HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1929-02-21, Page 6Dictator
• King Ainanuilah h1 Contrast -to King Alexander Surrenders
Supl'enie Power While the Other Takes it
At a Political Crisis
A BRITISH VIEW
"The problem of government is not gssted muchambition and little dis-
Z1 l efim `ung
!British Get Truth
Abdicates His Throne ' Of Island M rciers
to devise an ideal system, but to work
out a system which will give good' re-
sults in the
and for theo
„people of a parisalar country. Mod-
ernism
o -ernism and centralization will ,not do
$or fanatical clans." , -,_.
The. Daily Telegraph.
"The exlierience of many kings and
y,a^inces of Asia may at least console
hiin in his retirement. His own grand-
father, Abdurrahinau, ate the bread of
exile for eleven weary years before he
returned to rule Afghanistan with a
rod of iron:'
—Tire Times,
I; lug AmanuIlalt.of Afghanistan has"
abdicated, and his elder brother, who
was the heir to the Throne ten years
'ago and was supplanted, now.succoeds
td' the Throne. Whether he will prove
as. good a King as Ainanullah remains
to bo seen, but our prophesy some
weeks ago that the ex -King would
-learn that the way of the refermer
is hatd•is -justified by events.
"1.11s pilgrimage to' Europe was a
Jan toes `edveu.turo, which proved'
his undoing," says the Morning Post,.
And iri a_: leader goes back to the Old
Testament ' for its,' illustration• of this'
modorny,haiipeuing.
"The "Afghans are the strongest
duel most fanatical of lliohemmedang;.
,and the unveiling.; al Queen Souriya
on hoard ship was the beginning of
.series -of changes` every one of which
was felt' to be eau . outrage to-' their
faith. •
An Old Testament 'Comparison -
"11 our readers would realize tri,
sort of, conflict which followed , let
them read those chapters in the First
Book of Rings wbicli relate the con
ilia between homing Ahab and Queen
3ozzebet on the one side and Elijah
and his brothel -prophets on the other.'
"The Mullahs' aro a great power; in
Afghanistan: When: they o1pesed the
I:ing'a commands he put , certain of,
them t, death, but could not break
art f., one
e far- more. powerful 'than
hie own;
"And Ahab saki to.,Lrlijah, Bast thou
'.fcmtd me, 0 mine enemy? And he
answered, I have,found thee; because
thou hast sold thyself to work evil
10 .the sight of the Lord, •
"That, we may be certain, is how
the Mullahs regarded. Amanulialt's at-
tempts to introduce European cloth-
ing, the education'and unveiling of
women, and all the other departures
franc the customs df their faith.
"I wad a Ifopsless crusade from the
first, and has come to itea Inevitable
end. Amanullah has so bitterly u&
fended national feeling in Afghanistan
that after a sharp: fight he has found
the only course open to him ire throw
:himself upon the mercy of the brother
' whose Throne be • had usurped. So
ends—an amazing story. As to rite
future, we can only say that Xnaya-
' tullalt is the rightful Xiang, and is
said to follow the Polley of his father.
Xf he does so, he is assured of the
friendship of this country."
"The ex-Kiitg's error," asserts the
Tines, "teams to Rave lain not in his
-zeal for reform but' in his concentra-
tion of effort on non-osseutial but an-
noying changes:, above all in his re-
fute] to recognize that he , ltad. not
acquired the prestige of the Turkish
Dictator whore' he imitated, and that
bis country did not reprothtce the cos
ditions that enabled Ghazi Mostafa
Kemal to impose, his reforms upon a
•sturdy but highly, disciplined people.
Seeds Will Surety Germinate •
"Yot, whatever his Mistakes, what-
ever his miscalculations, he is en-
titled to a large measure of sympathy
from the Western world which he paid
"-the compliment'of imitation. Ile has
failed; but he has failed in what every
European who believes in the value of
our civilization holds to be' a good
Gauge: ,Nor is his failure yet assured,'
He has sown seeds among the young
generation of Afghans that. will surely
germinate.
"He has insisted on the value oC
education and 0f organization, and on
the necessity of teaming more from
the West than the • use of machine-
, gnu's and magazine rifles, and of sup-
pretsing:that widespread financial cor
r'uption which has been the- canker, at
ea many Asiatic monarchies.
"Hie innovating seal doubtless
aroused the indignation of many oC
'his suhjeets—more especially when
it was manifested ie. attempts to im-
prove the status and to modify the
traditional dress of , women=but all
its coneequenees will hardly disap-
tiear, He may leave Afghanistan: for
ever, but, if the Mulahs have seen the
last OE trim, they may not have seen
the lest of his reforms,"
The. Daily Telegraph sums up the
policy which has led' to King AnlanuI-
lair's overthrow. After alluding to the.
King's journey to Europe it states:—
"Op rite return- of the King and
Queen an endeavor was merle to put
these' ideas :into practice.. The: Sling
hiuiselt announced that. he would be
this. o}vn'Prime Minister, that libraries
•" ard: factories would be established,
and girls and boys between 6 and 11
years of age fu Kabul -bompitsoriiy
educated together..,
"Had this been all, all -might .yet
have been well, but he went' contrary
many of thecherislsedsocialand
rellgibriefeelings note his subjects by,
putting a ban on°polygaffiy, by insist-'
lagarm, Duropean clothing, by tieolar-
jeg -that r thenaoitammedan Sunday
Was no Ionger a•lolday, by forbid-:
ding the wearing• of the, .fez and by
abolishing the purdah and the. veil for
women,' Popular digtOntout at length
broke forth' `in' civil iv'ar, -lis whieh•
Amanullah's'troops suffered defeat."
T -lis error;'' says the Evening sone regulations <.of, modern. South
St n'',ard the error which brought ; Africa:.. , Tho ''memory4 of Ding-
. a' ::t his downfall, prbbdbty consist- inn's Day is at tike hack of the white
c b ":vsng hnnrclf to be the man ;mans mind; the native is a man of
i or't th .l task. He evidently First har, ,
war, nee: a• hewer oC wood: arid;
um. His whole career has pug- drawer of eater, and nothing more, thtr,Rayal Air rater";
eretion aitd the intemperate haste
1 o
with which he 'promulgated his re-
forms was very far from statesman
"Kemal Pasha -'stood in a wholly dif-
ferent relation to his people. The
Turks had passed through a century
of continual loss and disgrace, cul-
minating in a disaster which made
then feel that they were on the brink
of destruction. Then there arose a
national hero who saved them and
whom they were inclined in: cense
quence devotedly to obey:
"Ile on his side saw that lits pros
tige offered an opportunity for tate
troduction of Western customs which.
might never reeuri and talit if it was
to bo done at all it must be done
ettuickly. King Amanullah'had earned
no such reverence from the Afghans.
Amanultah failed in a work of states -
mensal? because he was not a great
statesman, '
"His adventure may postpone the
Westernizatiqu of Afghanistan, but it
it highly -unlikely that it will for ever
avert. There, may be . much to be
said against our civilization, and our
own eagee :Frequently refer to the
wisdom of peoples which remain in.
their primitive condition, •
"Nevertheless,in the Iong nun, taw
peoples of the earth decline the ma -
aerial advantages of civilization.,,
A' Dangerous•Factor.
"Despite his •present adversity"
says the Star, "the exKing''is clearly
not withoutsupport in his own coun-
try, or he could not have gone as far
as he did... Nor can it be expected that
even this •sharp 'lesson 'will rob -so
alert and enterprising' a man of his
Ambitions.-• That is the most danger-
ous factor so far as we are concerned.
Our main interest is a strong and In-
dependent Afghanistan,' but for some
time at least the future in bound to
be uncertain with so active a peter.
tial Pretender hovering about its un-
easy borders."
Condernris
Mbring
by Grain Agents
Royal Commission Hears
Complaints of North
Portal Producer
Estevan, Sask.—Claiming that dm -
petition for the m;t•ei,num profit by
mixing by m•11 agents is a source that
deprives the grain prodecers of a fair
price level, Frank Danek, of North
Portal, in testifying recently before
the .Saskatchewan Bevel Grain Com-
mission, asserted that a car of grain
should 1st be stopped tet its journey
from the point of loiding until un.
Mated at the lake torinitais. • He was
supported in his views by resolutions
frees fermate of the Rock Preeee dis-
triei.
The witness claimed that the ship-
per per began to get the worst of it from
she'moment he hauled his grain to the
country elevator or the loading plat-
form. in the latter case he probably
had to<spendseveral dollars .coopering
the ear at his disposal before it could
hold grain, he said, and in the former'
this car as subject to being opened' at
any time the train stopped by some
trill agent who wanted to get a sample
for diversion. The farmer lost, he said,
beeause the prices quoted at Liverpool
"on this degraded stag" from the mix-
ing houses was the bdsis on which the
roan on the farm is paid for his grain.
Tlie farmers at this point, the wit-
ness said, wanted this manipulation of
grain at the mixing houses stopped
by law. lie advocated moving the in-
spection depart -nett from Winnipeg to
the lake head and permitting no grad -
ng other than a preliminary at point
Of shipment until the unloading sample
is taken at the ternunals.
A. resolution •presehted'to •the Com-
mission suggested that at least one
farmer should hold a position on every
harbor board in the Dominion ths'ough
which Canadian wheat was moved. The
resolution also 'urged that a Govern-
ment elevator be placed al New West
minster, B.C.
The old War Wheat Board received.
a 'tribute' by resolution presented
through Frank Durick, for the local
United Farmeeis of Garada Branch.
They suggested that the Government
ye -establish the Board, The Govern-
ment was runming a railroad' system
for the country, he pointed mat. Why
not let the country run the grain iu-
dustry, sines they did so swell during
the war,
Dingaan's Day
Rev, George Walker in the London
Daily .Telegraph: (December 16, 1928,
Dingaan's Day, the great national fee-
tival of South Africa, commemorated
defeatof the great Zulu chieftain by
a Boar force under Adries Pretorius at
Blood River.) The key •to the -under-
standing of the attitude of the average
South African• to the inescapable na-
tive question. is tite ,recognition; that
South Africa, aliart, from the south-
western corner, ie still, frontier, :with
frontier ideals and fears, Essentially,
'though there may be many 'solutions"
as there are incdiVtduals, there is one
detormi.nieg tactor in tlie• approach—
J9igaan's'shadovrse-malns in the back-
ground. The story of the Ameri-
can frontier is r ated. The Zulu
has not . yet, aegs. ,d the romantic
color "of the redskin, and the areas
of Zulu and Matebelo is less adapted
to effective. display upon the stage.
Yet they are at least' as brave, and
probably- were a more disciplined and
dangerous' foe, The Western farmer
of yesterday would have s,00ii the rea-
son' for 'many of the apparently irk -
Investigator Finds 1927 Trag-
edies in 'Solomons Had
No Real Revolution-
ary Basis
REVENGE A MOTIVE
Nearly .two years ..ago reports carie
from the Solomon' Islands`; in the Pa-
cific, of a revolt among the natives
in which members of the island con-
stabulary had , been slain at Guadal-
canal and 'Malaita; ,it was Periodical-
ly reported for several weeks. that the
Millings were the, precursors of a gen-
ral rising of the islanders. Later in-
formation reyealed that, certain mem-
hers of -Ord Kolokumaha tribe on the
Island of Guadalcanal had, 'indeed, at
Verakono, on February 14, 1917, slain
threo', members of the armed con-
stabulary, named Funansua, Gena and
Veki, togetherwith a --boy ,najned
Iiekipeta, who happened to be in their.
company, and that nine tribesmen had
been arrested and; tried for the crimes,
of whom two were acquitted, one 1e-
prived and six, purged, e
A few weelcs previously. W. Be Bell,
District Officer at Malaita, had been
killed at Ifw:'aiamba by Sinarangoese,'
who, in the fight which ;followed be
tween the constabulary and the. na-
tives, had also elain -K.- C,,,Lilies, a
cadet in the Administrative Siervioe,
and a clerk named Marcus, as well as
twelve members of the native con-
stabulary, Several of those concern
ed in this affair were also dealt with
Rumors of a coming general rising
persisted in the newt reports to Los
don, . Thle. British Secretary of 'State
for the Colonies was. apparently much
dieturbed, for in March, 1927 he -sent
Out Lieut. -Col. Sir R. C. Moorhouse
to make au investigation. His import,
which was published' as a State paper
on Jan. 5 of the present year, shows
heti the -British Government searches
out the. truth in such affairs, even in
its most remote possessions, so that
adequate Steps may be, taken before
the expected calamity arrives. In
these cases no.steps will be necessary,
.for the Moorhouse report show8' that
the Guadalcaual tragedy was inspired
by two criminals, one of a former con-
stable, without any idea of an ahris-
iag, while the killing of Bell and his
companions at Malaita had been
brought about liy a native leader
named Basiana for revenge because
Bell had already prevented a revolt
which Basiana and hfs friends. had
planned,
dilly Viti's Grievance
In dealing with the Otiadalcanai
case, the report says that in the course
of the inquiry It became evident that
two men, Tuatalcgmbo and Billy Viti,
alias Talolia, were the chief 1'19UP:-
tors of the murders. Tutakombo was
known as the village bad man, while
Billy Viti had been a good constable
until he had been -tined $15 in 1920,
when he, too, bad become a bad malt.
Billy, it appears, had 110011 charged
with having more wives than the law
allowed, so he' was summoned before
II'unanatja. Recame bringing his
three wives, "to whom there is ample
evidence to show that he was married
according to native custom. It was
pn the charge of having a third wife
that he wan convicted and fined."
Sir 12. C. Moorhouse declares on iu-
formation and belief that he is con
winced that the official runansua dtd
not exercise sufficient Care as t0'
whether the complaint was actually
lodged by the first wife, as required
by the law or was one svorisect up by
the pollee, "possibly acting under a
wrong interpretation of the lag."
'At any rate, smartipg under the
humiliation of the fine, Billy Viti
allied himself with the notorious
Tuatakombo and became his friend.
When this friend was arrested be
planned the extinction of his enemy
T'uuansua,
"I am of the opinion," Says Sir H,
C. Moorehouse, "that the murders
were not due to any general hatred
01 government nseasures among the
tribe concerned, leading to some act
by which they endeavored to throw
off this, to them, intolerable yoke, but
to a combination of circumstances In
which the personal element malaly ,
entered, The native tax had nothing;
to do with these murders."
The Malaita 'Murders
Dealing with the Malaitin murders,
Sir Id. 0. Moorhouse pays a high
tribute to Mr. ;Boli, who "well-nigh
achieved the impossible"' 'la District
Officer , -and who gained the confidence
of the natl"ea by his interest in their
Keeping Maple Leaf to Fore
CANADIAN STAR PAIR SHOWING AMERICA HOW TO SPOUT
Percy Williams and Jimmy -Ball, the "Fastest human;' and one Of the
best quarter?milers,- respectively, „
a a rs and hie ever-present; if some-
times stern, sense of justice."
• Basiana, who was the leader of the
affair, was head of one of the Maus
and a devil -devil man of considerable
ineheice, Be had been for some time
sacrificing rigs (the number has been
put as high es seventy)- to find out if
tate auguries were auspicious.' Sud-
dealy his Chance came; the time for
the annual payment of the tax was
imminent, when, if thein was any re-
sentment among the people against
the government,• it would be at its
keenest; 'Tae gods" were favorable;
Mr. Beli would 'land as usual at the
"tax house" and give the opportunity.
A big meeting was held, at which
the waverers "were brought only to
heel by Basiana playing his trump
card, the 'big swear' against which ap-
parently no Malaita man could stand,
It does not require muck imagination
to picture Basiana-and the othet lead-
ers pointing out that here was a
unique opportunity, favored by 'the
gods,' of getting rid once and for all
of the government who had inter-
fered with their playful habit of pro-
miscuous murder, and arrested and
hanged their people for what was Si
their eyes justifiable homicide, who
had substituteda paltry fine or short
term of imprisonment for the death
sentence for adultery, who were en-
deavoring to clean up ; their villages
and force their pigs into styes where
they had to be fell, and who finally
had ordered then to give up their
'Solders' (a generic temu•foe any form
of old rifle.) Ia fairness to the ad-
ministration,,it must be recorded that
the calling fit of the 'Sniders' was'
clone on Mr. Bell's own initiative and
without the knowledge or consent of
the Resident Commissioner -
Waste in Australia
New .Statesman (London): Exag-
geration ,.of our natural resources
leads to a careless and wasteful ex-,
ploltation of them. The first settlers
gave early examples of this reckless•
noss; they succeeded in ruining the
sealing grounds Off Tasmania In a few
years of haphazard killing. The same
sort of thing Inas gone on ever sine;'
We mad
;ong about Dur
boundless forest wealth—even the
governments believed that we had
107,000,000 acres of forests, and look -1
ed on conttiaratively while greedy, un•
Intelligent estptoiters laid them waste. 1
Now we know that Australia has only
24,500,000 acres of possible forest land
that is, land which is More, profita),ile'
for timber than for Tanning, Not until i
we realized that we had been westing
very Malted resources did we begin to
.make reasonalae plane for their con-
servation.
I
Of the mutual systems of guaran-
teeingdeposits, bank opo ts, or[gtuaily oper-
ative in eight States, all have broken
clown except two
5r
ritain is on Way�
-to New- Prosperity
Ss J. M Keynes
Econolnst Who Finds Effici-
ency Gain is Overhauling_
, . Setback Since. War
London—John . Maynard Keynes,
the distinguished British economist,
at last sees daylight in the industrial
sky. Iu his presidential address at
the annual meeting 0f' the• Nattoiial
Mutual Lite Assurance Society here,
he: cites cautious i
tions est mates which he
believes show that the burdens im-
posed on industries since the ,war are
being slowly but surely wiped: out by
increased efficiency of producttou, so
that 11 is only a. matter of time,. he
says, before Britain recovers com-
pletely.
"Between 1914 and 1924," he says,
"the average real wages for a normal
week of full employment rose by more
than eight per cent. In the same
period the weekly hours of work were
reduced more than. 10 per cent. The
result Is that employes were set the
task, if they weer to maintain their
pre-war position, 02 increasing their
efficiency by nearly 20 per cent.
The census of production in 1924
indicated an increase of efficiency to
that date Just about sufficient to bal-
ance tate shortened hours, but itwas
not able to make in addition' any
coutribution toward meeting the In-
creased weekly wage. Thus alread3'
is 1024 employers la those industries,
where the increase of oflicieuoy had
not been above the average, were mak-
ing heavy weather,
Between 1024 and 1028, money
add wages remained practically un-
changed, while return to tite gold
standard at prewar parity had the
effect of increasing real wages by a
further 8 per cent. It follows 'that
employers have been faced with the
task of improving their efficiency by
10 per cent. as compared with 1924,
before they could recover their pre-
war position: Now it is not over-
optimistic, I think, to suppose that
efficiency is being Inereased at 134
per cent. per annum on an average la
the whole field of industry, which,
if It is the case, is a cousiderablo
achievement. This means that to -day
that eiffeteiicy has redutced the ad-
verse lead from 10 per cent. to about
10 per cent."
The Manchester' Guardian says:
"One hardly expects optimism regard-
ing the future of British industry from.
J. M. Keynos,'but'we are not sure that
this passage is not esSeutielly the
most optimistic utterance that has re
gently Callen from the lips of any of
our economic. leaders."
King Amanuliah of A
fghauistan, is
Just now being'forcefully reminded" of
the fact that Olast-is Bast dad West
is West,
How the Airmen Came ,Through
lr ahii children from the *Mai leafta'n .at palmi, A` l -
nod b
Australia ,Tr inng
to Stop Waste. of
Artesian Water
'Regliration - of Off -Take by
Bores Is Regarded as
Duty to Nation
Adelaide, S. Australia,—The :future
of Central 'Australia, both in respect
of settlement n nd'productimi, depends
largely o nthe supplies from tho great
artesian basins, No reliance can be
placed on the rainfall, which is alway8.
scanty and treacherous, and a co'it,
eidorable area of this isolated country'
would probably be rendered uninhabft=
able 1if•it Were not for nature' having
built Tier.own reservoirs. The official
geological experts of Australia are
said to have• become alarmed at the
extent of the 'diminution of the flow
from the atteeienbasine, one of which
is said to be the largest in the world.
Tette .extend', according - to officially
asegrtained data, ureter an area of
from 350,000,: to 400,000 square miles,
and is nota cavity in the earth:_the
;water is its sand, which' in some places
is more than 2,00Q feet thick, and in
parts 6,000 feet' b'elow the surface. At
this great depth the supplies cannot
be utilized, One company sank,a bore
for nearly 6,000 feet,.when the easing
jammed, and no smaller casings could
be -used, .The operations cost about
620,000 and it had to be abandoned
when the bore hadpenetrated within
a few hundred feet of the water.
Official' records show that the level
of the water in the bores has been
falling (rate one to two feet a year,
so that the off -take through the bores
from this enormous basin has become
faster than the intake-a•tnost serious
deyelopment ` which the Government,
by•iegtsfative action is endeavoring to
check. In future flowing bores will be
controlledto avoid waste.
It Is officially estimated that there
aro about 5,000 bores in the Great
Artesian Basins and New South Wales
which taps the supplies in the higher
levels, has recently reported an aver-
age degrease of $ per cent. per annum.
.Although South Australia, -.states. the
Minister Controlling Water Supply,
would be the last to suffer, as it draws
from .the battens• ofthe basin, it is re-
garded as a national duty, to regulate
the supplies.:
Both New'South Wales and Queens-
land are controlling the of takes, and.
now this state will exercise a watch-
ful jurisdiction over the matter. Under
South Australia there are. other arte-
sian basins. In October a tomato
grower at Port Pirie, an important
shipping centre north of Adelaide,
sank a bore and at 560 feet secured a
flow of 1,000 gallons an hour of ex-
cellent quality. This is an important
development, for the tomato -growing
industry in the Port Pirie district is
one of done dimensions.
Thero is another large basin in the
Murray Valley whence supplies are
furnished for the extinct craters in
the Mount Gambier district. The Blue
Lake there is famous all over the
world for its singularly picturesque
setting, and rich coloring. Geologists
explain that after the artesian basin
had been formed in the Murray Valley
volcanoes bley up through it at Mount
Gambier. Ono result .of the phenom-
enon was the creation of the Blue
LaIce, which is supposed to be bottom-
Iess.
orld Census
f A ;ricultl re
q o
earnng Start
Seventy -Four Nations Join in
Plan to Help Adjust Sup-
ply and Demand
Itotne.—The world agricultural,gen-
sus initiated by the International In-
stitute of Agriculture in Route to cor-
relate world-wide figures on the supply
and demand for farm products is well
on the way toward achievement.
The impetus given it by the League
of Nations' World Economic Confer-
ence of 1927, the careful preparations
for it and favorable reception by the
governments give good groutds for
anticipating its success,
The object of the census, which is
planned for 1930, is tp provide for the
correction of annual agricultural sta-
tisties.and to give a complete picture
of the agricultural resources of each
country.
As ft will be carried out in every
country at the same tine and as far
as possible on a•uniform system, it will
form a practically complete inventory
of the agricultural resources of the
whole world and insure, for the future
at least, ,that- agricultural statistics
in the different countries shall be com-
parable.. `
The proposal for a world agricultur-
al census attracted the attention of the
International Education Board (Rocke-
feller Foundation) which undertook
to make a grant of $10,000 per Annum
for the five years 1925-29. -
A special bureau charged with this
particular work was created at the
institute in 1925, and Leon 182. Esta -
brook, of the United States Depart-
ment of Apiculture, appointed direc-
tor.
So far 74 nations have deflni>ely
accepted the scheme 'of the census and
Belgium,.France, Great Britain, Italy,
the Netherland. and Portugal have
undertaken to 'apply it to their col-
onies.,``
When the census has been taken the
essential function of the institute will
be to study the international produc-
tion of food and raw materials and to
correlate the information at: that the
world may have an increased knowl-
edge of supplies available from dun -
tries which have a surplus and the
probable demand from countries where
the output is sufficient.
No matter Trow long . It rains, the
famous Taj Mahal mausoleum in .In -
die leaks three drops of water, never.
more nor less. Adele ago years nd
one: has been able to explant ho -w the
architect arranged for the ahenome-
nnng which was intended as his'own
unique memorial,
Sunday School
Lesson
February 24. Lesson VIiI—Chrlstiai
Growth -John 1: 46.42; Matt. 16:
15.13; John 21: 15-19; 2 Peter 3:
18a. Golden Text—But grow in
grace,; and. In the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. -2
Peter 3: 18a.
ANALYSIS
I. THE FIRST STAGES, John 1: 40-42.
I1. THE GREAT CONFESSION, Matt. 16:
15-18.
M. RECOVERY AFTER FAILURE, John 21:
15-19.
IV. SECRET<Qr GROWTH, 2 Peter 8: 18a,
INTRO0ucTiON-These. four passages
are connected with the" experience of
the Apostle Peter, and we are asked to
study how this great man illustrates
the way in which a diseiple,may grow
stronger and'braver, and how he may
even recover from his past failures, if
he will only put himself under the in- -
fluence, of the grace of Christ, All
Christian, life should be a progress in.
ffaith and love. We Inc to become per
feet as our Father in heaven is per-
eet.,
I. THE FIRST STAGES, John 1: '40-42
V. 40. The early disciples .01 Jesus
had been diseipies• 01.3 .din the Baptist
and were prepared :by their. early ac
ceptance of this lesser light to recog-
nize the fuller gloryof Cmist, who is
the light of the wale.-
V.
oarld -V. 41, Andrew is so eaptiyatid by
his interview with Jesus tnatin great
oy he hastens•off to tell the, gored news •
to .his brother.
• V, 42. Jesus reads the character of
the new disciple, • and makes a pro
phecy concerning him, Ire feretells
how this man wno was naturally in-.
clined to, be impulsive and emotional ..
'would gradually win strength and
courage and become one of Inc great
foundation -stones of the, Christian
church. It is. With characters such, as •
Peter's, with many a weakness and
faii.ing,•that Jesus is still able to work,
that they, too, become strong and wise
and bold.
IL THE GREAT CONFESS:Qtr, Mitt. 16:
15-18. •.
V. 15. This •
confession of Jesus at
Caesarea -Philippi is a great turning
point in the ' -ming of the disciples.
Jesus had long been preparing teem
for this revelae-cn; and new unuer'the
shadow of thz great Lebanon Moun-
tains he puts rl:_s question as to their
opinion about hir.eelf.
V. 16. Simon anewers this quection
partlybocarme h;. Ions the most prom-
nent in the groap, and partly because
of his impetuous nature. However,
his reply :was meant to Le for the
others also. They had often talked
about the nature of their beloved
Master, and often wondered whether
he really was the promised Messiah.
There were so many outward ,condi-
None rendering it difficult for them to
recognize in Jesus tht long -looked -for
Saviour of Israel; but now their
doubts vanish, and Peter, with a bold
venture of faith, makes this noble con-
fession.
V. 17, Jesus is greatly proved by the.
reply and sees in it that the divine
spirit has been working with his dis-
ciples.. This knowledge did not come
by mere personal observation, but
through the direct agency of God.
V: 18. The promise made: to Peter is 'N
meant for all. The rock is not the in- ,
dividbal Peter, but the confession
which lie made, The church is to con-
sist of all those who believe that Jesus
is the Christ—the Lord. In this senses
Peter was, the first Christian. The
church is to have the right of making
judgment and passing Iaws. The keys
represent authority, and 0Cent to refer
to the moral and doctrinal truths
whieh were to be established during
the following centuries. The pates of
Hades mean that the church svill.nevor
pass iota the regions of the tread, but
it will go on growing and expanding,
till it includes all the world. This
prophecy is being wonderfully fulfilled.
III. RECOVER
15-19-Y AI 1ER rAILERE, .'oltn 21:
V. 15. This passage may be regard-
ed as the reinstating of Peter in his
apostolic office. Ile had been called
to be one of the Ttvelve, but in a fatal
moment he had proved unworthy and
had denied his Lord. TMs is the inci-
dent to which Jesus now alludes; for
the thrice repeated question, "Loved
thou me?" refers to the threefold de-
nial and the boast in Matt. 26: 33. it
Seeing strange that Jesus should thus
open up the old sore, but he does it
with the object of ,restoring Peter to
the old rants,
V.-16. In each of these verses Jesus
bids Peter feed the sheep or the lambs,
which apparently means that the
fallen disciple is restored to the pas-
teral office, and that he is to take up
again the work out of which ho
thought he had been expelled by his
fall. l"rem this we infer the, mere
is no failure in 'the past which may
prevent a disciple of Jesus from re-
turning to the fold, if he has real love
for. his Master. Love covers up sin.
V. 18. Jesus now draws aside the
veil concealing the future and shows
how troubled are to be the closing
scenes of Peter's .life, The tradition
le that.Peter was put to death by
crucifixion during the persecution of
Nero; and with his head downward,
for . he said he was unworthy to be
crucified, hi the same way as Jesus.
This was probably about the year A.D.
lif64, when he was already past middle
e.'
V. 19. The condition of safety in
such trying circumstances is now r
given, He must follow Christ, and all
will bo well, From this incident we
gather that, as there is no failure of
the past the need keep back a disciple
fromdoing the will of Christ so also
there is no dread of any darfe future
that need alarm the person who is
Willing to follow Jesus.
IV. SECRET of GROWTH, 2 Peter 3: 18a.
V. 18. We naturally think as we
reed this verse of ,the narrative of the
early life of Jesus. W thitlk of the
ivay in which he grew in wisdom and
fever. The two qualities which are
chosen in the epistle for special men-
tion aro those df which we read much,
in tho New Testament, The first is
grace, which has at )east three shades
of meaning (1) Tho charm and attrac-
tion of the words, actions and char-
acter of Jesus. (2) The quality of
love in God -which urges him to forgive
thi." 5lilner and save him front death. -
This is saving 'grace, (3) There is also
sustaining grace of which we have a -
fine example in 2 Cor, 12: 8. The sec-
ond quality in which 'the Christian. •
must increase is the lcnewled'w of
Christ. . •
President' of the National` ,Maisie
Teachers.' 'Association says the radio
is 'killing jazz. The main trouble,
horemainsecs'.over, is thea, it Isn't removing the