THE CHATHAM RECORD H. A. London. EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR Terms of Subscription $1.50 PER YEAR Strictly in Advance wkt ' A "fV THE CHATHAM RECORD Rates of Advertising One Square, one insertion - - $1.00 One Square, two insertions - $1.50 One Square, one month - - $2.50 For Larger Advertisements Liberal Contracts will be made. VOL. XXXVIII. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, OCTOBER 13, 1915. NO. 10. innnTAMT Mnirc firuniHm nlwo THE WORLD OVER happenings of This and Other Nations For Seven Days Are Given. THE NEWS J1FJHE SOUTH What Is Taking Place in the South land Will Be Found in Brief Paragraphs. Foreign in reply to protests filed by the German and Austrian ministers igainst obstacles being placed in the nay of shipping goods to Bulgaria, :he Roumanian goyernment replied that it would take every means to pre vent contraband of war passing over Roumanian territory, but would place no difficulties in the way of the tran sit of other goods to Bulgaria. Seven American volunteer aviators took part in aerial reconnaissances in the battle of Champagne. Fourteen Mexican passengers were killed in a passenger train wreck be tween Siltillo and San Luis Potosi The wreck was caused by soft tracks after a heavy rain. The Chilean government is planning to raise an external loan of $15,000,' 000 to cover a deficit in the budget. Sir Rodmon Roblin, former premier of the province of Manitoba, Canada, and three other cabinet ministers, who are charged with conspiracy to defraud the province, have been com mitted for trial. Bail for the four men was fixed at $50,000 each. The Russian, French, British and Italian ministers have asked for their passports at Sofia, Bulgaria, Bulga ria's answer to the Russian ultimatum being unsatisfactory. The Servian minister also asked for his passports. London experts state that even the greatest battles of the war may prove to have had less weight in deciding the future of Europe than the events of the past few days in the Balkan states. The king of Greece has sur prised everybody by throwing his in fluence to the Teutonic allies and ask ing for the resignation of Venizelos, the premier, and assuming personal control of the government. Germany has acceded to the Amer ican demands for settlement of the Arabic controversy, it is announced in Berlin, and agrees to pay an indem nity to the families of Americans lost by the submarining of the Arabic. Premier Venizelos of Greece has resigned, the king having informed him that he was unable to support the policy of his ministry. Raymond Swoboda, who was arrest ed last March charged with setting fire to the French liner La Tourraine and later accused of being a German spy, will be sent to a concentration camp. The charges againt him were not proved, but he will be held as a suspicious character. French troops to the number of 70,000 have landed at Salonikl, Greece Greece protested against the landing as she was bound to dot under her agreement of neutrality, but accord ed the French every facility in land ing. Mexican raiders near La Feria, about thirty miles northwest of Brownsville Texas, were fired an by the United States border patrol, but there were no casualties on either 6ide. The Mexicans escaped after a running fight. The Mexicans fired from am bush, but beat a hasty retreat when the United States soldiers returned the fire. Domestic John D. Rockefeller, Jr., addressing the chamber of commerce at Denver, Colo., eulogized his father as the "ten derest and most democratic of men, At Denver, Colo., the United States circuit court of appeals affirmed the conviction of Frank Guinn and J. J. Beal, election officials of Kingfisher county, Oklahoma, for conspiracy to oppress negroes by the enforcement of the Oklahoma "grandfather" clause Mrs. Katherine Arnold of Buffalo "who stated that she was trying to escape from an enemy who had pur sued her one thousand miles, was kill ed by being , choked and beaten in a Minneapolis, Minn., hotel. The mur derer boldly walked to the hotel of fice and asked for Mrs. Arnold, and escaped after he had committed the tleed. Not less than one hundred thousand dollars, probably more, was the amount of loot obtained by bandits ttbo held up a Baltimore and Ohio train at Central Station, W. Va. The bandits escaped. The tropical hurricane which very recently devastated the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, was attended by the greatest sustained wind velocity ever recorded in the .United States So states the weather, forecaster for the New Orleans district in his report to headquarters in "Washington. Scores of relief vessels from almost every point along the Louisiana and Mississippi gulf coasts are searching au sections of the storm-stricken dis trict, where hundreds of persons are marooned and without food as a re sult of the hurricane. Members of the New York, stock ex change have taken action to curb the nation-wide speculation in so-called war stocks the rapidly soaring' values of which have led a runaway market lor the past three months. Many ex changes throughout the country have responded that they will co-operate in Sea island cotton touched what was said to be its highest price in five years in Savannah, Ga., when fancy Georgias went to 26 cents a pound. President Wilson and his fiancee. Mrs. Norman Gait, went to New York City for a brief visit to Col. E. M. House. From the time of their ar rival until late at night they were New York City's chief objects of in terest and every time they appeared in public they were followed by thou sands. For the second time Mrs. W. B. Hawkins, wife of the sheriff of Pike county, Missouri, saved the life of a negro prisoner charged with murder by parleying with a mob that had in vaded the county jail in the' early morning hours while the sheriff form ed a posse of citizens. A three days' session of the Interna tional Peace Congress will be held in San Francisco, beginning October 10. One hundred and eighty-three deaths is the reported toll of the recent storm that swept the gulf coast, and it is es timated that the total death list when reports are all in will be well above three hundred. European War The efforts of Austria and Germany to force their way through Servia and to reach the near eastern seas and join hands with their Turkish allies have produced one of the most in teresting situations of the war. The advance guard of the Austro-Germans which crossed the Danube at Bel grade, has been partly destroyed and partly captured. The Anglo-French force landing at Saloniki is making its way northward to assist the Servians and to protect Macedonia from a threatened Bulgari an invasion. It is stated that Greece will main tain a policy of benevolent neutral ity toward the allies. The French announce that an aerial army is no longer a dream of romance. Such an army formed in divisions and squadrons, with battle aeroplanes, cruiser aeroplanes and torpedo-aero planes, all heavily armored and car rying 3-inch cannon and rapid-fire guns, is now ready to enter the mod ern Armageddon. A declaration of Bulgaria's intention to enter the war with tha Teutonic allies is contained in a Bulgarian man ifesto given out in Berlin. Russia, whose armies for five long sanguinary months have been retir ing, has begun an energetic offensive along a wide front from Riga to the southeast of Vilna, and considerable success is reported. The Anglo-French troops in the western zone of the mighty Armaged don have undertaken the task of at tempting to level the German en trenchments, presumably in prepara tion for a continuation of the attacks which proved successful in Artois and Champagne. The British fleet is bombarding Ger man positions on the coast of Bel gium. A supplement to the German official statement issued in Berlin states that the French losses in the recent fight ing were at least 130,000 and those of the British 60,000. The German loss es, the statement states, were not one- fifth of that number. Washington Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States, has announced his engagement to Mrs. Norman Gait of Washington. The date of the wed ding has not been fixed, but it prob ably will take place in December at the home of the bride-elect. . Secretaries Garrison, McAdoo, Red- field and Wilson, members of the present cabinet, have declared in fa vor of woman suffrage, and will vote for it in their several states before the expiration of this year. Secretary Wilson has received the withdrawal of the resignation of Maj Gen. George W. Goethals as governor of the Panama canal zone. General Goethals' action is taken in view of recent slides which have closed canal traffic. The general announces that he will remain in Panama indefinitejy. Enormous increases in the cotton export trade are shown in the month ly statement of foodstuffs, cotton and oils exports just made public by the bureau of foreign and domestic com merce. It is announced that Dr. Constantin T. Dumba, the Austro-Hungarian am bassador to Washington, who was re called at the request of President Wil son, has sailed with his wife for his home in Vienna on the Holland-Amer lean liner Nieuw Amsterdam. War dispatches announce that there is little prospect of reopening the Panama canal before November 1, due to a slide north of Gold Hill Septem ber 20. Ships are now waiting to pass through the waterway. Lieut. Col. Chester Harding, the en gineer in charge of the Panama canal. has sent a message to Secretary Gar rison at Washington, recommending that President Wilson issue an execu tive order officially closing the canaJ until November 1. President Wilson will vote for worn an suffrage in New Jersey, his home state, at the special election to be held October 19. The Anglo-French $500,000,000 bond issue has been oversubscribed. It is possible that when the underwriters' books in New York are closed, it will be feund that fifty million dollars more than needed has been spoken for. Germany has failed to satisfy the request of the United States that 'y sinking of the Arabic with a lot- -American lives be disavowed and lia bility for the act assumed by the im RECOG T O FOR DARRANZA FACTION UNITED STATES AND ALL LATIN- AMERICA WILL RECOGNIZE FIRST CHIEF. A VERY IMPORTANT STEP New Government Will Be Accorded Formal Recognition Within Two Weeks 'Moral Support. Washington. Recognition of the Carranza government as the defacto government of Mexico was unanimous ly decided upon by the Pan-American conference. Secretary Lansing issued this statement: "The conference, after careful con sideration of the facta, has found tfiat the Carranza party is the only party in Mexico which possesses the essentials for recognition as the de fact government, and they have so reported to their respective govern ments." i Secretary Lansing, on behalf of the United States expressed its intention to recognize General Carranza and the ambassadors of Brazil, Chile, Ar gentina and the ministers of Bolivia. Uruguay and Guatemala transmitted the decision of this government as well as their own opinions in agree ment with it. Mr. Lansing has ob tained the approval of President Wil son to the plan and before the confer ence began all the other ministers in the Latin-American corps also had giv en their adherence to it. This action was regarded generally as the most important diplomatic step in the Mexican situation since the United States decided to withhold recognition from the Huerta govern ment, more than two years ago. It means that the Carranza government will receive the moral support of the United States which will include an embargo on arms against opposing factions as soon as recognition is ac tually extended which probably will be within a fortnight. The fact that the United States al ready has decided to recognize the Carranza government, It is thought, will have an important moral effect in Mexico. Officials believe many elements will now align themselves with Carranza and that the latter himself will adopt a liberal attitude toward his opponents. GREATEST CANAL SLIDE. Ten Million Yard of Earth Must be Dreged Out to Secure Passage. Panama. A survey- of the slide area in the Gaillard Cut shows that prob ably 10,000,000 cubic yards of earth must be dredged out before a perman ent channel through the cut is pos sible. This is the conclusion reached by the canal engineers who concede there is now little hope of opening the waterway much before the first of the year. The present rate of excavation is 1,000,000 yards a month and at this rate it would require 10 months to remove the mass sliding Into the canal. The area of motion is roughly cal culated to be in the neighborhood of 175 acres, which constitute the great est slide area in the canal's history, It extends 2,600 feet along both banks, with probably an average of 1,500 feet back of the center line of the canal prism. Lieut. Harris Killed. Richmond, Va. Lieutenant Frank M. Harris of the battleship Delaware, whose home is in Memphis, Tenn., was killed and Lieut. P. P. Powell and Heney Parsons of the Delaware were seriously but not fatally injured when an automobile in which they were rid ing turned over. Dr. Leslie B. Wiggs of Richmond, who was riding with them was slightly hurt. The party was returning from tne Country Club of Virginia. German War Loan. Berlin, by wireless to Tuckerton Payments by subscriptions to the third German war loan up to October 7 amounted to 6,420,300,000 marks ($1,- 6. -,-25,000). President Spends Day in Baltimore Washington -President Wilson and Mrs. Norman Gait, his fiancee, motor ed to Baltimore to visit the president's brother, Joseph R. Wdlson, who had not met the next mistress of the White House before. While there they at tended church and were guests of honor "at a family luncheon party Several hundred people in Baltimore learned of the presence of the couple and crowded about the church and the apartment house In which Joseph R. Wilson lives to catch a glimpse of the president and his bride-to-be. f iGerman Guns . Exhibited. - Paris. German cannon, mortars, bomb ' throwers and aeroplanes cap tured in the recent battle of Cham naene were placed on exhibition at the Hotel des Invalides. All day long vast crowds made their way to the Esplanade. The scene was set im pressively in the grand court of honor at the entrance to the tomo or xsa poleon. The German guns included 41 field pieces, 20 lase bore mortars, two six-inch cannon, five large bomb thiiowers, 20 small cannon and 30- trench guns. LAUDS COMMISSION FOR ITS GOOD WORK GOVERNOR CRAIG SAYS ITS WORK IN EQUALIZING TAXES IS DONE RIGHT, DISPATCHES .FROM RALEIGH Doings and Happenings That Mark the Progress of North Carolina Peo ple Gathered Around the State Capitol. RaleiA Declaring that he knows there are those who will attempt to cultivate and encourage discontent, but believ ing that these are few, Governor Craig issued a statement fully sus taining the Corporation Commission in its policy of equalizing tax valua tions in the different counties that has resulted in increases of five to 30 per cent in 81 counties. The gov ernor insists that the great masses of the people will realize the juttice of this action and endorse it. 1 "The most popular government," says the governor, "is the best gov ernment the just government and when the people of North Carolina come to consider carefully this tax proposition, I believe they will en dorse the action of the Corporation Commission. They will not knowing ly kick against justice and right." The governor says the Corporation Commission has made an earnest and courageous effort to equalize appraise ments and has aoted after thorough investigation and that he has person ally examined a number of the com plaints that have come in and is thor oughly satisfied that there are no real grounds for them. He is satisfied that equity and justtae required all the raises that have been made. Treating the alleged inopportune tkfte for the raises in assessments the governor Bays this is the year desig nated for the quadrennial assessment of real property and that if the times be hard and the burden of taxation heavy, no man and no county should desire to shirk. He says the people of North Carolina love justice and have an earnest desire to do right and that when they consider this subject in its true aspect they will not consider that thj raise in ap praisement was made in a inoppor tune time. What Fires Cost Tills State. Deputy Commissioner of Insurance Sherwood Brockwell did some live compaignlng for 'ire Prevention Day. He calls attention to the fact that the annual fire losses In this state have averaged 126 persons burned to death and $3,252,000 in property destroyed He points out that one would lose sev eral million dollars a year were he to assume . the payment of the fire losses in American in return for the ownership and enjoyment of the prof its of all the gold, silver and cofper mines in the country along with the oil wells In addition. Mr. BrockweU states that there are more paid firemen in the United States than there are men in the stanuing army, irurcnermore, ine vol unteer and the paid firemen, if sud denly called to arms, would hake the largest standing army in the world today. Again, for every $1 tfeat is spent for new buildings in this coun try there are 42 cents burned up. Can Have Ballot of They Want It. Governor Craig told the women of the North Carolina Woman's Christian Temperance Union in welcoming them to their thirty-third annual con vention that he has never been strong on woman suffrage and believes wo men have accomplished wonderfu things without the ballot through the exercise of the higher and nobler place and power than the ballot that is-the case. He declared that woman has ever been the reserve force that has saved the state and the nation in numbers of crisis, and all without the ballot. "But if you want the ballot and insist upon it," said the governor, "why, have it, but bear in mind that the greater influence of ' no man or women is in the ballot" Work on the Test Farms. One of the biggest features of ex perimental work being carried on by the state department of agriculture Just now is in feeding stock to obtain best balanced combinations of foods for fat and, in the case of dairying, for best production of milk and butter, On the Edgecombe farm hogs and sheep are being raised on demonstra tion basis designed to encourage farm ers In growing them. Progress is made in searching for proper combina tions of peanuts, soy beans and corn for fattening hogs. Red Cross Seal Campaign. The state department of health is launching a campaign for a record breaking sale of Red Cross stamps the coming Christmas season, the de termination being to bring North Car olina up to first place in her class of states where she is now fifth in ranks. Last Christmas the North Carolina sales were less than one stamp to every three persons in the state. The effort this season will be to average at least one stamp for each person. m f 1 s" i A t x n . i ' m r nis wouia mane me sxaie nrsi in important New Industrial Firms. Tha Climax Spinning Company, of Belmont, Gaston county, was charter ed with $300,000 caoital authorized and $100.00 subscribed, for manufac ture of yarns and of weaving of cloth from cotton, wool, flax, jute and other fabrics. The subscribers to the stock and amount by each stockholder are: A. C. -Lineberger, Belmont, 250 shares ; S. P. Stowe. Belmont, .50 shares; R. L. Stowe, Belmont, 150 shares; W. B. Ruitt, Belmont, 100 shares; and D. E. Rhyne, Lincolnton, 250 shares. The secretary of state chartered the Rutherford Interurban Railway Com pany of Rutherfordton, to take ver the assets of the North Carolina In terurban Railroad Company recently bought at sheriff's sale, according to resolutions ado&ted by the stock holders of the Rutherford Interusban Company. The capital stock of the new corporation is $500,000 and fchat subscribed by the incorporators is $12,500. The new corporation . takes over the rights and privileges incor porated in the legislative . charter of the North Carolina Interurban, which are specified in Chapter 70, laws of 1911 to be the construction of a line of standard guage railway from the Atlantic seaboard westward to Ashe ville, and hence to the west or north west to the state line. The route is specified via Charlotte or some point near Charlotte, to Gastonia, Dallas, Cherryville, Waco, Cleveland Springs, Shelby, Boiling Springs, Cliffside, Hen rietta. Caroleen, Forest City, Ruth erfordton, Chimney Rock, over the Hickory Nut Gap route to Fairview and Asheville. The new corporation has as incor porators: W. A. Harrill, J. C. Mills, J. J. Harrill, G. L. McKay, F. D. Munick, C. S. Harrill, York Coleman, C. L. Miller, M. O. Dickerson, M. H! iiiggs, K. S. Tanner, S. B. Tanner, W. W. Hicks, P. H. Allen, S. B. Tan ner. W. W. Hicks, P. H. Allen, C. D. Geer and M. L. Justice. The direc tors of the new company are: J. C. Mills, W. A. Harrill, .W. W. Hicks, G. S. Harrill, C. L. Miller, I. L. Justice, C. D. Geer, M. H. Biggs, K. S. Tan ner, S. B. Tanner and P. H. Allen. Other new corporations chartered follow: The Childes-Wolfe Drug Company, Llnoofciton, capital $25,000 authorized and $2,000 subscribed The Tar River Drug Company of Louisburg, capital $25,000 authorized and $3,000 subscribed The Farmers' Creamery of Forest City (Inc.) capital $50,000 authorized and $5,000 subscribed by B. H Bridgers, J. F. Winters and others for a general creamery business. Inspector Visits Soldiers Home. Mrs. Nellie Price, special represen tative of the State Board of Internal Improvements to visit state institu tions such as asylums and homes and suggest improvements in manage ment of the kitchen and general housekeeping methods, completed a 30-day stay at the Soldier's Home that has resulted very satisfactorily for the management of the institution. Col. W. P. Wood, active director, and Captain Lineberry, superintendent believe that the experience has been beneficial and has made possible a number of valuable experiments in the dietary and other features of man aseuent so important where so many aged people are cared for. There are 167 veterans on the roll State Guard to Attend State Fair. Adjutant General Young of the North Carolina National Guard now has 12 companies, an even regiment of the state militia pledged to attend the state fair and take part in the competitive drills and other military features of Wednesday of fair week He says there are indications thai there will be others. Those already pledged are infantry companies of Asheville, Concord, High Point Selma, Goldsbore, Raleign, Hender sonville, Louisburg, Thomasville and Durham and Coast Artillery compan ies of Raleigh and Greensboro. Vital Statistics Reports Improve. Dr. J. R. Gordon, head of the divis ion of vital statistics, state depart ment of health, says that marked im provement in returns of deaths and births is evident in all sections of the state except a few of the extreme and most remote of the western and east1 ern counties where there are sparsely settled sections. The difficulty in these, he says, Is principally as to deaths, so many burials being made without any official formalities or re ports and In home-made coffins. Provide Medical School Inspection. Northampton and Edgecombe coun ties are just added to the list of those providing medical school inspection for all the white schools during the coming winter a work in which Ala mance county leads with work begin ning In November and others to fol low later in the winter. The plan is for the counties to provide $10 school for a medical inspection In connection with Health Day programs to be carried out with the entire com munlties participating as the Inspec tion visitations are made. Help Counties With Roads. Chief Road Engineer W. S. Fallis of the state highway commission says there are now 25 counties of the state that are having state supervision of road construction for all or a good part of their road building effort and that others are falling in line rapidly. Among the latest acquisitions to the ranks in this movement are Lee, Har nett and Stokes counties.' Mr. Fallis is giving assistance in the construc tion of a fine bridge in Edgecombe county over the Tar fliver. Also in Ashe county .across the New Hirer. MRS. LITTLE AGAIN PRESIDENT U. D. G. NINETEENTH ANNUAL SESSION SESSION OF STATE DIVISION HELD AT CHARLOTTE. GASTONIA GETS 1916 MEET More Than 200 Delegates Present and Much Work Was Done. Reports ' Were All Pleasing. Charlotte. Two hundced and ten delegates attended the nineteenth an nual convention of the North Carolina Division, United Daughters of the Con federacy, whose sessions throughout were held in the Masonic temple, by courtesy of the Masonic bodies. The convention was called to order by Mrs. C. E. Piatt president of Stonewall Jackson Cnapter, of Charlotte, the hostess chapter. Besides the welcoming address of the hostess chapter, a chapter wel come was delivered by Mrs. B. D. Heath on behalf of Stonewall -Jackson Chapter, by T. W. Alexander of the Charlotte bar on behalf of the Masons, by Mrs. I. W. Faison of Char lotte, president general of the United Daughters of Confederacy, with greet ing also from the Daughters of the American Revolution by Miss Lida Rodman, state regent; from Woman's Club of state, by Mrs. Gordon Finger of Charlotte, also greetings from bus ines and profesional men of Char lotte by E. R. Preston ot the Char lotte bar. Officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows: President, Mrs. Eugene Little, of Wadesboro, re-elected; first vice-president, Mrs. C. E. Piatt Charlotte; second vice-president Mrs. T. L. Craig, Gastonia; third vice- president Mrs. J. Q. Kilkie, Marion; recording secretary, Mrs. W. M. Creasy, Wilmington; corresponding secretary, Mrs, L. J. Ingram, re-elect ed; treasurer, Miss Margaret Ether- idges, re-elected; recorder of crosses, Mrs. R. L. Tyrell, Durham; registrar. Mrs. Felix Harvey, re-elected; histor ian. Miss Georgia Hicks, re-elected; assistant historian, Miss Winifred; chaplain, Mrs. V. J. Griffin, Goldsboro; leader of Children of the Confederacy, Mrs. R. P. Holt, of Rocky Mount The convention heard reports from Mrs. Hunter Smith, of the Confederate Women's Home at Fayetteville ; CoL A. H. Boyden, of Salisbury, chairman of legislative committee of Old Sol diers Home; from Miss Knox, Ala bama, field secretary of tne Ellen Wil son memorial fund; from Mrs. Rich, of Winston-Salem, representing Mrs. R. J. Reynolds, chairman of Ellen Wilson committee in North Carolina, who could not be present Also re ports were heard from distriet meet ings individual chapters and many committees. Two portraits were presented to the convention. Major Orren Randolph Smith, designer of Stars and Bars and late Judge Risden Tyler Bennet of Wadesboro. The adjournment of the nineteenth annual convention came after Gastonia had been selected as the meeting place for the 1916 convention, the in vitation borne by Mrs. J. F. Thomp- son from Gastonia Chapter, being ac cepted by a unanimous vote of the members present. . The Invitation brought by Mrs, Thompson to hold the next conven tion in Gastonia, was heard with keen appreciation by the delegates. Mrs, Thompson voiced her city's claim to the honor in a vein which was both happy and convincing, and which radiated the hospitality of Gastonia Chapter. From the Gastonia Cham ber of Commerce, Mrs. Thompson brought a promise of the delivery of the city's keys into the hands of the 1916 delegates, should the convention accept the invitation. After it had been moved and sec onded that the next convention should be in Gastonia, the convention accept ed Mrs. Thompson's offer unanimous ly and with an expression of appre ciation. Women Notaries Wait on Suffrage. Raleigh. There will be no rehear ing by the Supreme court in the woman notary test case of State vs.. Mrs. No lan Knight from Asheville, involving the constitutionality of the legislative act authorizing the governor to ap-, point women notaries public. The deatu blow for the agitation by suff rage advocates and others in support of the act came when Associate Jus tice W. A. Hoke delivered a brief, pointed statement denying the peti tion to rehear and setting out the po sition of the majority of, the court. Observed Two Days. Kinston. Although Kinston has the smallest fire loss per capita in the country probably, the total loss above insurance in the last fiscal year hav ing been less than $50 and the whole including that of property insured not much more than that, the local au th irties will not stop at observing the State Fire Prevention day as ordered in the governor's proclamation. Fire Chief Tom Moseley issued a , small- sized proclamation of his own, calling for two fire prevention days. MlTMnONAL swrscnooL Lesson By EJ. O. SELLERS, Acting Director of tne Sunday School Course, the Moody Biblejlnsti LESSON FOR OCTOBER 17. ELISHA HEALS NAAMAN THE SYRIAN. LESSON TEXT-II Kings 6:1-10, 14. GOLDEN TEXT I am Jehovah that lealeth thee. Ex. 15:25. Read carefully the intervening Scripture following last Sunday's les son to get the account of Elisha's ac tivities. There is recorded the story of the poisoned fountain (2:19-22). The 'hoodlum" gang (vv. 23, 24) which is a story for boys. Note: Elisha had nothing to do with the bears, nor does the record say that the bears killed the boys. Next the story of the Widow's oil (4:1-7). Fi nally, the suggestive stories of the Shunammite woman (vv. 8-37), and the feeding of the prophets and the people (vv. 38-44). Now we come to Elisha's most fa mous experience, that with Naaman of j Damascus. This city is reputed to be the oldest in the world and is situated about 100 miles (air line) northeast of Samaria.' This event probably oc curred between 904 and 894 B. C. - I. A Ministry In the Home. vv. 1-7. Naaman had all that heart could wish, ' seemingly. Exalted, rich, a great man, honorable and successful in his undertakings, "but he was a leper." As such he isa type of the sinner. Leprosy begins practically in secret is transmissible, may be ameliorated, but cannot be cured by man. In his home was one who knew the Lord, one who observed, who loved as well as served. This maid was a true serv ant, for she showed her master how to be rid of his malady. For all of his wealth Naaman was not happy. He knew and others would soon know his condition. His wife could not help him, and did not take the maid's mes sage to him. Perhaps she did not rightly value it But there was co operation in that household evidently. for "one went in and told his lord" (v. 4). There was also co-operatlom between the home and the govern ment, for the king of Syria sent a let ter to the king of Israel (v. 5). The strength of any nation is in propor tion, to the strength, unity and loy alty of Its homes. It is also in pro portion to the care and interest which that government takes in its homes. II. A Ministering Prophet (w. 8-14). The king of Syria thought he could buy everything, including the desired cure (w. 5, 6). His letter brought great consternation to Israel's king, probably Jehoram. The value of the gifts presented, perhaps over $100,000, revealed the urgency of the case. But there was one In Israel who was not disturbed, for he knew more fully the power of Jehovah. Elisha is a type of Christ who offers not only to all lepers but to every unfortunate one "rest" (Matt 11:28-30). Elisha re- sponded to the need of the nation (v. 8), as well as to the need of Naaman the leper, when he volun teered to become the champion of Je hovah (v. 7). The prince came,' however, filled with a sense of his importance and his pride stood in the way of his re lief, hence the manner of Elisha's treatment Waiting thus before the prophet's door Naaman is a type of the great of this earth who shall yet bow before God's people (Isa. 60:1-3) and before his Son (Phil. 2:19). By human arguments Naaman was right (v. 12) and his rage was justified, but he must learn that as a suppliant he cannot dictate means nor methods. The rich and cultured sinner cannot select his own way of healing, nor be treated any differently than the poor and the ignorant. The river Jordan is a type of the judgment on sin. Sin must be Judged by confession (Rom. 15:9, 18). Sin must be renounced before we can be cleansed (I Cor. 11: 31; I John 1:9). It was a slow, a patient, a public process through which Naaman must pass, but such had been the development of leprosy in his life. God had Judged sin on Calvary (Rom. 8:3; II Cor. 5:21; Gal. . 3:13) and as Naaman went down in the Jordan he took, in figure, the sin ner's place, even as Jesus .later took that place for us, (Matt 3:13-15). Though Inclined to act the fool, yet r Naaman wisely harkened to his serv ant (v. 13) and obeyed the command of the prophet., His cure came because he obeyed Jehovah: 1 (a) He heard of one who could cure (v. 3); (b) he believed (v. 4); (c) he forsook his own thoughts (v. 11); (d) he accepted God's thoughts and methods' (w. 13, 14) ; (e) he took the sinner's place . (vr. 10, 14) ; (f) he became clean after his obedience (w, 14, 15). There is evidence of a great moral effect in the life of Naaman following . this experience (vr. 15-19). He became an open rejector of the heathen gods and a professed follow er of Jehovah when he returned to Damascus. As such he became the ministering prince. - III. The Ministering Prince. (1) By public profession (see Rom. 10:9, 10; Matt 10:32) (2) By a peculiar request; which became a great object lesson in Damascus; (3) By a new purpose of heart which would change his fu ture course if action. tbe effort of the New York exchange, perial government.

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