THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Obscuring Christ Too often in presenting Christ we so emphasize some incidental, features as to attract the attention of the hearer to that rather than to the Master. The English artist, Hayden, essayed to paint the trium phal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Con scious of his deficiency as an animal painter, he asked the celebrated Landseer to paint for him the ass’s colt upon which Christ rode. When the picture was fin ished, so superior was the animal to Christ, few dwelt upon the face of the Redeemer; but the ass was hailed with eulogies and plaudits .—The Preacher’s Helper. The Beginnings of Evil There is a factory in’ France where spider-webs are regularly cultivated, and, from the delicate fibres, robes for bal loons for military purposes are constantly made. Cobwebs can now literally become cables. Sinful thoughts, shadowy and filmy at first, may become so strong by constant indulgence that the strong cords of avarice, lust, hatred may at last bind the soul to its utter undoing. Let us beware of the beginnings of evil. Blessing thè Ropes The Swiss guides meet, at the beginning of the Alpine climbing season, at the foot
of a mountain, bringing their ropes with them, where a local priest conducts a ser vice of “blessing, the ropes.” There is a lesson for us all in this ceremony, super stitious as it is. Ask God to bless the ropes before you try to ascend any hill of difficulty, any Alpine range of danger. So will the strands of faith and courage hold and the highest summits of religious effort be attained. Be Ready Of modern strategists the greatest was Von Moltke. The general was in bed when the news came that the French had declared war against Germany. An aide- de-camp awoke him with the intelligence, upon which Von Moltke’s sole comment before going to sleep again was, “Second pigeon-hole on the right, first tier.” There the amazed aide found a bundle of papers containing mobilization plans and an out line of the campaign against the French— everything that- was needed was ready. Like “Havelock’s Saints” we should be aye ready for the Master’s call. Courage that grows, from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occa sion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts in a uniform manner.— Addison.
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