reli-
gious conversion. It has not been long
since hypnotism and "divine healing"
were regarded by some as impostures
fit only to gull the ignorant and by
others as equally wonderful and inex-
plicable. Religious conversion was
looked upon by some sceptically, by
others as a revolution in the life wrought
by a direct divine intervention. It is
now known that they are all as much
facts -and at bottom as much physical
facts -as dreaming or the beating of the
heart. They have all been connected
with the law of suggestion, which is de-
fined as the tendency of one's ideas to
realize themselves unless inhibited. Get
the mind completely possessed by the
idea that hypnotization, or the healing
of some functional disorder or a great
moral change is going to take place and
that, it has been shown, often is all that
is necessary to cause it to take place.
The psychological nature of conversion Christ's golden rule of putting your-
istby 8
now admitted .relf io-scientific self in the other man's place, and acting
never been set aside.
' l h
cc
ordm s a
accordingly, Y
-writers lIle Prof. George A. Coe as well Christ exemplified that rule perfectly.
as by purely scientific writers, such as
Prol. William James. Other once puz-
zling matters as wide apart as multiple
personality and the tricks of the fakirs
of India have been cleared up. When
phenomena have been traced to their
causes they do not cease to interest, but
they do cease to appeal to the sense of
the marvelous.
FTE -R WHT fS TRUTH?'
Christ ,,st Is the Life, the Rock of Truth, Upon
Which His Church Was Founded
saidhim,
Jesus.unto .I am the way
and the truth and. thelite; no num com-
eth unto the Father but by nue-John
xiv., 6.
These words of Christ to IIis perplex-
ed disciple, Thomas, are an answer to
doubters fn every age. Jeremiah ex-
claims, "Where is the good way?" Pi-
late cries out, What is truth? James
asks, "What is your life?"
Three burning questions, therefore, in
human experience are here present-
ed to us, viz.: Whom to follow? What
tc believe? Ilow to live?
Whom to follow? We are blinded by
sin, weakened by inherited corruption,
befogged with an evil environment and
yet seeking and struggling for the right
path. Something within us is ever cry-
ing out for the way of life, and the prom-
ises of God all point to the fulfillment
of these desires.
But how can Christ be said to bo the
way back to right living and to God?
Because He is the revelation of the great
loving heart of God to us. The father-
hood of God is made plain and real to
us by Christ. ` As He lived in the • Fa-
ther and with tite Father, so may we.
Be a follower of Him, for a knowledge
cf Christ opens eyes,
IT NEVER DARKENS TIIEM.
A second question facing us in daily
experience is what to . believe. This
may not be an age el doubt greater than
sc'me previous ones but it is a time when
many Things are being restated and.
differently stated. Under these circum-
stances many and many a one to -day is
asking, and I believe with an honest
heart, "After all, what is the truth?"
Back to the Christ must this generation
go as all other have had to do, if they
would know what to believe in the face
of all the new discoveries and improved
opportunities of this century.
The main ground of Sir Olivet
Lodge's complaint against his scientific
brethren is the scant courtesy they have
raid the claims of spiritualists. Probe-
bly the chief reason for this has been
the large ;amount of palpable fraud that
has been mixed up with spiritualism.
Despite repeated exposures of impos
ture, however, intelligent people contin
tie to believe in mediums and material-
ization and anything numbers of intel-
ligent people. believe in is worthy of
serious attention. There are other
"marvelous" things than spiritualism-
telepathy, premonitions, clairvoyancy,
mind reading -which have never been
either satisfactorily explained or ex-
plained away. Is there any ground for
the widespread belief in these things?
They are proper subjects of inquiry.
The exact truth about some of them be-
sides gratifying the craving for more
and more knowledge would save many
from the clutches of heartless and
greedy impostors. I1 Sir Oliver Lodge's
article stimulates science to more active
inquiries for the 'purpose of further
narrowing the domain of the marvelous
it will serve a useful purpose.
Seaweed selling is the price of certain
Norwegian prosperity. The gathering
of seaweed in southwestern Norway has
assumed the proportions of a large in-
dustry which has surpassed fishing and
agriculture in fortune building. Far-
mers collect the apparently worthless
growth, burn it, and sell the ashes to
representatives of various manufactur-
ing institutions in other countries.
These ashes contain valuable chemical
properties, including iodine. Old debts
have been paid and srnall farms that
were isolated and surrounded by un-
productive land have had their boun-
daries extended by the draining of
marshes and clearing of rocky wastes
that have not been utilized or produc-
tive since the stone age. Twenty years
ago there was not a mowing machine
in the distract, while now there are
mowers, hay . rakes, harrows, and other
modern machinery on nearly every
farm. Modern dwellings and barns for
grain and stock have replaced the
ancient huts. The transformation has
been so great that farming in this
locality has become completely modern-
ized,
UNDER ORDERS.
The Irish trooper's tient bolted down
the line with him and as he passed the
general palled out : "Here, you fool,
where are you going?"
Pacicly, with his arms around the
horse's neck, yelled back "1 dunrrio,
yet honor, ask the -parse."
TI•Irs (HIGHEST.
"Do you attend a high church, Mrs,
Brown?" the caller asked.
"Oh, of course, we attend tae best,"
raid Mrs. Millionaire Brown, languidly.
'put" pour rent .is $1,000 a yettr."
f-}?:404-3Cff♦3:E') + 3
3 Foiled By Fate
Do you ask, like Pilate .In his bewilder-
ment, "What is truth?" I point you
with joy to the Christ, and bid you ac-
cept and imitate Him, and thus and a
solution for all your doubts and errors.
A final question in daily experience.
Is, how to live and act. The inspiration
and power to live aright must cote
from the same source -the Christ.
is His who prompts' to noblest duty
and to the most phi:lanthropio service.
The nations of the earth can never ex-
press all they owe to Christ and his fol-
lewers for what they are. The world of
taade and commerce does not compre-
hend its debt to Him and His flight of
life thus brought • to the regions beyond.
Christ is the life of all 'morality, too.
Sometimes morality descends into in.
heritance unacknowledged.. Sometimes
it enters
INTO THE LIFE OF A MAN
like contagion from . his environment.
Sometimes a man's . own selfish heart
convinces him that tis be moral is to
do the best thing for himself, yet, in its
final analysis,• the great cause of up-
rightness, of purity, of self-sacrifice, of
disinterested • love, is the Christ.
Christ is the life, the rock of truth,
upon which His church was founded..
Tits divinity as well as His humanity,
His :infinite power as well as His most
human love, must be acknowldeged by
the church bearing His name.
Christ- is the lite of the home. Ilow
often He sanctified the joys thereof
while upon earth! And Ile has never
smce ceased in such ministrations of
love.
But more intimate than • all this is. His
nearness and power within the individu-
al -to you and to me In our sweetest
joys and in our most difficult tasks of
life. In our moments of greatest hope-
fulness and in our seasons of deepest
depression, in our days of largest in-
gathering
n-
as h g
t Erin and in our tunes of keenest
loss, Christ is our life.
ANDREW HAGERMAN.
"My dear Mrs. Barton, I think you
had better not see him. Your father's
will is very explicit. While your hus-
band is alive you are entirely depen-
dent upon the trustees for your income;
at his- death you will have everything
in your own hands. When Tames Bar-
ton comes out of jail he is to have £100
a year so long as he goes abroad and
stays there; bet should you rejoin him,
the whole of your fortune passes away
to charities."
"There is no fear that I shall do that,
Dr. Carp. I married James Barton when
I was an ignorant schoolgirl of eigh-
teen: -My father was in India at the
time, and only knew of it after the
event. I was mistress of £10,000 which
my mother left me, but my husband
squandered it in two years. You can-
not imagine the awakening I had when
we had been married but a few months.
The man I had imagined to be the em-
bodiment of everything manly turned
out crafty and unscrupulous, a drunk-
ard and a gambler, and at last a thief."
"What an awakening 1"
"Ahl it was terrible. While my money
lasted he left me for .months at a time
while he went to Monte Carlo. Then
the time came when we were reduced
to poverty and one room. He sold or
pawned everything we had and came
home every night madly intoxicated, and
so ill-treated me that I had to seek pro-
tection. Then came his arrest for the
jewel robbery and the sentence of five
years, and when my father came home
from India lie found me starving."
"My poor girl, what you have suffer-
ed?"
"So, you see, doctor, you need not
have the slightest anxiety that I shall
rejoin my husband. My only prayer' is
that I may never see him again."
"There is no need for, you to do so, my
dear Mrs. Barton. Your husband is to
be released in a week's time. With
your permission I will meet himas he
is discharged, give him the money, an.i
inform him , of the conditions, and,
furthermore„ 1 will see him on board the
ship."
"It is more than kind of you to fake
so much trouble, doctor, and I thank
you so 'much."
"I would do anything for your happi-
ness. I am hoping for the time when
you will once again be a free woman."
"Ah 1 I wonder how many women
there are in the world whose chance of
a happy love comes too late?"
Dr. Carp stroked his handsome black
beard as he gazed for a few moments
at the bowed head of Beryl Barton,
"Then -if -if youwere free, there is
someone who, you .. think, could make
you happy?"
Mrs. Barton raised her eyes to his and
then turned away,
"Yes; 1 have at last met -a man."
Whrrn Dr, l3nwrinn Carp left Beryl
tartan dna ilai'usuu,c Lail, tvuie iti 'toes
of exulting satfsfaotion. Beryl's state-
ment that there was someone wile could
make her happy was accepted by the
doctor as referring to himself, and his
self-satisfied egotism would not permit
the possibility of there being anyone
else.
As he walked towards his own house
a man on horseback approached liim.
"Sir Anthony Lynch -going to call on
Beryl, I' suppose. It will be a good job
when he goes abroad," •
"Morning, (leder; have you horn to
see Mrs. Barton ?"
"Yes; she's plckirig up nicely, and
will soon be her old self again."
"1'rrt glad to hear that: 1 am just grl-
ing to gall.Shaa'n't haVre many mare
opportunities. I am ordered to start
for Japan in a few days."
"Ah 1 you diplomatic fellows do get
about."
With a mutual nod the two men went
their different ways, Sir Anthony to
feast his eyes upon the woman he loved
above all others, and the doctor to an
interview of a far more unpleasant na-
ture. When he reached home he found
a gentleman awaiting him whose card
bore the name of Moses Sibith..
"Now, Dr. Carp, 1 think I have ar-
rived at the end of my patience. I hold
your bills for £4,000 odd. 1 do not wish
to do anything harsh, but unless you can
give me something tnoresttiau promises
I mutt proceed to recover any money.'
"I am sorry, Mr. Smith, that I have
not been able to take the bills up, but
for you to proceed now woiiltl be dis-
astrous and spoil everything."
"What do you mean?"
"Supposing I was to marry a young
widow with £10,000 a year in her own
right?"
"Ah I"
"It would pay you very much better
to wait and get paid in full than take
the risk of a problematical dividend by
forcing me into bankruptcy,"
"And the chances?"
"There are no chances ; it is a cer-
tainty.",
"How long do you want?" s
"Renew the bills for a month and: I'Il
sign for an extra £500 by way of in-
terest."
"You are either very confident, doe-,
tor, or very desperate. However, -I can
lose nothing by waiting a month, so 1
will do it; but, remember, I shall be
clown on you five minutes after the bills
fall due."
During the next few days Dr. Bowdon
Carp was a very busy man. ile paid
several visits to London, and made some
mysterious arrangements at a house in
Stamford Street.
The evening before Jim Barton's re-
lease the doctor visited this house. and
interviewed the •particularly ill-favored
woman who seemed to be its presiding
genius.
"Well, and how is the patient, Mrs.
Slim grove 7"
"Near a corpse as can be."
"I will go up and see him."
In an upstairs room a man lay on the
bed. He turned his eyes beseechingly as
the doctor entered. , He did not speak.
He was . suffering all the horrors of
diphtheria. Carp made a cursory ex-
amination and went downstairs again.
"He won't live .twenty-four hours.
Now, I shall be here to -morrow, Mrs.
Slimgrove, with a friend. here is some
money; get in some food and whiskey-
plenty
hiskeyplenty of whiskey. I rely upon you lo
attend to these written instructions, and
expect me about six in the evening."
On the following day Dr. Carp arrived
with the released convict, Tim Barton
A sumptuous repast had been pre-
pared, of which Beryl's husband partook
ravenously. During the meal he was
silent and morose, but after he had
satisfied his hunger and applied himself
several times to the decanter he lit a
cigar and turned to the doctor :-
"Now, then, what's your game ?"
"Perhaps it would be better if I asked
a quest?4n first. ' What do you inten•f foolery roes for nothing?"
t4 do 7" "Not quite, ` 1 am not so easily
"Well, what cio you think i My wife beaten."
has inherited all her father's money,
A husband's place is with his wife-
eh?"
vife-eh?" ;
"I don't think you quite understand.
Your father-in-law left an his money in
the hands of trustees. Your wife is to
receive the income as long as she keeps
away from you. ' If she altemlite to s1s-
sist you in any way, or recognizes your
rights as a husband, the money passes
to charities."
"And where do 1 come in?"
"You go out. That is to say, you aro
to receive £100 a year so longas you
stay outof England, RRemain''.ilere,
you get nothing, What do you.. say?'
The ex -convict was silent for a few
minutes.
"Well, ft's hard lines en me, but! signed to the grave under the name et
;e100 is better than nothing." James Barton.
"111 the case of your death the trustees Although the doctor was away at
are relieved of their responsibility, and Pliyrnouth he had arranged to be kept
well supplied with news of the doings
of Sir -Anthony Lyneh and Beryl, and
one day he received the information that
they had been quietly married, and were`
spending a few days in London prepara-
tory to starting fon' Japan.
The news Doused the doctor consider-
able satisfaction, and he wrote to An
Barton telling him to hold hrinself in
readiness for any emergency. .The fol-
lowing evening saw him in the train en
route for London.
Sir Anthony Lynch was very lunch
surprised to receive a telephone mes-
sage from Dr..' Carp, asking him to' meet
him at the Gordon Hotel upon a matter
of grave importance, and further re-
questing Sir Anthony to keep the meet-
ing secretfrom his wife.
In due course the appointment: was
kept, and Dr. Carp assumed a profound
air of mystery.
your wife has her fortune in her own
hands."
"Nell,, you can bet your life that I
an not going,. to die to please'. her."
"It is a, pity."
"Is it?' That's only your opinion."
"What are your feelings with regard
to your wile?"
think it is hard lines that she
should have all the money and I no-
thing. Beyond that I don't care if r
never see her again,"
"Then, if you were paid, say, £500 a
year, you wouldn't care whether she
married again or not?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean thatyou would be better
dead. Listen 1 'There is a sick man up=
stairs. He will die to -night. Why cant.
he be buried as James Barton?"
"I-Iere, none of that."
"11 is so easy. I give you a little
powder. You become insensible for
two hours and look like a corpse. I "My dear Sir Anthony, I have some
send for your wife and. she identifies terrible news to contntunicate. I.
the body as that of her husband. You thought ft best to see you before I had
come to your 'senses again, the other an interview with Mrs. Barton."
man is .buried op my, certificate, and
you receive £500 a year for life."
"Who from?"
"The man that .marries Beryl Bar-
ton."
"And that man?"
"Whatever your news is, doctor, 1
must tell you that Mrs. Barton is now
Lady Lynch; we were married two days
ago."
"I know that; and that makes my news
all the more terrible,"
"Is myself."
"I thought as much. And what guar-
antee have 1 that the money will be "I am alarmed myself, Sir Anthony.
paid 7" You saw lames Barton lying dead in the
"The simple guarantee that it Is in house 'in Stamford Street?"
yourrpower to: turn up at'any'moment did."
and expose the whole thing." "I made all arrangements for the
"That's true." ` funeral, ' and then had to go down to
"Will you, do it?" Plymouth. • I went to Stamford Street
"It is worth thinking about; but no this' morning, and. the man who opened;
hanky-panky with the , physic and the. door .to me wase - James Barton 1"
stretch me out in real earnest. Impossible 1"
' They talked far. into the night. They "It is true. What I mistook for death
were, atone . in :the house save for the was simply coma; he recovered a. few
sick man upstairs. At last they came hours after ,I left"
to some agreement, and the doctor. "But, I saw the undertaker, and he told
rose. me that the body had been buried."
Aided by the feeble light of a candle "Unfortunately there was another man
he made• his way upstairs. The poor lying dead'. in the house, and ho was
patient lay neglected in his agony. The buried by mistake as James Barton."
doctor took a phial from his pocket and "Great heavens 1 And Beryl, my
poured a.liquid into a glass. Raising the wife?"
sick man he held it to his lips. Ah t Must we tell her, Sir Anthony?
In a few moments the man was be- Has she not had enough trouble in, her
yond the reach of pain. life without this? Can we not keep it
The following morning
Dr. Carp
sent
from her ?
"
a wire to Beryl Barton
"How, man, how? Don't you'see that
"James Barton is here. Very ill -teal, if this/man is alive she is not my wife 7"
the worst" "She can never be anything to him.
Twenty-four hours later this telegram Supposing this man was willing to dis-
was followed by another :- appear, to remain dead, for a sum of
"Barton died this morning. Can you money'?"
cone at once to identify the body 7" "I would do anything ,to save Beryl
Having received an answer, which pain."
simply said, "Twelve -thirty train," Carp "Then give me £6,000, and I will un
proceeded with his arrangements. The dertake that this man troubles you no
dead man was taken from the bed and afore."
placed in another room, and James Bar- "But that would not make Beryl my
ton took his place. wife. I must think, I must think.
The doctor mixed the draught, and as Colne, take me to see James Barton; 1
Barton swallowed it he carefully noted cannot believe that he is alive. When
the effect. The color receded from his I have scan him perhaps I shall know
face, the heart seemed to cease beating,' how to act"
and to all intents James Barton was a . With ready compliance Dr. Carp
corpse. called a hansom and the pair drove off
Carefully arranging the blinds and to Stamford Street. The door was
covering the body with a sheet, Carp opened by Mrs. Sliingrove.
set himself to await the coming of l "Is 'Mr. Barton in?" asked"the doctor.
Beryl Barton. An hour later he hurried! "Yes; oh, yes, he's in, an' likely to be.
to the door in answer to a ring, and He's upstairs."
there stood on the steps, not Beryl, but "Ask him to come down."
Sir Anthony Lynch. "I think you'd better go up to him.
"This is very sudden, Dr. Carp. `Mrs. IIe feels too stiff to walk much."
Barton could not face the ordeal her- The old woman went croalcfng down
self, so she asked inc to come. I ]snow the stairs, leaving the two men to go to
Jim 13arton well; we were at ,the Uni- James Barton's room.
versify together." The room was in darkness as they
"I am glad on the whole that Mrs. entered. The doctor drew up the blinds.
Barton did not come, as there is a great They both approached the figure lying
risk of infection. The poor fellow died on the bed, and -then started, back with
of diphtheria." a simultaneous cry of horror. •
"Poor fellow. A wasted life." - Jim Barton lay there dead.
"Better get it over at once. I would "Strange 1" said the doctor. "He was
rather you did not come farther than well enough when I left him this
the door. No need to run any risk." morning."
Sir Anthony followed the doctor up- "Then how do you account for this 7"
stairs, and gazed into the semi -darkness asked Sit Anthony, as he picked up a
of the ,room.. paper from the table.
`.`Yes ; -this is -.Jim Barton right "1.51h January. I am dying. 1 have
.enough." caught diphtheria from the man who
"Well, let us get down again; it is died in this bed. May my curses rest
not good to remain up here. How does on Carp and all his schemes. -James
Mrs. Barton take"it? Barton.
"Very quietly. Of course, we cannot "The • 151h," continued. Sir Anthony.'
expect, any sentiment. It is ,a happy re- "Beryl and I were married on the 16th,
lease for her." - so our marriage was quite legal. Now,
"It is; and I hope .her -future will in sir, what have you to say in explana-
some measure make-up for the unhappi- tion?"•
Hess of the p" ,"That I have -been. foiled by my own
"Thank you," answered Sir Anthony; weapon. I was a desperate man; Sir
"it will not be iny fault if it does not." Anthony, and played for, a great stake
"What do you mean? - to win or lose my • all. I loved Beryl.
Barton,- and to .win her I risked much.
I did" not know 'that you were taking a
hand in the game; I was confident that
I held all the cards. 1 have lost, and I
am in' your power."
"I have neither lime nor inclination to
use that power, Drs Carp I am only
too thankful that my wife has been
spared the knowledge of this horror
which you prepared for her. • We are
going abroad - . to -morrow, and I can
only hope that neither of us will ever
see 'Q1X again."
And so Beryl never knew the plot
so carefully prepared to ruin her life:
and when some three years later she re-
turned to .• England with her husband
Dr.• .Rawdon Carp had disappeared.
Moses Smith had been as_good as his
word.
"You alarm me."
"1 mean that Beryl and I have loved
each outer for years. ,I am going out to
Japan in a few days. We shall be mar -
"led by. special. license, and she will ac-
contpany m."
"I -I congreatulate you."I
"Thanks. I shall be glad • if you can
come to the ceremony, as you are such
art old d: of l'."
"I .am afraidfrienIBerycannotsmanage that.
When I have seen atter the funeral
arrangements I must: go down to Ply
mouth . for a week or ten days."
`When , Sir Anthony' had gone • Dr.
Bowdon Carp manifested his rage in a
variety of ways. iie _considered himself
tricked. All his plans were upset, and
the vision of Moses Smith loomed large
in the near future. But, one piece of.
rascality having failed, he was quite
ready to try another.
When Jim Barton came to his' senses
again he was all eager for news,
"Well, did she come and shed tears of
regret and repentance ?"
"No, she dill not come; she sent Sir
Anthony Lynch instead-"
"Sir Anthony 1 Why ]rim ?"
"Because 11 appears that he is the man
she is going to marry"
"Good heavons 1 And all our tons -
"What can you do ?"
"Let them get niarried, and a day or
two after tell Sir Anthony, that you
came to lite agein. I think he would
part with a good round sunt to keep the
knowledge from Beryl."
"What a mart you are, doctor 1 By
Jove 1 that's capital."
"1 must disappear for a few days, but
I will keep you posted with the' news.
Meanwhile you had better stay here and
tet Mrs. Sliregrows look after you. I
must, go and arrange for that Mart's
funeral noW.
til the course of the er'ening, the under-
taker called and took ewey the'remains
of the unfortunate victim of tar. Carp's
Scheme, anti in: dna course he was con -
ALMOST.
Ilewitt•-I'V0 .had this suit four yeras.
Tewett-Gea1 You trust have it near -
et( paid for by this: time.
TSE SUNDAY S O4
INTERNATIONAL LESSON,
APRIL 29.
Lesson V. Thee Parable of the Sower,
Golden Text: Luke ri. H.
LESSON WORD STUDIES.
.-The text of the [revised Version
is. used as a basis for these Word
Studies
1'he Parable of- the Four Soils. -This
parable usually called the Parable If
the Sower, is one of the very few se
ings of Jesus - recorded by all four ev
gelisis. It is one of a larger group o
eight parables which set forth the na-
ture of the kingdom of heavaa. Of this
larger group of eight all but one are
recorded in Matt. 13. That one, omitted
by Matthew, is the parable of the Growth
of the Seed, recorded by Mark chap" 4,
in connection with two other parables of
this group, the Parable of the , Sower,
and .the Parable of the Mustard Seed,
also recorded by Matthew. Luke records
this parableand also the Parable: of the
Mustard- Seed, together with the, Para-
ble of the Leaven, making in all tri}res
of the group of eight, the same number
as are recorded by Marls. Of these eight
parables again, four make useof the
figure of the growth of the sews, in
Iustrate the gradual development ofthe
kingdom of heaven. One employs the
figure of a net, two 'the figure of the
great treasure, the hidden. treasure,and
the goodly pearl; and one the. figure of .
the leaven which leaveneth the whole
lump, to set, forth other aspects of the
nature of the kingdom of heaven. This.'.
group of parables belongs to the earlier
part of the ministry of Jesus, and is pre-
ceded by a . still earlier sub -group of
three short parables : The feasting of
the wedding guests, the patching of the
rent garment, and the pouring of old
wine into new bottles. •
Two other larger groups of parables
belong to the latter portion of the min-
istry of Jesus ; one coniaining eighteen
parables, recorded principally in Luke,
belongs to the period of the Perean
ministry, and the other containg eight,
belongs to the latter erio . of conflict
g P
In Jerusalem, just before tkii passion of
Jesus. Those in this last, group are re-
corded principally by Matthew, and in
part by Luke, while Marls records only
one of this group, and only ons : of the
group preceding.
Verse 2. Parables -The word parable•
cones from the two Greek words,
"para," ,meaning beside, and "hello,"
meaning to throw, and means there-
fore literally to throw or place one thing
beside another. In usage it soon came
to mean also a comparison of things
thus placed .together. It is used in the•
Bible with a large variety of shades of
meaning, all of which involve the idea
of •comparison.
3. Went forth -Possibly farfrom his,
home teen distant field.
4. " 13y the wayside -The Ways!' re-
ferred to is the 'hard trodden 7aath•
through the grain field.
The birds cane and devoured it -Ire
the grain -raising sections of our own:
country, where are found the immense
grain fields extending fog' miles in every,
direction, it is not unusual in seed time•
to see large flocks of birds, sometimes
even of wild geese, following close be-
hind the plow, from which the seed is•
scattered in front of the plow shares
which immediately turn over the soil'
and cover the seed, which have been
left uncovered, and which have fallen to
one side of the plow. The picture in the
mind of Jesus was not the same as this,
but this reference, to a scene familiar to•
some of the readers of these notes, will
assist in making plain the method of
'Christ's teaching which was to take the
familiar objects and scenes with which
his hearers were acquainted, and use,
them to illustrate the truths which Tie•
endeavored to teach.
5. On the rocky ground -The slopes
of the hillsides about Galilee- toward'
which Jesus was 'looking from his posi-
tion on the edge of the Lake, were in
many places rocky with but a thin
covering of loose earth. These slopes of
the hillsides were the first to assume
their covering of green after the early,
rains, but were the first also to become
parched and dry after the, rainy season
had passed, because on them there was
no deepness of earth.
7. Among the thorns -A` variety of
thorns most common in Syria and Pal-
estine was the "Nabk" of the Arabs. Of .
this' same variety of thorns doubtless
the crown was woven which Jesus later
was forced to wear.
Choked it -The'; thorns being hardier,
and of more rapid growth, as well as
many in -number, absorbed all the
moisture and quicicly shut out the sun-
shine, making itimpossible for the
more tender ` sprouts el the grain to
'thrive and grow.
12. The lesson of this verse is that it
is the receptive attitude of mind which
makes ,possible the understanding .of
Christ's teaching.
15. Straightway . Talceth away
the word -Some men are so hardened
in sin, so pre -occupied in their temporal
pursuits That the word of God- fails to
find a lodgement whatever in their
heart and minds,
17. No root In themselves -Shallow
unstable natures, not independent in
their convictions.
THE BUSY BEE,
"I've heard it called the busy be,,,
Remarked our little friend.
know blamed well he's busy,
For I felt his businers end."
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Y
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