North Carolina Newspapers

t THE CHATHAM RECORD ft A. LONDON, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR Terms of Subscription $1.50 Per Year Strictly in Advance THE CHATHATJ ffEGOtiD Rates of Advertising One Squarson msrtM fUX) On Square, two inrtioM $L3 On Square, op mostk 2 3 For Larger Advertisements Liberal Contracts tJH bo-casdd. VOL. XXXVI PITTSB0R0, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, APRIL 1, 1914. NO. 34. EWS OF THE WEEK IE THE LATEST HAPPENINGS OF IM PORTANCE TERSELY TOLD. EVENTS THROUGHOUT WORLD Mews of Greatest Interest From All Parts of the World Related in Paragraphs. Southern. Two passenger coaches of train No. 3, i., F. and A. railway, turned com pletely over two miles south of Cuth bert. Ga., and injured five. The last truck jumped the track on a curve and jerked the two passenger coaches completely over. Foiled in a wildly desperate attempt to loot the safety vaults of the Atlanta State Savings Bank, a negro "institu tion, in Auburn avenue, which con tained upwards of $2,500 in gold and silver, a white would-be bandit, blud geoned a negro clerk, fled into Hous ton street, seized a horse and buggy, raced through the Atlanta streets, pursued by police officers and a howl ing mob, fired some five shots at his pursuers and finally eluded . searchers, in the blocks bounded by Harris and Cain streets. Edward Rhynata, an ac tor of Denver, Colo., was later arrested and identified by six negroes. The entire business section of Dur ham, N. C, was threatened with de struction by a fire which originated in the Duke building, a five-story office structure. Buildings occupying one city block have either been entirely de stroyed or badly damaged. The flames raged for more than a half-hour while the firemen stood helpless as a result of a break in the city water mains. There also was another break which reduced the water pressure and hin dered the firemen. The latest estimate places the loss at fully a million dol lars. Parts of burning roofs fll in the city, due to a heavy wind. An Atlanta dispatch says that when a cinnamon bear, with her two cubs, escaped from her cage at Grant Park about midnight, terrifying the entire neighborhood, with her vicious growls, an exciting chase ensued. The bear pursued a ngero uj a tree and was tearing the black's trousers when a squad of policemen, led by Dan Ca rey, manager of parks, and Chief Jett, came to the rescue with their revolv ers and shot and killed the bear, saving the frightened negro's life. General. General Villa and his rebel army, af ter four days of almost incessant fir ing, during which victory seemed first with one side and then with the other, occupied Gomex and Palacio. Losses on both sides have been heavy. The rebels delivered three assaults before permanent success was achieved and at times the battle extended into the streets leading to Toreron proper. A suffragette acson squad in Bel fast burned down Abbeylands, the country residence of Maj. Gen. Sir Hugh McCalmont near White Abbey on Belfast Lough. The loss is 75,000. Health conditions among the Indians are described as deplorable by Indhi Commissioner Cato Sells, in his an nual report. He says that 25,000 In dians are suffering from tuberculqsis William P. Malburn of Denver, Colo., took the oath of office as assistant secretary of the treasury. Mr. Mal burn will be in charge of the customs. He is a son-in-law of Senator Thomas. Lieut. Col. William L. Sibert, build er of the Gatun dam and the Gatun locks of the Panama canal, has fin islied that work and was ordered to Washington to await further assign ment. Colonel Sibert has served as a member of the isthmian canal com mission and as engineer in charge of the Atlantic division. William Henry Yeomans, baby son of Henry Yeomans, a ' wealthy mine owner, was left alone in its cab on the porch of his home. When the nurse returned she found that a string on its bonnet had caught a hook at the side of the buggy and in turning over the infant had strangled itself to death. A train on which the father as traveling to his Colorado proper ties was stopped near Chicago by means of a long distance telephone message, and he returned to his home in Cleveland, Ohio. Fighting of the most sanguinary character took place in the streets of Comez Palacio, El Verjil, Mexico. The rebels took the water tank on Cerro de la Pilar, the Erittingham 'soap fac tory and the Cuyartel. The Cuyartel caught fire and the rebels were com pelled to abandon it. Streams of wounded were brought to the field hospital, and as fast as possible sent back to the general hospital at Berme JiUo. Losses on both sides were re Ported heavy. The body of Prof. Harry Thurston eck, who committed suicide here, as removed to the home of his for mer wife, Mrs. Cornelia Dawbarn Pack, at Sound Beach, with the con sent of Mrs. Elizabeth D. Peck, his iecond wife. Among the effects of Professor Peck, of which Mrs. Corne lia Peck has taken charge, are a num ber of manuscripts. One of these was on "platonic friendship," in which the question is raised, as to "whether a man and woman associated in their ork day after day and year -after year, can maintain a friendship wholly free fron sex consciousness. P1T0MIZED FORM Eighteen of the crew of the French steamer St. Paul were drowned when the steamer struck a rock and sank while entering the port of Brisbane, Australia. Col. Walter P. Andrews, who return ed from a tour of the Mediterranean countries as commissioner general of the United States to the Mediterra nean and Balkan states, invited the members of the Georgia delegation to congress to a dinner at the New Wil lard hotel. Colonel Andrews has mads his report to Secretary Bryan and Js enthusiastic about the trip of the spe cial commission. France, Greece, Tur key, Bulgaria and other countries have agreed to build pavilions , at the Panama-Pacific exposition. Roumania, Servia, Portugal and Spain have al ready decided to participate. A message from Gomez Palacio to Juarea, Mexico, said that General Vii la had concentrated his forces to fore his way into Torreon, there to join General Herrera and to take supreme command. OJScials declared that the federals already had tried to escape from Torreon, but were driven back and were in no condition to withstand such an attack as that of which Villa gave notice in this telegram. An El Paso, Texas dispatch says that meagre advices from the Mexican front were mixed in character but one of the medley schooled observers there said they drew the conclusion that the rebels met at Toreron and Gomez Pa lacia, an enemy in nowise inferior, and that their attack had been checked at the outset of the battle proper. For the fifth time the county com missioners at LaPorte, Ind., have been persuaded to appropriate railroad fare for investigation of a report that Mrs. Belle Gunness has been "found." Clint Cochrane, a marshal when the Gun ness "murder farm" was exploited in 1908, left LaPorte for Neville, Sask., where the northwest mounted police have under surveillance a woman homesteader. According to the reports from Canada, the woman was recogniz ed as Mrs. Gunness by a man who went to school with her In Norway thirty years ago. The "murder farm" mystery was a sensation in 1908. Washington. President Wilson won the opening skirmish of the great legislative bat tle of his administration when the house, over bitter protests from the recognized Democratic leaders ani al most solid minority opposition, adopt ed a special rule for the consideration of the bill repealing the free tolls pro vision of the Panama canal act. Speak er Clark, Democratic Leader Under wood, Republican Leader Mann and Progressive Leader Murdock headed those lined up against the administra tion,1 but the house responded to the president's personal appeal for prompt consideration of the repeal bill. The war department makes the claim that the rebels under Villa were routed at Torreon, Mexico with great slaughter. Eight hundred men, under Gen. Joaqin Maas and Gen. Javier de Moure, it is announced, arrived oppor tunely from Saltillo in time to add greatly to the federal victory. The rebels are said to be retreating north ward, with the federals pounding at their rear. It is admitted that Villa's men entered Lerdo, a suburb of Tor reon, but it is explained that this was a ruse on the part of General Velasco to ambush them.' Its soon as they were well into that territory, the federal ar tillery shelled them out, the cavalry charging as the rebels started to re treat. President Wilson has been warned of the departure for Washington of a second "Coxey's Army," which, it is said, will start April 16 from Massil Ion, Ohio, the starting point for the first "army" twenty years ago. "Gen. J. S. Coxey of Massillon, the leader, has mailed a letter to the president telling of his plans and enclosing a pamphlet on "The Coxey Plan of Set ting the Idle to Work on Market Roads and Other Public Improvements." The "army" expects to arrive in Washing ton, May 21. After a vigorous partisan contest, the house passed a bill to bar foreign convict-made or pauper-made goods from competition with the products of United States free labor. The measure, which now goes to the sen ate, follows a bill recently passed by the house forbidding the shipment of convict-made goods in interstate com merce into states which prohibit the sale of such products in the open mar ket. The Importation of foreign con vict-made goods has been prohibited generally under the tariff laws since 1890, but, owing to the peculiar con struction of the law, was not enforced. Commissioner Sells of the bureau of Indian affairs has addressed to each of the 6,000 employees of the service a letter which he has instructed shall be read to the students of every In dian school April 6. In it he points out that whiskey is "the greatest present menace to the American In dian," and he pleads with Indian ser vice employees to set an example to the Indian and exert their best efforts and influence for the protection of the Indian "from this, his worst en emy." Westminster, London, continues to be a' seething caldron over what the Liberals now denounce as the "mu tiny of the army aristocrats" against democratic government. The fact has been established from all obtainable evidence that Gen. Hubert Gough and the other officers of the Third cavalry brigade demanded and obtained writ ten assurances that they would not be ordered to fight Sir Edward Car son's Ulster volunteers, and that these assurances were obtained largely through the personal Intervention of the king. The throne Is said to be involved. - . GARRANZA ENTERS JAUREZ WITH POMP AGED LEADER OF REBEL ARMY RIDES HORSEBACK ON A LONG TRIP. HIS IS PICTURE OF HEALTH Tells People His Cause is One For "Justice" and "Bettar Things." He is Only Man Villa Recognizes as Chief. Juarez, Mexico. Gen. Venustiano Carranza, first chief of the revolu tion was welcomed to Juarez. In the last few weeks the General has rid den horseback for 500 miles and in the last two months he has traveled 2,000 miles in the same way. He looked the picture of health and vigor, a living contradiction to stories that he was feeble and that he had constant recourse to stimulants in order to bear up. All afternoon automobiles and car riages streamed out the road past the race tracK and along the ; railroad to anticipate his arrival. General Manuel Chao, military gov ernor of the state of Chihuahua, gal loped with his staff to a point within three miles of the city. Here Carranza and his staff and the reception committee met and then re-ensued a long wait for the troop train bearing the horses and men of Carranza's own army. Visitors were eager to catch a glimpse of the one man in Mexico whom General Villa recognizes as chief. He is a big man and vigorous de spite his 65 years. To those who were presented to him, he stretched a big strong hand. "Have you any advices from Tor reon?" he was asked. "I think there has been no news since last night," was the reply. "Per haps General Villa has not yet taken the city." He added that he had no occasion to modify his decree of several months ago wherein he stated that no act or contract of the Huerta Gov ernment would be recognized, should the revolutionists succeed in captur ing Mexico City. "Huerta Is not President of Mexico and none of his acts can be legal, and therefore none of them can be bind ing." REBEL LOSSES ARE HEAVY Chihuahua Now Has $$8 Wounded Men from the Torreon Battlefield. Chihuahua, Mex. News as reached here from the front was unfavorable to the Rebels. Several hundred wounded were being provided for at Jiminez and batches of wounded were distributed at Parral and Santa Rosalia. There are 558 wounded reb els here. This evidence of the sanguinary conflict at Torreon, with the sugges tion that the list of dead on the rebel side necessarily would be great, tend ed to make headquarters reticient about the progress of the battle. Of ficers admitted they had received dis patches from the front, but declined to reveal the contents. The report originated from one of the hospitals that Gen. Francsico Vil la had been wounded- slightly and compelled to leave the front. The re port was based on the word of a wounded soldier, who, however, in sisted he had seen Villa wounded. He declared that for moral effects the news was withheld from the rank of the rebel army. " ,. Mme. Callaux Criticises. Paris. Mme. Caillaux has been greatly benefited by her rest in Saint Lazare prison, whtte M. Boucard, the investigating magistrate, has been ex amining witnesses at the preliminary inquiry into the killing of Gaston Calmette, editor of Figaro. She has regained much of her serenity and it is said, and has expressed strong criti cism of the prison arrangements. For Better Child Life. Washington Leaders in the move ment for a better child life frbm nearly all parts of the world will as semble in Washington April 22 to at tend a five days' session of the third International Congress on the Wei fare of the Child held under the aus pices of the National Congress of Mo thers and Parents' Association. The program for the meeting was completed. Besides business meet ings there jvill be open lectures on all important subjects relating to the welfare of the child. Leo Frank's Chance For Life. Chicago. H. J. Hass, of counsel for Leo M. Frank, of Atlanta, Ga., sen tenced to die for the murder of Mary Phagan, a factory employe, conferred here with the head of a national de tective agency which has been em ployed by Frank's friends. An im portant witness whose testimony may result in a new trial being granted Frank is being sought in one of the suburbs of this city, according to Haas. He declined to say who the witness was or what the nature of the testimony expected. E 4 IS DATE OF STATE STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHANGES TIME OF MEETING AT RALEIGH. LATE STATE CAPITOL NEWS Review of the Latest News Gathered Around the State Capitol That Will Be of Interest to Our Readers Over North Carolina. Raleigh. Raleigh. The state Democratic executive committee recently voted to change the date for the state con vention from June 17 to June 4 in Raleigh in order to avoid conflict with the North Carolina Medical Soci ety that will be in Raleigh June 16-18. The committee was presided over by Chairman Thomas D. Warren, with; Secretary W. E. Brock present. There were 48 members present in person and by proxy. The committee adopted the follow ing resolutions: "Whereas, the recent session of the legislature created four new judicial districts in the state and it has dis arranged the judicial committees in at least four districts, there being no resident chairman: "Therefore, be It resolved by the- Democratic state executive . commit tee that any chairman now living in one of the new judicial districts shall act as chairman for such district. "And be it further resolved that , the chairman of this committee designate some member in those districts which now have no chairman to call the committee together for the purpose of calling the judicial convention in said district. "Resolved, further, that If two for mer chairmen now live in the same district that they jointly call a meet ing of the committee for the purpose of calling a convention of the judicial committee. "Be it resolved by the Democratic state committee that the plan of or ganization be amended as follows: "It shall be the duty of the chair men of the various congressional, judicial and senatorial committees of the state immediately after they are elected, to furnish to the chairman of the state committee all lists of the names and the postoffice addresses of the members of their committees, in dicating the chairman and secretary. State Seal Is Badly Worn. Secretary of State J. Bryan Grimes and Governor Craig are co-operating in the purchase of a new. great seal of state for the governor's office. The seal now in use is badly worn and the mechanism by which it is operated in attaching the seal to documents of state is badly out of "whack." The instrument was broken during the administration of Governor Russell and was somewhat crudely repaired. Also some of the letters have become so badly worn as to show up poorly in the imprints. The present seal has been in use sine 1883. The seal that was in use prior to that time was made in 1836 and the one prior to that in 1794. Then there were a number of colonial seals. Drawings of new seals have been ' received from a number of manufacturers. The general design of the seal is being considerably changed in those designs being of fered. Supreme Court Appeals. The appeals decided in the recent delivery of opinions are: Auman vs. Lumber Company, Samp son County, modified and affirmed with costs against the appellant; Ward vs. Alberson, Duplin county, no er ror; State vs. Horton, Franklin, no error; In re will of Cooper, Wake, no error; Rees vs. Williams, Wake, petition to rehear dismissed; Clare ment College vs. Riddle, Catawba, af firmed; Rackley vs. Rackley, Robe son, dismissed for failure to file print ed briefs; McArthur vs. Land & Tim ber Co., Cumberland, dismissed for failure to file brie's; Porter vs. Sea board Air Line, Bladen, dismissed for failure to file printed briefs. . N. C. Pine Men Meet in Norfolk. The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the North Carolina Pine Association, composed of lumber manufacturers in Virginia and North and South Caro lina, met in Norfolk a few days ago. President Horton Corwin, Jr., of Edenton, N. C, touching in his annual address upon the Federal and state anti-trust laws, declared that these were not intended to "repress enter prise or to close the avenue of useful information" but "to suppress monop oly and unlawful combinations In re straint of trade." North Carolina Cotton Crop. The United States report of cotton ginned and marketed to date was re ceived at the state department of agri culture recently and shows that the North Carolina crop to date is 835,435 bales, compared with 906,351 for the previous year. Robeson led, as usual, with 53,000 bales, compared with 62, 000 last year. Mecklenburg . has 31, 053 bales, compared with 28,178 the year previous. Pitt county has only 21,000 compared with 31,000 and lohnston county has only 38,000, com pared with 44,000 for last year. UN Textile Building Rebuilt by Aug. '1st. The executive committee of the Board of Trustees of A. & M. College have already let a contraot to S. S. Toller of Rocky Mount for rebuilding the Textile building burned only a few mornings ago and having it ready for equipment by August 1. The work is to be done on a percentage basis; un der the direction of President D. H. Hill and Prof. H. E. Satterfield. The remains of the former building are to be used as far as possible in the reconstruction, although there may be changes in the plans and also enlargement. A call is made on man ufacturers of textile machinery in all parts of the country to contribute ma chinery for the N equipment, as was done in the original opening of the building. The executive committee also ap proved a plan for a Summer school of instruction for the rural schools of the. state to be in progress June 3 to July 1, this to Include all teachers in the rural high schools, who are engaged in teaching agriculture and nature study. A four-year course in this Summer school will entitle the holders of certificates to teach in the schools without re-examination. There are 313 teachers of this class in the state and a large per cent of them are expected to '" ; attend this Summer school. Here for the meeting of the execu tive committee were W. H. Ragan, chairman; O. L. Clark, Bladen; R. H. Ricks, Edgecombe, and N. E. Brough ton, Raleigh, with President D. H. Hill of the college. The executive committee of the State Board of Agriculture arranged for the farm demonstration workers from the United States Department of Agriculture, co-operating with the department under C. R. Hudson, to have their offices in the present build ing of the State Department of Agri culture, also for offices for the work ers from the government co-operating in the Animal Husbandry Division un der Mr. Gray to have offices in the agricultural building at A. & M. College. This adjusts a serious condition that was about to cause the state to lose the government forces in these divisions of work, on account of In ability .to provide office quarters. Cannot Flog State .Convicts. In the opinions just delivered by the Supreme Court there is one in the case of State vs. Nipper and John son, from Wake, involving the right of convict guards to flog unruly con victs or administer other corporal punishment, the Supreme Court hold ing with Judge Cooke of the Superior Court that there is no such right etiher through the state constitution or through legislative statute. The Supreme Court declares Chief Jus tice Clark writing the opinion that "In view of the enlightment of this age and the progress which has been made in prison discipline, we have no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that corporal punishment by flogging is not reasonable and can not be sustained. That which de grades a man cannot be either neces sary or reasonble." Agents Must Have New Licenses. State Commissioner of Insurance Young calls attention to the fact that the licenses of all insurance agents in this state expire April 1 and that the applications for renewal are coming in remarkably slow. Under the law they will have no authority to do bus iness after April 1 until these renew als are procured. There are about 13,000 agents in the state and the com panies and the agents must sign all application for renewal blanks for which have been distributed. Harrison Visits Raleigh. President Fairfax Harrison of the Southern Railway Company spent sev eral hours in the city recently with Vice President A. B. Andrews and was a caller at the office of Governor Craig and the Corporation Commis sion with whom he discussed a num ber 6f matters informally. With Pres ident Harrison were Vice President and Traffic Manager J. M. Culp and Vice President and General Manager E. H. Coapman. Bolejack's Sentence Commuted. James Bolejack gets a commuta tion from death sentence'' to life im prisonment. He is the aged Mecklen burg county man sentenced to die April 4th for wife murder. Major Kuekendall Succeeds Barker. Raleigh. Major E. D. Kuekendall, of Greensboro, succeeds Col. Max L. Barker as commander of the North Carolina Coast Artillery Corps, Col onel Barker retiring with the rank of major from the service. This an nouncement was made by Adjutant General Young. Dates for the school of instruction for the officers of the military guard are changed from May 12-17 to May 4-9, so the officers may be at home and at their precincts for the primaries. A. & M. Textile Building Burns. The textile building at A. & M. Col lege was destroyed by fire early a few mornings ago, the total loss being es timated at $80,000. A little less than half of this being covered by insur ance. " , The flames were discovered in the southwest corner of the third floor at 3 o'clock and the alarm given with the college whistle. As quickly as pos sible the students had three streams on the flames from the college hose, but the conflagration had gained such headway ttt they were powerless STATE ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ALL NORTH CAROLINA PEOPLE. N. C. Pine Men Meet. The North ' Carolina Pine Associa tion recently ' ended Its twenty-fifth annual meeting in Norfolk, Va., by electing officers and directors for the coming year. Officers chosen 'were: J. L. Camp, Franklin, Va,, president; John M. Gibbs, Norfolk, Va; Nathan O'Berry, Goldsboro, N. C, and D. O. Anderson, Marlon, S. C, vice presi dents. Horton Corwin, Jr., of Eden ton, who declined re-election as pres ident, took the place of W. G. Under wood of Hertford, as a director from North Carolina. J. T. Deal of Norfolk was added as a director from Virginia. Charles Hill of Charleston, S. C, and A. Shoaf of Savannah, Ga., were added as directors form South Carolina,. G. J. Cherry, formerly vice president from South Carolina, was " continued as a director from 'that state. C. L. Betts of Sumter, T. W. Boyle of Greeleyville, and G. Meiklejohn of Cheraw retired as directors from South Carolina. Marshall at Charlotte May 20. Vice President Marshall will be the principal speaker for the twentieth of May celebration. He promised a few days ago to leave here May 19, accom panied by Mrs. Marshall, and spend May 20 in the Queen City. He made the Invitation committee promise to let him "stand on his hind legs and talk about whatever he saw fit without preparing a set speech for the occas ion" before he would accept. The in vitation to Mr. Marshall was extended by Leake Carraway of the Greater Charlotte Club, John A. Parker, rep resenting Charlotte and W. C. Dowd of the twentieth of May committee. Secretary Daniels, Senator Overman, Representative Webb and Dr. W. J. Martin of Davidson College. 1 W. M. U. Elects Officers. With the passage of resolutions thanking Henderson ville people for their hospitality in entertaining, the election of officers for the ensuing year and the consideration of com mittee reports, the State Baptist Wo man's Missionary Union, which has been in session here for four days, adjourned. Some of whom have serv ed for many years and none less than two were re-elected: . President, Miss Fannie E. S. Heck; treasurer, Mrs. Wesley N. Jones; corresponding secretary, Miss Blanche Barruss; su perintendent of Sunbeams and Royal Ambassadors, Miss Elizabeth N. Briggs; recording secretary, Mrs. J. S. Farmer, all of Raleigh. Durham Will Rebuild. The merchants who were burned out in the fire at Durham a few days ago, have nearly all made arrange ments - for temporary quarters and some of them will leave" soon for the Northern markets to lay in another stock of goods. A number of them have also held conferences with the fcwners of the burned buildings and will begin at once to go over plans for new buildings in the place of those which have been destroyed. NORTH CAROLINA BRIEFS. Lettuce growers in New Hanover county say that the cold weather of the first and the latter part of the present month has had the effect ot damaging the lettuce crop to the ex tent of delaying shipments 30 days, and of reducing the output from one half to two-thirds of what was expect ed the yield would be. Capt. J. C. Michle.made the first public statement about the break in the main which resulted In such de struction of property recently at Dur ham. The superintendent of the wa ter company said ' In this written statement that the break in the main was something that human agencies could not have prevented, and was not the result of carelessness on the part of the water company. ' The Greensboro City Commission recently passed an ordinance requir ing that all bread sold in Greensboro for table use must be securely wrap ped so as to protect it from flies, dirt and dust, and the ordinance, it is said, will be strictly enforced. Following the example of several other cities in North Carolina, New- bern officials and health authorities are planning to inagurate a campaign against the fly. At a meeting of the board of direc toTS of the First National Bank of Durham a few days ago a committee was appointed to, immediately take up the erection of a skyscraper, but the whole matter of plans for the new building will be left with the committee. The big dredge boat will be launched on Buffalo Creek in Cleve land county in the Buffalo drainage district within the next few days. The smaller dredge on. Muddy Fork, a tributary of Buffalo, has been at work several weeks and has already, finish ed over two miles. Continuing the Improvements be gun last season when the old' board walk was torn up and replaced from the Oceanic Hotel to Station Five, the Town of Wrights ville Beach now has a force of men "engaged in laying a new board walk from Station Five south to Lumina. Hamlet is feeling rather proud of the report of Pure Food Chemist Allen, who in a recent report stated that Hamlet had the best kept grocery stores in the state. He was only reporting on the grocery stores, and as the other stores are all in keeping MBMnONAL, stwrSdiooi Lesson (By E. O. SELLERS, Director of Evening" Department, The Moody Bible Institute, i Chicago.) N . LESSON FOR APRIL 5 CHRIST'S TABLE TALK. LESSON TEXT Luke 14:7-24. i GOLDEN TEXT "Everyone that exalt- eth himself shall be humbled; and he that! humbleth himself shall be exalted." Luke 14:11. This lesson Is connected directly with that of two weeks ago, thei events occurring in the house of the) "chief Pharisee," 14:1. I. An Honorable Promotion, vv. 7-1 1.J The spirit of humility here empha sized by Jesus is not that of com mending the man who piously, osten tatiously, takes the low seat, and then is angry If he is not promoted; the man who says "no" and is angry if he is taken at his word. These words are not only to be applied literally but have a wide scope and embrace all the followers of Christ in every walk. of life. The sincere evidence of this. spirit is proof of the nearness of the. disciple to the life of his Lord; see Phil. 2:3, 6, 7 and Matt. 18:4. Men scramble for position and power to be obtained at the hands of other men. Jesus, the keen observer, saw men striving in this house, and criti cizes such conduct. "Lest haply," twice repeated, gives .us the clew to this section. Guests are not to seek the higher seats, "lest haply" more worthy ones should appear who ought to occupy them. Real Hospitality. II. A' Holy Recompense, vv. 12-14. The man who makes a feast invites those who can return his favor or else thereby pays his obligations to so ciety. Not so the members of the kingdom (Matt. 6:1-6, 16-18). "Re compense" is here the key. Those who are needy cannot make any ma terial recompense and the one who gives the feast does not. need any other recompense than that of the gratitude of those served and the ap proval, "well done," from the king. This does not forbid the Interchange of hospitality and courtesies but does warn us lest in our elaborate feasts we overlook the poor, but worthy ones. In the kingdom, hospitality con sists of a desire to give rather than to get. III. A Heavenly Invitation, w. 15- 24 One of the guests seems to have . been impressed with the words of Jesus and exclaimed, "Blessed is he - that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." He seemed to realize that the conduct Jesus was speaking of was to be found only there. In answer our Lord gave us this parable of the great- supper in which he describes an at mosphere like that created by his host and the guests there present By this parable he replies to this man, con trasting the admixing of n Ideal and being willing to be governed by that, ideal, '(a) Those who refused. This was a "great supper," a time of great joy and many were invited, see Gal. 4:4, 5; Matt 3:5; Mark 1:14, 15. All men had to do was to "come," Isa. 55:1; Matt. 11:28; John 7:37; Rev. ' 22:17. There were three who made excuses, yet all three refused the in vitation. The first (v. 18) was the man whose property stood in his way (II Tim. 4:10; I Tim. 6:9). The sec ond allowed a dumb ox, that might have received attention later, to take. precedence over the glad feast Do mestic demands and godless home ties are used frequently by the evil one to keep men out of the kingdom. The third excuse (v. 20) was still less Jus tifiable, for this man should have brought his wife with him. It was her place as much as his to accept the. invitation. However, to spurn God'3 invitation does not mean that there shall be any lack of guests, see John. 1:11 and Matt. 21:31. (2) Those who accepted this Invitation (vv. 21-24). Thus to be spurned made the master of . the house "angry" (v. 21). God's Method. This is God's method of filling; empty churches. If we wear out con secrated shoe-leather during the week men will not forget us on the Sab bath, and guests will always be found for God's table. "Compulsion" (v. 23). Indicates intense, earnest effort la bringing men to Christ (II Cor. 5:20; Col. 1:28; II Tim. 4:2). Men should be reluctant only through a sense of their unworthiness, which is in reality their greatest possible fitness. Here again the question of host and. guest is thrust upon us. In society we ask our friends and rich neighbors, lest haply they bid us in turn, or re pay by making some other recom pense. Our hospitality is a quid pro quo business. Thus there is set be fore us the blindness of human hearts in the excuses they make in answer to God's invitation. p In the matter of entering the king dom of God it Is the man who humbles himself that is exalted within. Men must stoop to reach the heights, we undergo in order to overcome. In the matter of our behavior, guests must humble themselves to the needs of the lowest if , they are to be exalted to the highest In life. Our greatest duty Is to that call which come3 from the highest authority. What a wonderful parable this is, given in answer to a pious remark about eating bread in the kingdom of God. Do our feasts call forth wisdom or sensual pleasure only? , 1 I, 'j y r