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THE CHATHAM RECORD H. A. London EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR Terms of Subscription $1.50 PER YEAR Strictly in Advance THE CHATHAM RECORD Rates of Advertising One Square, one insertion - - $LC0 One Square, two insertions - $L50 One Square, one month - - $20 For Larger Advertisements Liberal Contracts will be made. VOL. XXXVII. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, MARCH 31, 1915. NO. 34. fit it fi iv !nr fHW yAy ww vv y ' ) 1 W lfr mm IMPORTANT NEWS THE WORLD OVER Happenings of This and Other Natisss For Seven Days Are Given. THE NEWS WTHE SOUTH What Is Taking Place in the South land Will Be Found in Brief Paragraphs. European War Russia is now planning to cross the Carpathians and completely cripple the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The fate of this Teutonic nation is said to be hanging in the balance and entirely depends upon the out come of this Muscovite invasion. The Berlin war office admits this is one of the most critical blows of the whole war. British airmen have been success ful in a raid on Hoboken, near Ant werp, where they made an aerial bom bardment of the German troops en camped there. "On to Cracow" is now the cry of the Russian armies since encouraged by their victory at Przemysl, taken af ter a seven month siege. The Petro grad war office is determined to crush the Austrian power in Europe and to annihilate the southern Teutonic forces. Over fourteen thousand pris oners have been taken in the last few weeks. Italy is said to be actively prepar ing to enter the war so as to begin hostilities about May 1 or as soon as the weather will permit the . passage of troops across the Austrian border into Trente." Premier Salandra is plan ning a big naval bombardment on the Adriatic. Austria is carefully watch ing the preparations, and is said to be planning the capture of Venice. Russia is rejoicing over the Petro grad war office's announcement that after a siege of seven months the Aus trian fortress at Przemysl has fallen and 50,000 prisoners have fallen into the hands of the Muscovite army. Church chimes in every important city and town in European Russia rang the air of the national anthem. Addressing the house of commons, Sir Edward Grey, the English foreign minister, declared war is what Ger many wanted and that the present struggle could have been entirely avoided had the hot-headed Teutons only been willing to hold a conference to settle all the disputes. He blames the entire situation on the Raiser's government. Berlin declares that at the pres ent time 810,000 soldiers of the Anglo-French and Russian forces are now held as prisoners by the Ger mans. A Belgian relief ship plying between Bruges and London was attacked by a German submarine and shattered. Mulheim, in the duchy of Baden Ba den, was bombarded in an aerial at tack by a French aviator. Bombs were dropped on the city and the barracks, wounding several soldiers. The British ship Concord was blown up in the English channel by a Ger man submarine. Domestic Vice President Marshall arrived at the Panama-Pacific exposition and de livered a brilliant speech dedicating the great fair as the personal repre sentative of President Wilson and of the nation. The vice president de clared the president to be the great est peacemaker the world has known in profane history and the greatest executive of the United States since Abraham Lincoln. " . A resolution just passed by the Ha waiian territorial council asks con gress for a bill granting woman suf frage in Hawaii, and also to eliminate the Japanese picture brides from the islands henceforth. Another effort is now being made to save the life of Lieut. Charles Beck er, formerly of the, New York police force, sentenced to death for instiga tion of the murder of Herman Ro senthal. An appeal is made for re versal of the judgment of the second trial of Becker at which he was con victed as at the first. Mrs. Mary Anna Jackson, widow of "Stonewall" Jackson, the Confederate general of the Civil war who fell in battle at Chancellorsville in 1863, died at her home at Charlotte, N. C, after a brief illness of pneumonia, at the age of 84 years. She is the author of a biography of Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, her distinguished husband. Judge L. S. Roan of Atlanta, now famous throughout the United States as the jurist presiding at the Leo M. Frank trial, died in a New York hotel, following a brief illness. Mrs. Robert H. Barlow of Philadel phia, Pa.! has captured the wom an's golf championship of the country in a match game at Pinehurst, N. C. Grave doubts are felt in many of the Southern states as to whether the recent spoliation claims law, reim bursing many people of the South for Property damages suffered in the Civil war by Federal troops, will be con sidered constitutional by the Supreme court. It is rumored efforts will be made to test this new law. Richard Randolph, a prominent St. Louis manufacturer and business man, who had brought suit for divorce from his wife recently, was shot and killed. Although denying any knowledge of the crime, Mrs. Randolph is being held fcv the authorities. In naval practice manoevunss in harbor, the American submarine F-4 was lost with her crew of twenty-five men. Nothing was thought when the vessel remained under water for more than an hour during the. manoeuvres, but when she did not reappear after a lapse of five hours a search was made by the Pacific fleet at Honolulu of fifty fathoms Heroic efforts were made bf the Pacific fleet at Honolulu to raise her. The vessel cost $500, 000 and was built by ship contractors at Seattle. Senator Hardwick of Georgia is ex plaining to his constituents in his state for not supporting the ship pur chasing bill which would have estab lished a merchant marine. In his pub lic explanations he declares Secretary McAdoo has been unfriendly to the in terests of the farmers. An attempt was made on the life of Mayor Carter H. Harrison of Chicago by Mrs. Leonora Doming, aged 50 years, who forced her way into his office in the city hall. Upon arrest she became violent. The police assert she has been arrested before for mak ing disturbances in public places and offices. Political prognosticators are of the opinion that the state of Ohio will cer tainly be well represented in the cam paign of 1916. Myron T. Herrick, the former ambassador to France, is be lieved by many to be the winner of the Republican nomination for president. His successor, William Graves Sharp, the present ambassador to France, is said to have been slated for the nom ination for vice president on the Dem ocratic ticket with Woodrow Wilson. Both Herrick and Sharp have large followings in Ohio. In a speech delivered in the Greek amphitheater at Berkeley, Cal., Vice President .Marshall made several time ly criticisms of the American people, dividing them into three classes, "hero worshipers, iconoclasts and in different citizens." He warned the people against the . growing servility toward wealth in this country and a tendency of becoming the "greatest flunkeys and lackeys in the world." Mrs. Mary Anna Jackson, widow of "Stonewall" Jackson, is critically ill at her home at Charlotte, N. C. W. J. Nichols, a former member of the North Carolina legislature, sent to Leavenworth, for using the mails to ydefraud, was arrested again on his release from the federal prison on a similar charge in South Carolina. The Louisiana supreme court has barred the reading or recitation of the Bible or Lord's Prayer at the opening exercises in the public schools of Cad do parish. The decision resulted from protests brought against the use of the Bible by Catholics and against the use of the Lord's Prayer by Jews. Foreign Perhaps the most exciting election in the history of the Japanese em pire has just taken place. Women took an active part in the campaign, which is believed marks the begin ning of a movemen, for woman suf frage in the flowery kingdom. The wives of candidates made active can vasses by automobile and carriage and addressed the voters. The elec tion was for members of the lower house of the diet, which was dissolved on : Christmas Day, 1914, by the mi kado because it opposed the present cabinet ministry on its war policy with Germany and China, It is believed the recent election will bring enough independents into the house to kill the effect of the opposition and so give control to the ministry, headed by Count Okuma. Holland is reported to have asked Germany for an explanation regarding the seizure of certain Dutch steamers plying between North Sea coast ports. Advices from Tampico state that the Carranza and Villa troops are march ing towards each other expecting to meet in "a. battle about the vicinity of Victoria. George H. Jessop, well known Eng lish dramatist and novelist, died in London. His best known books are "Desmond O'Connor" and "His Ameri can Wife." Washington Bishop Candler of Atlanta delivered an address before the Methodist church educational board in behalf of the new Emory university to be locat ed inthe Georgian capital.. . President Wilson has authorized the state department to request Minister Van Dyke at The Hague to protest for mally to the German government about the bomb attack by the German aerial squadron on the Belgian relief commission boat, Elfland, sailing off the Dutch coast - Attorney General Gregory has in structed the United States attorney in Porto Rico to institute libel proceed ings against the Gsrman steamship, Odenwald, and prevent its departure from San Juan. The Odenwald at tempted to sail from the San Juan harbor without clearance papers, a di rect violation of the navigation code, which is generally considered punisha ble by confiscation of vessel and cargo. Secretary McAdoo, recuperating President Wilson is seriously con sidering the situation now existing be tween the United States and England. The British attitude toward this coun try has been branded by the president and Senator Hoke nith of Georgia, who recently held an important con ference at the White House, as "auda cious, presumptuous and intolerable." Another note is to be sent at once regarding the neutral trade relations with Germany. People close to the administration feel .that a crisis be tween the two countries is near at hand. VILLA FORGES ARE BADLY DEFEATED ENCOUNTER AT MATAMOROS HAS CEASED , TO AWAIT ARTILLERY. SERIOUS FOR TEXAS TOWN Carranza Troops Are Strongly En trenched and Only Artillery Will Move Them From Garrison. Brownsville, Texas. Failing in their attempt to dislodge the Carranza garrison Dy rifla and machine gun fire, Villa forces beseiging Matamoros vir tually ceased their attacks awaiting, it was announced, the arrival of artil lery. In the event of an artillery duel, Brownsv.lle, directly across the Rio Grande from Matamoros, .would be en dangered one of the gravest of border crises was feared. The liklihood of shells falling in Brownsville was de monstrated by the rifle bullets which dropped here during the first Villa as sault on Matamoros trenches, a costly failure of Villa forces in which their losses were officially -given as 100 killed and 40 wounded. This attack was a headstrong dash of 2,000 mount ed riflemen. The Carranza losses were 10 killed and 45 injured. Two persons were struck by bullets in Brownsville. Neither was seriously injured. The coming Villa artillery must be powerful enough to cope with nine-three-inch field pieces of the defend ers, none of which has yet been fired. In' addition the Carranza troops are said to have four three and one-half inch guns. A troop of 250 Villa cavalry, circling five miles south of Brownsville, ap preached unwittingly at a town named Rositas, a machine gun trench hidden by brush. They were trotting past this trench when the machine guns were fired. Nearly the entire Villa dead were said to have fallen at this point, while almost to a man, the others were wounded. Nafarrate said he would defend the city to the limit. Four flags, cap tured, floated in front of his head quarters, the band played in the plaza and men and women of Matamoros celebrated, filling the streets with color. One flag is inscribed "Second Bri gade, M. Chao." This battalion, the Constitutionalists claimed, was almost wiped out by its dashing assaults in the breastworks. Both Villa and Con stitutionalist soldiers say three Villa troopers were killed carrying this flag. Another flag is inscribed "Villa Bri gade." These and the other two cap tured banners were bloodstained. FRUITLESS WORK FOR F-4. Discovered Object Was Only Big Anchor. Submarine Located. Honolulu, T. H. Three days search for the lost United States submarine F-4 has resulted only in unfulfilled hopes. Divers who went down the two cables thought to have been at tached to the submarine found the heavy body was an old anchor, prob ably lost by the battleship Oregon. Diver Agraz, who went dow nthe cable attached to the anchor, wore only a helmet. Diyer Evans, who descended along the second cable, Teported that he found nothing. Agraz, whose descent to. a depth of 215 feet is said to be a world's record, spent 22 minutes on the downward journey and nine and half minutes in the ascent. The ex perience apparently caused him no distress. The submarine F-4 has been located outside the harbor it was announced. Portions of the superstructure have been brought to the surface. The The dredge California will shift moor ings, tugs will criss-cross in all direc tions and an attempt wil be made to life the submarine. Alabama Ordered to Hampton Roads. Philadelphia. Carrying the flag of Rear Admiral J. L. Helm of the Atlan tic reserve fleet, the battleship Ala bama sailed from the Philadelphia Navy Yard for 'neutrality duty at Hampton Roads. Cotton Proceeds to Italy. Genoa Italy via Paris As a result of the efforts of American Ambassa dor Page instructions have been re ceived here from the foreign ministry at Rome to allow all American cot ton billed through this country to be exported. Difficulties, in the way of moving the commodity now are due to congestion. There are 158 ships at Genoa waitng to unload, while outside the harbor 116 vessels are waiting to enter. Methods employed in unload ing the ships prevent more than 3,000 bales of cotton entering the port daily. Russians Pushing Through. Petrograd, via London. The Rus sians have pushed their front well through the Carpathians toward the plains of Northern Hungary in the vi cinity of Bartfeld, capturing an Aus trian position five miles south of Tarof. By taking the Austrian positions at the source of the Ondava River at Nijni Polianska, 12 miles northeast of Bartfeld, the "Russians gain con trol of roads leading direct to Bart feld and southward to Svidnik and to valley of the Ondava. 1,200,000 BLANKS ILL BE REQUIRED il STING OF PROPERTY FOR TAX ATION IS BIG JOB FOR THIS SPRING. DISPATCHES FROM RALEIGH Doings and Happenings That Mark the Progress of North Carolina Peo ple Gathered Around the 8tat Coitol. Raleigh. One million and two hundred thou sand copies of a special blank for tax abstracts must be printed and gotten into the hands of the tax-listers in every township of each of the counties in the state by May 1 by the State Tax ommission; and Secretary A. J. Max well is giving special attention just now to the perfection of the form for these blanks before turning them into the state printers for their enormous task of printing this immense order. There will be a number of new fea tures to this new abstract blank form to conform to the provisions of the new machinery act passed by the re cent Legislature. For one thing there will be a feature that will show the number each of horses, mules, cows, hogs and the like instead of, as in the past, merely the number and value of all classes grouped. This change is especially for the purpose of furnish ing ' something of a census return as to the livestock industry of the state. The tax-listing is to be gotten un der way May 1 and will continue through the greater part of June. As soon as the commission gets out the 1,200,000 abstract blanks there will be prepared and issued the township and county tax-book forms for the perman ent book records of the valuations and taxes. The commission . is preparing to make good its pledge to the Finance Committees of the Legislature that it would make special effort to get all the properties in the state subject to taxation on the books. More Than $70,000 War Tax. More than $70,000 has been collect ed from the "special taxes" levied upon theaters, brokers, bowling al leys, and dealers and manufacturers of tobacco under the "war emergency tax" in -the North Carolina internal Tevenue districts. The special taxes provide levies as follows: Twenty dollars on brokers; $50. pawnbrokers; $20, commercial brokers; $10, customhouse brokers; $25, $50, $75 and $100, theaters; $10, public exhibitions and shows; $60, bowling alleys, etc.; $20, commission merchants; $6, $12, $24 and $48, tobacco dealers; $6, $12, $24, $60 and $300, manufacturers of tobacco; $3, $30 and $2,496, manufacturers of cigars, $2,496, manufacturers of cigar ettes. In North Carolina 3 brokers pay $60; 15 pawnbrokers, $750; 110 com mercial brokers, $2,200; 3 custom house brokers, $30; 428 theaters, $10, 700; 46 theaters, $2,300; 18 theaters, $2,100; 9 theaters, $900; 12 public exhibitions and shows, $120; 136 bowl ing alleys, pool rooms, billiard rooms, $8,160; 51 commission merchants, $1, 020; 120 $6-dealers in leaf tobacco, $720; 31 $12-dealers in leaf tobacco, $252; 314 $24-dealer sin leaf tobacco, $7,536; 5,724 $80-dealers in leaf tobac co, $27,475.20; 16 manufacturers of tobacco, $98; 6 manufacturers of cig ars, $18; 1 manufacturer of cigars, $30; 1 manufacturer of tobacco, $12; 2 manufacturers of tobacco, $48; 4 manufacturers of tobacco, $600; 1 manufacture of cigars, $2,496; 1 man ufacturer of cigarettes, $2,496. The total is $70,479.20. Names Board of Navigation. Governor Craig issued commissions to members of a board of navigation and pilotage for the port of Wilming ton under the provisions of the act of the recent act of the legislature that changed the law so that there shall be one member from Southport and four from Wilmington. Those appointed are: William St. George, Southport; James Sprunt, J. W. Harper, H. G. Smallbones and Thomas F. Wood, Wilmington. Delegates to Commercial Congress. Delegates were appointed a few days ago by Governor Craig to repre sent this state at the sixth annual ses sion of the Southern Commercial Con gress to be held in Muskegee, Okla., April 26 to 30. They are: A. E. Tate, High Point; Lieutenant Governor Daughtridge, Rocky Mount; W. J. Shuford, Greensboro; J. P. Sawyers, Asheville; J. B. Blades, Newbern; F. P. Alspaugh, Winston-Salem; Clar ence Poe, Raleigh; Dr. H. G. Alexan der, Mecklenburg county, and Gen. J. 3. Carr, Durham. ' Survey of Beef Cattle. Director Curtis of the bureau of ani mal industry of the experiment station ind department of agriculture, has ar ranged to launch at once a movement for as accurate as possible a survey f the native beef cattle in North Car jlina and the status of the livestock Industry in this state, the work to be lone through the public schools of the state. There will be great num bers of prizes for the best returns on the blanks that will be supplied and there will be the greatest precautions Iuiim arwit-&ia data. For Beef Cattle of Finest Kind. ' A one day's beef cattle show aixd banquet will be held at Pinehurst. N. C, on Saturday, April 10th, under the auspices of the North Carolina Beef Breeders and Feeders Association. The following speakers will attend: Mr. Frederick Delano, Federal Re serve Board, Washington, D. C; Dr. Bradford R. Knapp, director of the Bureau of Farm Demonstration Work, Washington, D. C.; Mr. Benjamin Joy, vice president of the National Shawmut Bank, Boston, Mass.; Mr.. George A. Holderness, Tarboro, N. C. The object -of the meeting is to dis cuss the financing, of the farmer in the production of live stock and to interest the bankers of the state in the production of beef cattle and to bring them into close touch with the state and government beef cattle ex perts and the county demonstraion agent. Good specimens of the vari ous types of cattle adaptable to. North Carolina conditions will be on exhibi tion as well as stereoptican pictures. The cost for the dinner will be $1.50 per plate. The following program has been ar ranged for the day: 10:30 North Carolina Bankers' Golf Tournament. Prizes will be of fered. 4:30 Cattle show. 8 : 00 Banquet at the Carolina Ho tel, orth Carolina bred and fattened beef will be served at the banquet. Notice of the meeting has been sent out to all the bankers, prominent cat tle feeders and breeders and state and government beef cattle experts and managers of the farm demonstration work in the state. A number of fine specimens of beef cattle will be on exhibition and the meeting should have a great effect in stimulating interest in this industry. The. officers of the association are : President, Roger A. Derby, Jackson Springs; first vice president, T. L. Gwyn, Canton; second vice president, G. A. Holderness, Tarboro; third vice president, Guy V. Roberts, Marshall; fourth vice president, H. T. Schaff ner. Winston-Salem ; secretary-treasurer, R. S. Curtis West Raleigh. There is also a vice president for every county in the state. Licenses to 434. Insurance Companies. ' Licenses to 434 insurance compnies and to 15,000 local agents represent ing these companies in evrey section of the state are being issued just now by the State Department of Insurance as of April 1, which marks the be ginning of a new fiscal year. Of the companies being licensed 146 are fire insurance, 50 are life, 45 miscellan eous, 50 fraternal, 3 livestock and 140 building and loan associations. These licenses will ,be bringing Into the State Treasury, too, a very, consider able sum of money that will help mightily in the stringent conditions that have troubled the treasurer for some time. The new provision of the insurance law for the Commfssioner of Insurance to pass upon the qualifi cations of applicants for licenses as insurance agents before issuing the license, is not being applied at this time, as the act was passed too near the end of the fiscal year for the ma chinery for this to be put in motion before April 1. North Carolina State Expenses. A recent bulletin sent out by the Federal Census Bureau, entitled Na tional and State Revenues and Ex chance to study North Carolina in contrast with the rest of the states. The statements that follow ,are based on this bulletin: In our state government unneces sarily expensive. ' How does it com pare with other states ? In answer we find that the per capita cost of our state government in 1913 was $1.46. It was more in every other state in the union, South Carolina alone excepted. The per capita cost ranged from $1.46 in North and South Carolina to $10.42 in Nevada. Brockwell to Represent This State. T. F. Brockwell of Raleigh was com" missioned by Governor Craig to rep resent this state at the annual Con vention of Weights and Measures Of ficials of the United States to be held May 25 to 28 in Washington. Gets Job In Customs Office. Washington Luke Lamb, son of Col. W. G. Lamb of Williamston, has been appointed law clerk in the cus tomes office at New York. He will get about $1,800. Senator ' Overman secured this position through the At torney General for Mr, Lamb. Undecided on Librarian Job. ' There is general satisfaction ex pressed here at the action of the State Historical Commission in their selection of W. S. Wilson for the new office of legislative librarian and Mr. Wilson is being urged to accept the place as probably the best-equipped man for the place that could be found. He has not decided yet what he will do as the new. work will take him from a very agreeable place in the department of state that he has filled with the highest efficiency for a number of years. -" Kinston Fair Association Chartered. A charter has been issued for the Kinston Fair Association, capital $50, 000 authorized, and $5,000 subscribed for maintaining fair ground and race track for Kinston and Lenoir county at Kinston for general fair purposes in aid of the development of the re sources of that section. The incor porators are' Kinston " Insurance & Realty Co., E. V. Webb, L. L. Mem borne, B. W. Canaday, Charles F. Har vey, J. E. Wood & Co.. E. J. Bicton, W. D. Hood, A. L. Hill, S. H. Isler, W. C. Fields. L. H. Sutton. T.J. PASSES FROM LIFE WIFE OF GENERAL STONEWALL JACKSON WAS FIRST LADY OF THE SOUTH. MANY ATTENDED FUNERAL Body Was Carried to Lexington, Va., and Laid By the Side of Her Lov ing Husband. Charlotte. After days and months of lingering on the brink of the River of Death, reaching forward to the golden streets of the celestial city, "and the trees whose leave? are for the healing of the nation" as she so beautifully wrote of her husbfmd's passing the noble pure, spirit of Anna Morrison Jackson, widow of Stonewall Jackson, "crossed over the river" at 4:20 a. m. at her residence on West Trade street. MRS. "STONEWALL" JACKSON. The immediate cause of Mrs. Jack son's death was pneumonia which was contracted three days before. It was the result of a cold contracted 10 days ago while she was seated on he front piazza of her home. Heart trouble, aggravated by age and attendant in firmities, were contributing and fun damental factors. This trouble had been occasioning her physicians un easiness for several years but it did not assume a serious form until about eight months ago. Last August she had an acute attack at Walter's Park, Pa., near Philadelphia, and was taken to- a hospital in the latter city for treatment. When she recovered suffi ciently she was brought home but she never regained her full strength al though she undertook to atend to her domestic and other duties until last fall when her health again failed. More than once since the inclpiency of her illness she had suffered at tacks which had caused her life to be despaired of.'but each time she had been able to rally her resources. Her death was very easy simply "a sleep and a forgetting." She re mained conscious until the afternoon before her death. In her last con scious moments her thoughts were of others. At her bedside when the final moment came were Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Preston, the latter a granddaugh ter of Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Laura Mor rison Brown, sister of Mrs. Jackson, Rev. D. H. Rolston, D.D., pastor of the irst Presbyterian church, and the family physician, Dr. William A. Gra ham, a kinsman of the distinguished patient. The news of Mrs. Jackson's death is a shock to the entire South, which has cherished with sincere ardor the helpmeet of him who in his life-time was the powerful right arm of the embattled Southern nation and the idol of his soldiery. Throughout the decades that have elapsed since the close of the great civil conflict. Mrs. Jackson has held unchallenged the po sition of primacy in the affections of this people. Jackson, when told by his wife that "before the day was over he would be with the blessed Saviour in His glory," said,. "I will be an infinite gainer to be translated." So with the wife of the soldier and saint, from whoin he was torn by the tragedy of war on that bright . Sabbath morning of May 10, 1863 she is "an infinite gainer to be translated." ' Mrs. Jackson passed to rest and her infinite reward with the halo of a na tion's love and reverence around her bed. The South bends over her with hearts ladened with crief and eyes filled with tears tears .such as she has not shed since Jackson and Lee were laid to rest in the little town in their loved state, immortalized as their last resting place. Mrs. Jackson's body was taken to Lexington, Va., and there laid to rest by the side of her illustrious husband. The funeral was held at 5 o'clock from the First Presbyterian church and was conducted by the pastor, Rev. Dr. D. H. Rolston. He was assisted by Rev. James B. Smith, of Rich mond, Va. Three favorite hymns of Mrsc Jackson were sung. They were "How Firm a Foundation," "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say," and "My Faith Looks up to Thee." The tribute of respect that was paid at the funeral was one 6f the most elaborate and im pressive in the history of Charlotte. RS AG I Bifill if MlTMIONAL SUlMfflOCL Lesson (By K. O. SELLERS. Acting: Director W Sunday School Course. Moody Bible In stitute, Chicago.) LESSON FOR APRIL 4 SAUL REJECTED BY THE LORD. . LESSON TEXT I Samuel 15:10-21 GOLDEN TEXT Behold, to obey fa bet ter than sacrifice. I Samuel 15:22. Jonathan's victory (ch. 14) brought with it a sinning on the part of the hungry, harassed Israelites in that they ate of the spoils "with the blood" (14:31, 32; Lev. 3:17, 7:26). Ia the emergency Saul erected "the first al tar that he built unto the Lord" (ch 14:35), a rather dilatory act on the part of a God-anointed king. Saul had resorted to the subterfuge of com manding the people "to roll a great stone," i.e., cut the throats of the ani mals of which they had eaten that they might bleed, and thus be an evi dence that the animals had died be fore being eaten. This the people did. fearing Saul, but having no scruple in transgressing God's commands. These same people rescued Jonathan from the foolish vow of Saul, for it was his faith and valor that had chief ly brought about the victory. I. God's Sorrow, vv. 10-12. Samuel had first revealed God's purpose in making Saul king, and likewise first declared- God's purpose to dispose of Saul. (v. 10). Saul's actions (rr. 1-9) had stamped him as being no longer worthy of God's confidence. The word "repenteth," meaning "to sigh" (v. 11), denotes a change of feeling due to Saul's actions and not to any change in the character, purpose or desires of Good. God was sorry that Saul had proved himself unworthy. A half-way obedience of God's com mand only heightened his guilL "Whatever moral difficulties seem to lie, for a later age, in Saul's commis sion against Amalck, there were none such for him" (Vaughn). Man's re pentance involves' a change of mind and purpose. In Saul's case God re pented, changed the instrument of bis execution, because of the change of circumstances and relation. God is ever the same; it is man alone wh changes. Saul had given Samuel cause for anger (v. 11 R. V.), but he did the wise thing in taking it to Cod in prayer. Arising early the next ' morning Samuel hastened to acquaint Saul with Jehovah's message. It is remarkable of how many of the great men of the Bible it is said that they rose early, Abraham, Gideon, Joshua. Job, Jacob, Moses, etc., not to forget our Lord Jesus. II. Samuel's Rebuke, w. 13-19. It must have been a striking scene when the aged Nazarite prophet faced the proud but recreant king. A guilty conscience is often covered by a great show of piety (v. 13), but such sets cannot stifle the conviction of the heart nor deceive the righteous judge. Sin proclaims itself even as Samuel's sharp question brought convictiom from the lips of Saul (rs 14;' Pro t. 28:13). Saul thought to deceive Sam uel by using a falsehood (v. 15). The only safe course is to confess our sins (Ps. 32:15; I. John 1:9). There is an interesting suggestion in the way Saul uses the impersonal "they" and "we" in verse 15, as if to lax the guilt of his acts upon others. It is easy for the sinner to blame others and seek to minimize his own guilt (Rom. 14:12). Verse 9 clearly in dicates why Saul and the people haC spared the best of the cattle. To us a part only for God and the rest for self in direct disobedience to God's rights or the rights of others is tm incur his righteous wrath (vv. 22. 23L III. Saul's Self-Rejection, w. God . set Saul aside because he had. rejected the right and chose the wrong. Face to face with his sin Saul could not dodge the Issue. Sam uel's "wherefore" (v. 19) must have aroused Saul's guilty conscience, it is a question which should reach every tempted soul. Samuel characterized Saul's sin as being due to stubborn ness, rebellion, disobedience and a re jection of God (v. 19). Again Saul seeks to evade his responsibility (w. 20, 21). Then Samuel speaks plainly (v. 22) comparing his sin of disobedi ence with witchcraft, stubbornness, iniquity and Idolatry. Plainly he tells Saul, "Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also reject ed thee from being king" (v. 23). Driven thus to a corner Saul mad a confession of his guilt (v. 24) but spoiled it all by acknowledging that he had greater fear of the people than of God. This is Easter Sunday, our reproach has been removed, not at Gilgal but on Calvary. The unchanging . God hates sin, which is unchangeable, has condemned it on the Cross that the guilty sinner-may live.' The persistence of. sin, the tm changeableness of God and his on yielding hatred of sin are met by the culmination of Easter for, "By tins obedience of one shall many be mad righteous" (Rom. 5:19). The whole root of Saul's troubl was his attitude towards the word of God. Every man's destiny hinges upon what he does with the Livinx; Incarnate Word. The resurrection of Jesus is th seal , of his authority, the evidence of his power and our eternal salvattaa -depends upon" what we do with him, ' John 3:16; 18:33.
The Chatham Record (Pittsboro, N.C.)
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March 31, 1915, edition 1
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