THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 739 been shirkers to be workers: in this way the depletion of our membership will prove a very real blessing in disguise. And we must go to work to get those who are now outside of our churches into our churches, but we must be very careful to make sure that we get them converted before we get them into the church. War times have frequently been revival times: let us make the present war times revival times by getting down to such praying as we have never done before. I ispiB as» afr THE Old Man’s Day In these war times the old man is coming into his own again. We have been shelving^the old man. When a man’s hair and moustache began to show streaks of gray, the manager of the department store would call him up and suggest he must do something about that because they desired young men for clerks, and when he could no longer conceal the fact that he was nearing the half-century line he was dismissed. This had gone to such extremes that it was thought necessary to organize a “ Half Century Club” to see that the ageing man got work. Even in the ministry not a few men who had crossed the fifty mark found it difficult to compete with the callow young pulpiteer just fresh (oftentimes fresh in more senses than one) from the theological seminary. But now all is changed, the old man is wanted everywhere, provided he has ability, as he usually has. Riding a few days ago on the elevated railroad in Chicago,, we noticed that almost every sta tion agent was a gray-haired man. Elderly men abound in the stores, on the elevators, everywhere. The old man is certainly coming into his own. One solution of the urgent problem of supplying our vacant churches with ministers who are competent will be found in many of our ministers who still have years of good service in them, but who had retired because of the senseless craze for young ministers, getting back into the harness. In many ways the minister who is over sixty is more competent than the minister who is under, provided he has kept up his studies, and has kept fresh. Indeed, even before the war ate up our young men we received letters from churches asking us to suggest pastors, but stipulating that they must not be young men. The tide has been setting in toward the old men for some years, but now it has become a tidal wave.
A CAPTIVE Make me a captive, Lord,
FUEL AND FIRE A Christian preacher has said keenly, of spiritual fire and fuel: “Fire with out fuel has given us fanaticism. Fuel without fire has chilled us with form alism. But fuel on fire, harnessed and handled with heaven-sent wisdom by the Spirit, generates the forces to light and move the machinery of the church.”
And then I shall be free. Force me to render up my sword And I shall conqueror be: I sink in Life’s alarms When by myself I stand; Imprison me within Thy arms, And strong shall be mine hand. — G. Matheson.
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