HAS GREATEST
RECORD OF ANY
LEADER IN WAR
General Joffre Will Rank in His
tory With the Ablest of
Soldiers.
YOUNGER MAN IN HIS PLACE
Hero ?f the Battle of the Marne la
Succeeded by General Nivelle, but
Hla Great Talente Will Still
Be at Service of Alliee aa
War Council Head.
Paris.?General Joffre baa been su
perceded. The active command of the
French armies In the Held haa been
placed In the bands of a younger wan.
General Nivelle, the hero of Verdun.
General Joffre has been made bead of
the allied war council. Unprejudiced
observers agree he haa today the great
est military record of any of the lead
ers In the present war. He will rank In
history with Napoleon I, Hannibal.
Caesar and George Washington.
He won the battle of the Marne,
where defeat would have meant com
plete German success In tbe conflict.
He won It twice?first. by directing
French preparations In the crttlcul
years, 1011 to 1914, and. second, by
leading the armies of the Republic
in that fateful mooth of September.
1914, on .the field of battle.
Joffre haa commanded the armies of
a warring nation longer than any other
man In this war. Hlndenburg's victo
ries In the two battles of Bast Prussia
Involved smaller numbers of men and
smaller responsibilities by far than
those which the Idol of tbe French peo
ple has borne through more than two
years of heart-wracking strife.
The Old Man of tbe Lakes follows
von Falkenhayn sod Von Moltke as
supreme military leader?under tbe
kalaer?of Germany. Who knows bow
long be will last? In the British land
forces Sir Douglas Halg has superseded
French; In Russia tbe Grand Duke
Nicholas has given plsce to the cxar,
and General Alexleff sharing highest
command; In Austria-Hungary the
leadership has shifted and finally been
given almost entirely into alien hands;
while Italy's troops, although always
under General Count Cadorna, have
not been fighting so long aa those of
the other great powers.
Abo His Only Fault.
The slowlng-up of tbe battle of tbe
Somme without a distinguished allied
success, haa been a great disappoint
ment to France. But few Frenchmen
blame Joffre for this. Criticism of him
has to find comfort In the fact that he
Is old, that he fought In tbe Franco
Pruaalsn war, and that his driving
force theoretically should be exceeded
by that of a younger man.
Ho la one of a group of great
French leaders who got their earlier
training In the 1870-71 struggle with
Germany. Tbe others of tbe group
Include the one-armed hero. General
Pan. and General Forh, who has been
In direct command of the Somme op
erations.
loe prrwDi war oil orougm 10 me
fore certain younger officer*. Men who
were only colonels or less when the
struggle commenced are now com
manding army group*. Paris politi
cians of the Intriguing sort bare been
demanding for some time that the old
er leaders step aside and let the young
sters show what they can do.
But nothing (hat may happen can
dim the great glory of J off re. It Is
safe to say that a Tote by either the
soldiers or the civilian* of Prance
would continue blm In the poet be has
held since 1911.
In that year the archaic French mili
tary organisation started toward re
form. The army was to hare Its first
real commander In chief In many
years. Cabinet, army leaders and the
people alike united In the demand that
this position go to General Pau.
But Pau. the patriot, standing In a
great council, declined the honor.
Pointing to Joffre, he said: "There
stands the only possible man."
80 Joffre was selected, because Pau
wanted him as his superior. The choice
was a disappointment to the public,
to whom Joffre was little known.
In many ways Joffre Is more Ger
man than Tarlatan. Sober, simple in
habits, industrious, rising at fire and
going to bed at ten, and making no
great public appearance, he was not
the figure to strike the French Imag
ination at first view.
Strong far Efficiency.
Bis career had already been marked
by several acts of gallantry, but It was
as an efficiency man, an engineer, a
systematlser and organiser, who was
not too proud to learn from the kais
er's great general staff, that he bad
impressed Pau and Castelnau and oth
ers, who now became his Immediate
Instrument* In regenerating the French
army.
Joffre Is not the Frenchman of Paris,
bnt the hard-working peasant type
which made France great. He was
bora in Rlversaltes, In the Bast Pyre
nees, and loves today to talk the Cata
lan dialect with his old friends there.
He was the third of eleven children?
no race suicide, one may deduct. The
family were traditionally cooper*, and
none of them had had military career*.
There Is some Spanish blood In Joffre's
veins.
As a boy he was modest, gentle and
sweet-tempered. He vu even looked
down upon by certain masculine spir
it* In school?tills boy who was to be
come the man of Iron sud direct fif
teen million soldiers.
At fifteen he astounded his parents
and friends by announcing he Intend
ed to compete for the Polytechnic
school In Paris, the great training
place for artillery officers. He passed
fourteenth In bis entrance examina
tions among 182, and would have
stood much higher had hi* Oerman
not been rather weak on points of
grammar, a falling of his la which
the French people now take a certain
delight
Before be could finish his course the
Franco-Prussian war began and
Joffre became a sub-lieutenant In a
Parts fort. Here he got little chance
la distinguish himself, but the hor
rors of the siege left a great Impres
sion on his mind and heightened his
patriotism.
Directly after ihf_. conclusion of
peace he was employed in reconstruct
ing the "Purls fortifications. His work
so pleased Marshal McMahon when
he came to Inspect It that he made the
lieutenant a captain on the spot.
First Cam* Into Fame.
In 1885 be went to Indo-Chlna.
where be built the defenses of Haut
Tonkln. He constructed a railroad In
Senegal and the defenses of Dlego
Buares In Madagascar.
In 1887 he became a professor of
fortifications In the army school at
Fontalnebleau, and afterward he was
director of engineering for the minis
try. As an army corps commander at
Lille and Amiens be gained Intimate
knowledge of the country where
fighting Is now going on.
Almost bis only blast of fame came
in 18113. He was commander of a na
tive column In Africa. Colonel Bon
nier, who commanded the main line,
had encountered disaster. Thirteen of
his officers and Bonnier himself had
been killed. Joffre had been ordered
to ascend the left bank of the Niger
from Segu to Ttmbuctoo and take pos
session of the land which still re
mained independent of France.
He went about the expedition In his
usual methodical fashion, studying the
country and Its method of warfare,
sud after Bonnler's death he made a
march of 500 miles under great diffi
culties snd planted the tricolor over
Tlmbuctoo for the first time.
When In 1914 the great call came
Joffre was a member of the higher
council of war. a body of 11 men. from
whom the commander In chief in time
of war would be selected. He was
known as "Joffre the Monk," partly be
itUK of the decency of his private
life and partly because of his ubsteui
luua dally routine. He could do only
one thlug better than work. It la aald.
and tbat waa aleep. Tbe night fol
lowing the dlaheartening reverae at
Charlerol he alumbored for a few
houra aa peacefully aa a baby. He
haa no nerves.
Joffre, lllllerand. mlnlater of war,
and Polncare. premier and later presi
dent, were the trtuinvlrate which cre
ated the Prance that stopped German/
at tbe Ifarne.
The first thing Joffre did as com
mander In chief was tostop civilian
spying on army officers to discover
whether they attended mass. The sec
ond was to dismiss five of the show
iest generals In the French army?be
cause tbey betrayed Incompetents in
maneuvers. ^
Made Many Referms.
His reforms were almost countless.
He specialized In the new departments
?telephones, telegraphs, automobiles
and airplanes?and brought his army
to a technical efficiency second to none.
He had a large part In bringing
about the three-year army service law.
by which France raised her standing
army from 485.000 to 600,000 men, and
so had enough to tneet the onslaught
of Germany's 820,000.
' Then came the greut war, the story
of which Is fresh In every mind. Jof
fre had seen It coming, and with tbe
English field marshal, ltoberta, had
warned against It. His bruin and per
sonality stood the test of actual strug
gle'as well as It had met the problems
of preparedness. He found time from
his work In the field to meet and van
quish the infamous peace cabal of Call
taux.
Following the battle of the Harne
bis power Increased, rather thaD dl- ,
minlshed. In January, 1916, It was j
announced that tbe government bad
decided to Interfere with military op
erations in no way from that time
forth. The commander In chief was
supreme. I
A further honor and responsibility ,
came to hltn after the great council
of all the allies, when supreme mill- |
tary direction was resolved upon and
placed In Joffre's bands. Since theD
he has directed the masses of the
czar aa well as the new armies of
Great Britain. Only on the sea. where
the British hold sway, was the direc
tion of the war out of his hands.
At tbe age of slzty-four?he was
born January 12. 1852?he may well
took back on bis life work with aa
much satisfaction as Kitchener and
face whntever changes fate may have
in store for him with equanimity.
GERMAN "TANKS"
OUTRUN CAVALRY
Are Faster and Harder to De
stroy Than the British
Monster.
PUYS HAVOC WITH INFANTRY
Machine Qung Can Be Operated In
Almest Any Direction Through
Narrow tilts?Ono Machine
Killa 300 Man.
At General tod Falkenhayn's Head
quarters In Bonmanla.?One of the
moat Interesting featurea of the Rou
manian campaign, from a German
standpoint. has been the spectacular
work of the new armored automobiles
evolved soon after the advent of the
British "tanks" on the Somme front,
bnt which the developments In Rou
manla have shown to be a vast Im
provement In efficiency over the Brit
ish machines.
Even In the brief tests It has bad
since the Germans crossed the moun
tains Into the Roumanian plains the
new German armored car has shown
Itself an efficient auxiliary to the cav
alry In patrol work, as It frequently
can Inflict Infinitely more damage than
a whole squadron, and la far more dif
ficult to destroy than the English ma
chine. Its achievements so far In
clude an attack on Roumanian Infantry
In which 300 Roumanians were killed.
Like a Motor Truck.
The cars are 25 feet In length, with
wheezy a foot wide and Incased In
solid rubber. They carry a crew of
ten men, including the machine-gun
operators, the chauffeur and one sub
stitute and one officer.
The machine guns can be operated
In almost any direction through nan
row slits. At one end. under the cus
tomary hood. Is a 100-horse-power mo
tor, and at the other end, under a sim
ilar hood, la the gasoline tank. Each
man in the crew Is an expert me
chanic and chauffeur, so If a bullet
bursts through t' i slit through which
the operator looks in driving there
are others ready and competent to
take the Injured man's place.
The automobile engine Is both air
and water-cooled. The car shell Is
Impervious to machine gun and rifle
lire. When no opponent Is In sight
the top of the turret can be opened
so that a man can get his shoulders
out and make observations.
When the turret Is closed periscopes
are placed In position, which permit
a view of the surrounding landscape
from all angles.
Them have been many odd experi
ences with these automobiles In Rou- i
mania. On one of the first trips a 1
car entered a village not yet captured, I
where the officer and his crew were i
ENROLL FRENCH WOMEN
? ??? , |
| Pari#.?A woman's committee ; j
presided over by l^me. Boutroux. . ,
I wife of the celebrated philoso- ] ,
pher. has been organized to en- < ]
! roll woman volunteers In the ] ,
service of the country. It is ap- <
. pealing to all women to Inscribe j j
fhnrlr names, with a statement of ? <
their aptitudes and the time they ] ,
; will be able to devote to work
? in different categories when their ,
I services may be needed.
Enrolling offices will be opened .
' soon and a comprehensive effort '
' will be made to enlist all the ? 1
! women of France In the service '
? of the nation. 1
; ? i
laken for Russian*, because the Ger- i
nana were not supposed to have arm- I
jred cars. j I
Just as the crew was being enthust
istlcally greeted three Roumanian lo i
-nrootlve drivers tried to get their en- i
tines away. but the automobile was j I
?oo swift for them. The machine i
?ared ahead, the crew destroyed a por
tion of the track and the automobile
received the engines with a withering ,
Ire, which forced their surrender after ,
they bad been disabled.
On the return to the village the crew
was again greeted by the population. ,
>ut this time with white flags of sur- |
?ender.
Routs Roumanian Infantry. \
On another occasion an automobile
encountered a force of Roumanian In- i
'antry and opened Are before the i
troops could seek shelter. The Rou- i
uanlans fled after 00 seconds of firing
'rotn the car. leaving 800 dead and SO :
sounded. I
The great usefulness of the auto- ]
noblles has been most apparent In
Roumanta, where the character of the i
warfare makes It possible to slip b?- i
tlnd the opponent's lines. On a re- |
?ent exploit of this kind the com
nander worked his way to the rear of ,
i body of Roumanian Infantry which ,
was Intrenching, and almost before the
Roumanians were aware of the car's
iresence It had swept the trenches
with machine gun fire and driven the
lefenders out In disorder.
None of the Qerman automobiles of |
his type used In Roumanla has as yet
>een disabled or destroyed by oppo
lent*. The bullets thus far encoun
ered have hardly dented the shells of ?
he machine.
The chief advantage of the new auto
noblle. In contrast with the British
nachlne, Is that It can run at an aver
ige speed of 26 miles an hour, as con- (
rested with the snail-like pare of the ?
?ntente cars. Its speed frequently en
ibles It to scout even ahead of the
?avalry. and It can make Its way over j
iny road or even a field.
I I
A Towl" Robbery.
New York.?A fowl robbery was com- i
nltted when thieves entered Valentine j
Loesch's bird store and stole 660\
llgeons and 180 canaries, valued
it *1.600.
Sentenced to Taks a> Bath.
Hutchinson, Kan.?Because of the
ige of the defendant Judge R. P. Wil
ton changed the *100 fine of Q. T.
Bin pay, eighty-one years old. to s
'bath In water." Eighteen quarts of
whisky were found tn the aged man's
louse by raiders.
Tramps Snow on Wager.
Appleton, Wis.?With weather hover
ng around xero, A bids Bras ger, doffed
Us shoes and stockings and walked
larefooted around a city block to win
I wager. He received a dollar blli.
VETERAN DIGS OWN GRAVE
Civil War Soldier Felt Himeelf Fall- j
Ing and Made Preparatlone
for (nd.
Alton, N. H.?Dana B. Wataon, aged
eighty-four, a Lynn (Mass.) Civil war
veteran, has been burled In the grave
he dug for himself a few days ago In
his family lot In the cemetery of this
town. He felt himself falling In
health about two weeks ago and came
here to prepare his grave. It took him
three day* to complete the grave and
line It with cement Then he returned ,
to Lynn after covering the grave with ,
a wooden cover to keep out the rain.
A week ago he told his friends In the .
Grand Asmy hall to Lynn that he hnd ,
his grave all ready and that he expect- t
ed to live but a short, time longer. He
returned to bis lodgtn ghouse nnd died
later of heart disease. The body was
shipped here and has been burled ac- (
cording to the veteran's wishes. 1
?? _ |
South China has no railways. I
0
LAWMAKERS ARE 1
IN BUSY SESSION 1
c
WALTER MURPHY OF SALISBURY A
IS NAMED SPEAKER OP THE
HOUSE. *
- V
UNDER THE CAPITAL DOME s
.. -V
s o
Interesting Review of the Happenings "
That Have Occurred In Raleigh Dur- a
ing the Paat Week?With the Solons U
Also.
Raleigh. ?
It
The North Carolina legislative mill "
Is grinding voluminously already, the
organization having been perfected,
numbers of the most Important of the "
Senate committees appointed, three
emergency committees In the house
and a couple of hundred or more local
and private bills put in the hopper &
for roll call passage and enrollment *
before the constitutional amendments n
are effective January 10.
The flood gates for local and prl
vate bills were opened. They range '
In Importance from abating a nuisance ?
In Angler. Harnett rounty. to issuing
municipal or rounty road bonds for (|
a quarter of a million dollars or more.
and making changes In various town T
and county statutes.
Murphy Chosen as Speaker. -j.
Walter Murphy was chosen norni- si
nee for speaker of the House of Rrp-11]
resentatives bf the Democratic caucus, ja
Mr. Murphy's nomination came by ac-1 d
rlmation following a hard-fought two- d
day battle waged by his friends and a
those of Gallatin Roberts and Henry d
Page. , (o
Mr. Murphy Is a lawyer of Sails- j
bury. He served as representative In *
the House during the sessions of 1897, a
1899. 1903, 1905. 1907. 1913 and pre- 01
sided over the special term of 1914.
In placing his name before the caucus *
Kx Lieut Gov. Doughton paid a glow- 8
Ing tribute to his service and elflcl I
ency and predicted that under his lead- I n
ershlp the work of the House would
be expedited and that he would re- a
fleet credit upon the party elevating
him the position of leader. 11
Following his nomination a Commit- *
lee comprising his two withdrawn op- '
ponerfs and Representative Harry *
Stubbs. of Martin, was appointed to '
wait upon Mr. Murphy and Inform
htm of the caucus' choice. He *a<
found within a few minutes and ush- ' n
ered In amid tumultuous applause, in ri
accepting the nomination he thanked "
his fellow Democrats for the honor: y
conferred and expressed the belief Cl
that the now-gathering body would "
prove one of the most helpful to the "
commonwealth ever assembled In the 01
state house. *
McRary Leads Minority.
John Ray McRary. representative |(
from Dayldson. was named aa minor- tl
Ity leader of the Houae by Republican tl
representatives.
Mr. McRary was a member of the Ii
legislature In 18*7. being elected on g
the fusion ticket of the previous year. si
Ha has been prominent in politics tl
ilnce his early manhood and Is reck
oned among the foremost Republicans c
In North Carolina. He is a prominent n
member of the Davidson bar, and op- e
posed Bob Page In the congressional R
race two years ago. On that occa it
ilon be ran much ahead of the bal- a
ance of the Republican ticket. ,r<
Organization Perfected Harmoniously. '1
Of the six offices -|o be filled It was I *
necessary to resort to balloting on: '?
only three. The speaker, engrossing . *
rlerk and reading clerk were chosen ,
by acclamation. Otis P. Shell of Dunn 8
was nominated for engrossing rlerk. e
and David P. Delllnger of Cherryvllle b
for reading clerk wltho'ut a dissenting y
vote. Alexander Lasslter. of Bertie, P
nominee for principal clerk; J. H. Mor- 1
lng, tpf Wake, for sergeant-at-arms.
and E. J. Jenkins,' of Granville., for as
sistant sergeant-at-arms. however, had
strong opposition.
Mr. Lasslter was chosen over Frank
D. Hackett, of Willies, on a second bal
lots ersultlng 52 to 11 after the first
ha dtled wtlh 47 each. Mr. Morlng
won over L. J. H. Mewborn, of Greene,
by 63to 39. Two ballots were neoee
sary for the choice of assistant ser
geant-at-arms. The first resulted In 1
10 for Mr. Jenkins. 20 for Yancey How- ?
all of Troy; 19 for Sidney D. Moore. h
of Union, and 14 for J. D. Gunter. of *
Lee. The second gave Mr. Jenkins '
>8. with 16. 15 and 2, respectively, for a
'he other candidates. oBth the ser. (l
geant-at-arms and his assistant are ''
veterans of the War eBtween the "
States. 8
Senate Gets Busy.,
Under the chairmanship of Senator *
McNIder of Perquimans the Senate k
Democratic caucus quickly dispatched fl
Notable among the local bills In the f<
House were: jP
Sellers?Ratify and confirm the p
charter of the Flora Mardonald Col- a;
lege. e!
Dall?Authorize New Bern to estab- v'
lish and control public parks, wharves *'
and docks and purchase, accept as do- 'r
nations and condemn property for such v
purposes. P
Cogglns?Authorize Plymouth to la- 0
sue $10,000 bonds.
Shaw?F1 xpay of Scotland eoun- *
ty commissioners, regulate hunting,,
fishing and trapping In Scotland. ,]
Bailey?Amend the charter of
branch banking and trust company.
McCrary?Amend and revise the
Davidson road law. d
Prultt?Authorise Oastonla to Issue e
bonds for streets.
Hicks?Abolish the office of Avery fl
county treasurer.
Pearson?Amend the charter of c
Morganton. Amend the Burke road (
law. I
A bill by Wearer In the Senate
would place Beaufort county under 1
state-wide primary law regulations. 1
? ,
ieTo^r "" 8enB"
twai * Mlncled were as fo|.
President pro tem of the Senate
SSL Lc,H,rd""of"?? "
ASSc,wk'R ? *??< **>?
-g*ft*yt-"-Tm.. W D. Oaater of
umberland county.
,Mr'Mn'M ?'0?, John W
d j of nay count,.
>on^r;"rk' C' C Br0U?h,0D- ?'
lrThH oU^,'r "" r*"e<1 <? ?rder by
at u Principal clerk of the
MctlM <'*"ed S*n*??r Janie.
IcNIder asked ?"* <h"r 'n<f S-Ba,0r
f a," Senator J E|mer Lo?g
Btary. c? ?? ? temporary sec*
The temporary organisation w?
" J wT"'"' ,?n m?,,on of Sena I
j w Bunn of Wake.
J ,enn*t0r ,W L of f fall fax plac
? in nomination Senator F. c. li.rd
?lonr rld'n' Pr" Vni T"e nomt
?ugh o^ Ro.r?0nded by Senator
enator H.rH|e,?n' ThC elet'"on of
Harding was by ?cclmaHn?
n^totlon of Senator R. E. Little of
SerBeantat-Arma.
The position of serream .?.
rh?U*hl forth ?hree candidates allTjf
0h?? -ere highly eulogl?d |na"(?ef
"?ting epeeches. Mr. W D Gas
on? r*yeUeT"le' who h?>? the
on last session, was first to be placed
?nomination, this being done by
to tJI*0""- Cumberland.
"" th? man he would place
. kth J? i " h8d "Porlenc.
tat he *" " *" "? fault of his
he Confederate soldier. f
hnefl " ,rom Cumberland, of
h^uVerhe^rh "V '
8 ? Democrat a"d7h.d, ? u'l Tml?
Senator. Allen. Johnson. Warren
nd . sT" sPP?inted teller?
f Mr. Gaidar'**U"ed ,he """??
The position of assistant sergeant-at
rms also developed three candidates
r; Tui
??-A^r-jasi-"sr
n W. Alexander, of CUy ,?d
tor^McCoin. of Vance, nominated '.Mr '
? Hunter, of Warr?ti . i
'? the nomination of Mr H "
tor Person s.,d tha th^l
?om co?W tojoln the Confederate
?- "" **" J
Broojhton Re.dlnfl Clerk
?SS-VTclK sr
"St
its means he was able to go befor.
" Sopreme Court and get h,s law m
? ??< l? now an attorney ,, T '
Montgomery county He (? J Troy.
e Raid wm .w * 11 c?nnected.
-n r.st'yr?? ~
op was made by acclamation
lerk 'oMhe1*!?' Ch?*"n aB*TO??ing
'an H h;.y.0Uh"!' l* ' "???? elated'
ememberlng that he had neloved
2 Inleif?oe3ngr0a,ln* Clerk of 'he Sen
in 1903 .and seeing that th?
"Ponding office In the House w?,^
yr wl",ou, "n'r oppo'itton J
Ml SB Beatrice Cobb, one of the
tate's four newspaper women, attend
d the opening of the General Assem- !
ly and. Incldentalljr. to Insure for her
nunger sister a position In the olllce
resided over by her father, the lata
'. G. Cobb, during tha session two '
ears ago. Miss Ci?bb wa sfor several ?
ears ago. Miss Co'jb was for several
onduct of the Morganton News-Her
ld. Since the beginning of her
ather's Illness, which resulted In his '
eath early last summer. Miss Cobb
as served as both business manager
nd editor of the excellent publication
>unded by her father.
Frank Oough. Robeson's new Sena- .
or, arrived In Raleigh to begin his
rst term as an office holder. Senator
lough is the man who taught the God
leased Macs the value of advertising,
le is a merchant In his home town of
.umberton and on one occasion hired
six-page space In his home paper to
all the folks about his wares. Sens
or Gough (pronounced Gow, by the
ray) ranks with his countryman,
-and.v McKlnnon. In populralty There
re few folks in Robeson or any of the
urrounding counties who are not
nown to him. and all of them are his
rlends.
The Democratic caucus nominees
or legislative officers. Walter Mur
by, for speaker: F. C. Harding, ot
Itt, president pro tern of the Senate,
nd all the subordinate officers were
lected. Republicans in the Senate
oted for Senator O. Parker, of John
ton. for president pro tern, and thoss
i the house for J. R. McCrary, of Da
Idson, for speaker. There was no op
Dsltlon by Republicans to any othei
Ulcers.
tany New Charters Granted.
Cumberland Mutual Life and Health
nsurance Company, of Fayettevllle.
Morgan Lumber Company, of Cher
yvllle. Capital stock, (200,000; sub
crlbed stock, $10,000. ,
Wendell Trading Company, of Win
iell. Capital stock. $60,000; subscrlb
d stock. $10,000.
Marsh-Jones Hardware Company, of
Vadesbaro. Capital stock. $25,000;
ubscrlbed stock. $6,000.
The Sharon Cooperative Company,
if Sharon Hall. Mecklenburg county,
^apltal stock. $806; subscribed stock,
?45.
Roger Moore * Sons Company, of
Vllmlngton. Capital stock. $126,004;
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LESSON
(By R. O 8KLLKK8, Acting Director of
the Sunday School Course In the Moody
Bible Inatitute of Chicago.)
(Copyright. 1*17. Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR JANUARY 14
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS.
LieON TEXT -John 1.1?-H
UOI.LIKN TEXT- Behold, th? lamb of
Ood that taketh away the sin of the
world?John 1:25.
John began lila public ministry lu the
summer uf A. I>. 26 anil the haptlaui of
Jesus probably took pluce 111 January,
A. 1) 27. The del.-nation fruni Jerusa
lem to Interview .lolin tnuat have ap
peared along toward the latter part of
February.
I. John the Witneaa <vv. 15-18).
John's ministry iT.-nt.al great excite*
tuent. The people were In expectancy.
All classes were reaaonlng an to who
thla strange hut inurveloualy forceful
taan might he. Sotue thought perhaps
he was the Christ (I.uke 3:15). To
sortie this question a committee was
sent to Jerusalem to luvestlgate.
Malaehi. the prophet, lias suggested the
coining of Elijah (Mai. 4 :5) before the
Messiah should come, and unotlier
prophecy Indicated that the propoet
should he like uulo Moses (I>?'Ut.
18:10-18). John freely confesses to
tills delegation that he Is not the j
Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet pre- i
diet .at hy Moses. How foolish and
silly are those modern ones who pro
fess to be the messenger of the cov- '
enant or some other fanciful title. In- i
dlcstlng the return of the witness
which Is to precede the coming of |
Christ. John exercises humility In the
way he states hla real position though '
be does apply to htmsslf the prophecy
of lsnlnh (Isa. 40:3-5) which sets forth
whsl his mission was to be. A voice
ran l>e beard but not seen. With our
bodily eyes we uever see s spirit. No
mail ever saw the soul of his nearest
friend. We do gee Hod, however. In
his works. In his msrvelous deliver
snces and his guidance of the world
and his nnswers to prayer. We ran
also see him lu the only begotten Son
who has made him to be seen. Who
ever sees Jesus as he was and Is has
secu Hod. Truly bleas.il are the "pure
In heart for they shall see Hod."
II. John the Baptirer (vv. 10-211).
As J.din hud denied that he was the .
Christ or Elljuh. the priests and Lev- ;
Ites made bold to question his author
ity ut u later time (Matt. 21-23). nn.1
still later the authority of the apos
tles and the priests (Acts 5:28). John
answers them with another display of
his humility. His huptlsm In water
was nothing to the baptism of the
coming one (See Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:5).
Though Christ was In their midst, they
were blind and did not recognize him.
(See vv. 10. U; eta. 8:19; 16:3).
John's baptism of repentance denotes
a baptism which a penitent submitted
to that he might receive the pledge
and assurance that hla sins were for
given. Baptism meant the cleansing
of the people from past sins that they
might be fitted for entrance Into the
kingdom. Baptism is not conversion.
It Is n witnessing and a symbol of a
spiritual truth that we are dead unto
sin. and have risen to newness of life
(Rom. 0:8-5). Like John, our voice
rattat be not only that of humility but
It must be really a voice with a mes
sage from Ood. one that sounds sn un
mistaknhle note, one that can be heard
wherever we go, one that will make
men happier, stronger, braver, more
Hie Hod. to prepare the w ay for Christ
In the hearts of men.
Ill TU. u/u..? *h. e-i.i* ' ?
28-34). The writer lx very explicit,
stating the exact time that these thing*
occurred, for he was an eye witness.
John first testifies that Jesus was the
Lamb of God, referring of course to j
the sacrificial lamb, the atoning sacri
fice of the Old Testument (Gen. 22:7-8;
Ex. 12:3; Isa. 53:7). As the Lamb of !
God, Jesus would take away the sins
of the world; thus the thought Is pri
marily that of atonement, a substitu
tion of another and the deliverance
from the guilt of sin. The next day '
after John's witness to the delegation
from Jerusalem, he saw Jesus coming
unto hiin, and said to the assembled
people, "Behold the Lamb of God."
This refers not so much to his charac
ter. that of ifinocence, meekness and
patience, as to his office, his completed
work of atonement by the aocrjflclnl
death wherein he takes away the sins
of the world. On* the ground of the
propitiation for sin which Jesus
wrought (I John 2:2; Matt. 20:28; II
Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13) sin Is removed
from the sinner as far as the East Is
from the West. God dealt in mercy
with men before Christ's time because
of the lamb which was slain from the
foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).
Here John says that at first he did not
recognise Jesus as the Messiah, but he
does bear record that he saw the
spirit descending at his baptism, and It
abode upon him. Luke adds that the
heavens were opened, and the spirit
descended In the form of a dove. There
Is no difficulty In John's statement, "I
knew him not." He lived In Judea;
Jesus lived In Galilee, and it Is doubt
ful If they had ever met. What John
probably means Is that he did uot
know him as the coming Messiah, but
he that commissioned John in the wil
derness to he the forerunner of the
Messiah had given John a sign where
by he should |fnow him. the Son of
God. John had waited patiently until
this sign was given. He did not speak
until he had the certificate of God. He
knew that one was to be made mani
fest ; therefore he came baptizing with
water, preparing the way (Matt. 3:2-d).
As soon as he did sec, John gave his
testitrony, "and this Is the lamb that
was to take away the sin of the world;"
literally to bear away ami remove the
guilt and punishment of sin.
The work of Chrtit Is for the whole
world till all Its sin is removed.
He provides redemption enough for
every man. He pardons our past sins
po they are remembered no more
against us forever.
Attractions of
Christian Work
I By REV. HOWARD W. POPB
Moody Bibii loetituU, .
ffi Chicago
TEXT-Pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harveat. that he wtll aend forth la
borers Into hta harveat.?Matthew ? 38.
Many complaint* are heard In Iheee
days about the acarrtty of Chrtatlan
_ worker*. We are
J (old that t ha
? treimi are
dwindling Juat a*
th? time when the
hnnka should o*er
fln?. Douhtleaa
(here are many
reaaoiia for thin,
hut one prlurfpal
reason, I am sure,
la the fart that an
little ts suid about
the attraction* of
Christian work.
We are con
A erantly Informed
I that miniatera aa
u clans arc over
worked unit underpaid. and that they
ithus the "deadline" at fifty, but sel
dom do we hear the other side pre
sented. There Is another side, and tf
those who enjoy their work would oc
cnslonally set forth Its attractions,
surely there would lie more young men
to any: "Lord, here am I, send me!"
Amoi g the minor attractions the fol- '
lowing may be mentioned:
- 1. It Is u life of contact with men
and books. It compels one to read,
think and study humnn nature. A
Christian worker may Indulge In a
wider range of reading than moat men.
If he has any hobby, such as botany,
geology or electricity, he can pursue
It to I heart's content. No knowl
edge i ,es amiss to him. Nature and
the au|M-nintural are so related that
one Illustrates and explains the other.
Kor a lawyer or doctor such studies
would be a digression, but a Christian
worker may explore the heavens, the
earth, or the bottom of the sea, and
come hack-better fitted for the special
work to which God has called hlra.
2. The variety of the work Is also an
attraction. Preaching, prayer meet
lug and visiting the sick are but a
small part of It. He Is expected tb
agitate temperance, to be enthusiastic
on missions and to aid Christian en
deavor. In fact, every good cause
looks to htm for support. To be sure,
with no many culls upon him, he has
little time for profound study, but out
of It all he gains exiierlence and ver
satility and becomes a good, all-around
mnn. He learns what his forte Is, and
If he Is wise he devotes himself main
ly to that, leaving to others the work
for which he Is not fitted. Of all call
ings ours Is the leant monotonous. It
is a life of constant activity and con
tinual change.
3. One of the chief attractions of
Christian work to me Is the opportu
nity which It affords for religious
growth. What I am spiritually I owe
to my profession. Indeed, knowing my
disposition, I am convinced that had I
chosen any other calling I should fiy
this time have had a good bank ac
count and a soul as small as a mus
tard seed. A soul-winner must be a
good man or fall. His own or others'
necessities drive him constantly to the
throne of grace and compel him to
live In closet fellowship with Clod.
4. It Is no more than fair to admit
that there are some discouragements
as well as attractions. Inadequate com
pensation Is one of them. The Chris
tian worker Is expected to have the
Instincts of a millionaire, the generos
ity of a prince, to dress as well as ?
the best, and to do It all on a small
Income. And. strange as It may seem,
most of them manage to do It.
A lady once said to a friend of mine:.
"I would as soon take a ticket to the
tioorhouse as marry a theological stu
dent." But some of the best and bright
est girls do not think so. as almost
every parsonage can testify. Parish
breezes will sometimes spring up and
threaten to wreck one's usefulness, but
If one will keep his temper and re
strain his tongue, the storm will usu
ally blow over and leave him stranger
than ever in the affections of his
people.
5. The supreme effraction of fthHs.
thin work, however, la the opportunity
which It affords for usefulness, and
usefulness of the highest kind. The
merchant, the manufacturer and the
farmer are nil useful men. They sup
ply the wrnts of the body; but our
business Is to transform the body into
a temple of the Holy Ghost. The sur
geon sets broken bones; but we heal
broken hearts. The lawyer adminis
ters Justice, hut the Christian worker
proclulins mercy. The one examines
titles of real estate, while the other
secures titles to mansions In the skies.
The lawyer fettles disputes, but It Is
a higher privilege to show men the
blessedness of living without disputes.
It Is a great achievement to become a
railroad king and control the com
merce of nations, but is It not a greater
achievement to awaken In even a
single soul a sense of kinship and
priesthood In Jesus Christ? Oh, the
blessed hours when one points a peni
tent soul to the Lamb of God and ten
derly turns bis trembling feet into the
puths of la-ace! There la no Joy this
side of heaven like that. Vet It Is
yours, young inan. If you covet It, for
the whole earth Is crying out for Just
this kind of work.
A million a month are dying in China
without a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The entire continent of Africa la still
clothed In darkness, for we have only
touched the hern of her garment with
the days of Gospel light. The agonis
ing appeals of our home-missionary su
perintendents are enough to thrill a
heart of stone. Surely the wants and
woes of humanity are In themselves
rn attraction. And If anything more
were needed. Is It not found In the
Bnal words of our blessed Master: "All
power Is glveu unto m? In heaven and
ewrth. Go ye therefore unto all the
world and prencb the gospel fo every
creature."
. /