«5S
A CONCKPTION OP GOD
In Jesus’ great acts of courage he
was the successor, and ,the surpasser,
of all the prophets who had gone ber
fore. We have spoken of the
prophets as deficient in humor; but
what they lacked in the amenities
of life they made up richly in vision.
Each one of them brought to the
world a revolutionary idea, and we
can understand truly the signifi
cance of the work of Jesus unless
we remember that he began where
they left off, building on the firm
foundations they had laid.
Let us glance at them a moment,
starting with Moses. What a mira
cle he wrought in the thinking of
his race! The world was full of
gods in his day—male gods, female
gods, wooden and iron gods—it was
a poverty stricken trjbe which could
not boast of a hundred at least.
Along came Moses with one of the
transcendent intellects of history.
“There is one God/’ he cried. What
an overwhelming idea and how mag
nificent its consequences.
Moses died and the nation carried
on under the momentum which he
had given it,, until there arose Amos,
a worthy successor.
“There is one God,” Moses had
said. "God is a God of Justice,”
added Amos.
That assertion is such an elemen
tary part of our consciousness that
we are almost shocked by the sug
gestion that it could ever have been
new. But remember the gods that
were current in Amos’ day if you
would have a true measure of the
importance of his contribution. It
was the high privilege of Amos to
proclaim a God who could not be
bought, whose ears were deaf to
pleadings in judgment between the
strong and weak, the rich and poor/
Years passed, and Hosea spoke.
His had not been a hgppy life. His
wife deserted ,|iiin ^ DeartbroKen and
vengeful he was determined to cast
her off forever. Yet his love would
not let him do it. He»went to her,
forgave her, and took her back. Then
in his hours of lonejy brooding a
great thought came to him! If he,
a mere man could loye so unselfish
ly one who had broken faith with
him, must not God be capable of as
t
great, or greater forgiveness, toward (
erring human beings?—a God so
strong that be could destroy, yet so |
tender that he would not!
One God. A just Qpd. A good j
God. ,
These were the three steps in the ]
development of the greatest of all ,
ideas. Hundreds of generations have ]
died since the days of Moses, of ;
Amos and Hosea. The thought of ,
the world on- almost every other sub
ject has changed; but the conception
of God which these three achieved
has remained in control of men’s
thinking down to this very hour.
HIS METHOD
Many leaders have dared to lay
out ambitious programs, but this is
the most daring of all:
“Go ye into all the world,” Jesus
said, “and preach the gospel to the
whole creation.”
Consider the sublime audacity of
that command. To carry Roman
civilization across the then known
world had cost millions of lives and
billions in treasure. To create any
sort of reception for a new idea or
product today involves a vast ma
chinery of propaganda and expense.
Jesus had no funds and no ma
chinery. His organization was a tiny
group of uneducated men, one of
whom had already abandoned the
cause as hopeless, deserting to the
enemy. He had come proclaiming
a Kingdom and was to end upon ft
cross; yet he dared to talk of con
quering all creation. What was the
source of his faith in the handful of
followers? By what methods had he
trained them? What had they
learned from him of the secrets of
influencing men?
We speak of the law of “supply
and demand,” but the words have
got turned around. With anything
which is not a basic necessity the
supply always precedes the demand.
Elias Howe invented the sewing ma
chine, but it nearly, rusted away be
fore American women could be per
suaded to use it. So his biographer
paints a tragic picture—the man
who had done more than any other
in his generation to lighten the labor
of women is forced to attend the
TRY A BOTTLE
PEPTONA
THE AFTER FLU TONIC
COUGH SYRUPS 25c and 50c
Aspirin Tablets Cold Tablets
B. & T. Drug Co.
Sparta, N. C.
NOTICE
To My Friends
I am now located at the Castevens Motor
Co., and am in position to give you better
service than before.
I appreciate the business my friends have
given me in the past and solicit a contin
uation of their business.
We have one of the best equipped shops
in the state and are in position to give you
the very best service at prices that will
please you.
R. T. Burchett
with
COMPANY
N.C.
uneral of the woman he loved In a!
>orrowed suit of clothes!
Nor are men less stubborn than
romen in opposition to the new idea.
Che typewriter had been a demon
trated success for years before busi
less men could be persuaded to buy
t.
Almost every invention has had a
imilar battle. Said Robert Fulton
pf the Clermont:
“As I had occasion daily to pass
0 and from the shipyard where my
poat was in progress, I often loitered
tear the groups of strangers. The
anguage' was uniformly that of
icorn, sneer or ridicule. The loud
augh often rose at my expense; and
he dull repetition of “Fulton’s Fol
y.” Never did a single encouraging,
■emark, a bright hope, a warm wish ,
■rose my path.”
That is the kind of human beings j
ve are—-wise in our own conceit, |
mpervious to suggestions. Nineteen j
lundred years ago we were even
nore impenetrable.
“To the whole creation.” . . .
Assuredly there was no demand for
1 new religion; the world was al
•eady over-supplied. And Jesus pro
posed to send forth eleven men and
sxpect them to substitute his think
ing for all existing religious
hought! -
ALL MEN CREATED EQUAL
What was there for Jesus to add? :
It w'as a thought more splendid than!
ill which had gone before and it has |
iltered the current of history. He j
invited frail bewildered . humanity j
to stand upright and look at God
face to face! He called upon men
to throw away fear, disregard the
limitations of their mortality, and
iTStar the Lord of Creation as Fath
er. It is the basis of all revolt, all
democracy. For if God is the Fath-,
er of all men, then all are his c.hil-1
dren and hence the commonest is
equally as precious as the king. No
wonder the authorities trembled.
They were not fools; they recognized
the implications of the teaching.
Either Jesus’ life or their power
must go. No wonder that succeed
ing generations of authorities have
embroidered his Idea and corrupted
it, so that the'simplest faith in the
world has become g complex thing
of form and ritual, of enforced ob
servances and "thou shall note.” It
was. too dangerous a Power to be al
lowed to wander the world, un
leashed and uncontrolled.
This then was what Jesus wished
to send to all creation, through the
instrumentality of his eleven men.
What were his methods of training?
How; did he meet prospective be
lievers? How did he deal with ob
jections? By what sort of strategy
did he interest and persuade?
He was making the journey back
from Jerusalem after his spectacular
triumph in cleansing the Temple,
when he came to Jacob’s Well, and
being tired, sat down. His disciples
had stopped behind at one of the
villages to purchase food, so he was
alone. The well furnished the wa
ter-supply for the neighboring city
of the Samaritans and after a little
time a woman came out to it, carry
ing her pitcher on her shoulder. Be
tween her people, the- Samaritans,
and his people, the Jews, there was
a feud of centuries. To be touched
even by the shadow of a Samaritan
was defilement according to the
strict code of the Pharisees; to
speak to one was a crime. The
woman made no concealment of her
resentment at finding him there. Al
most any remark from his lips would
have kindled her anger. She would
at least have turned away in scorn;
she might have summoned her rela
tives and driven him off.
An impossible situation, you will j
admit. How could he meet it? How
give his message to one who was
forbidden by everything holy to lis
ten? The incident is very revealing:
there are times when any word is
the wrong word: when, only silence
can prevail. Jesqs knew well this
precious secret. As the woman drew
closer he made no move to indicate
that he was conscious of her ap
proach. His gaze was upon the
ground. When he spoke it was
quietly, musingly, as if to himself: .
“If you knew who I am,” he said,
“you would not need to come out
here for water. I would give you
living water”.
“Paul Revere” Of the
Johnston Flood Dies, 67
Moneasen, Pa,, Jan. 30.—--John G.
Parke, sixty-seven, fhe "Paul Re
vere" of the disastrous Johnstown
flood in 1889, died last night after
a long illness.
Parke, then an engineer, and a
little band of workmen worked
frantically against hopeless, odds to
strengthen a weakening dam Jn the
Conemaugh valley, near Johnston,
on that eventful day—May 31, 1889.
Then, as they saw their efforts
fail and the dam crumbled, bit by
bit under the pressure of the rag
ing waters, they hurried down the
valley spreading a warning against
the disaster that was at hand.
A few hours later the dam was
swept away and a gigantic wall of
water roared down the valley. More
than 2,000 people perished in one of
the world’s greatest catastrophes
and the fertile valley was laid
waste.
Parke lived ip Monesaen for a
quarter of « century, and was chief
and con|ulttng engineer of the
Pittsburgh Steel Company.
IS HERE
/
* New, longer, wider bodies.
* 112-inch wheelbase.
* Striking body lines and colors.
* New skirted fenders ,
* Smooth-running V-type eight-cylin
der engine; 75 horsepower.
* All-aluminum cylinder heads.
* Engine cushioned in live rubber
* Twenty-five anti-friction roller and
ball bearings.
* Remarkable acceleration.
* 80 miles per hour
* Unusual oil and fuel economy.
* Automatic spark control.
* Silent second speed.
* Silent, synchronized gear shift.
* Fully counterbalanced 6 5 - pound
crankshaft.
* Aluminum pistons.
* Downdraft carburetor, with silencer.
* Torque-tube drive.
* Three-quarter floating rear axle.
* Straddle mounted rear-axle driving
pinion.
* New double-channel, double-drop X
type frame.
* Steel bodies, insulated to insure quiet.
* Five distinctive, one-piece, electrical
ly welded steel spoke wheels.
* Finger-touch steering^
* Safe, reliable four-wheel mechanical
brakes, fully enclosed.
* Twenty-degree slanting windshield.
* Safety glass windshield in all body
types.
* Safety-glass throughout in all Deluxe
cars.
* New riding comfort because of the
exclusive Ford-designed transverse
cantilever spring, properly controlled
by four double-acting self-adjusting
shock absorbers.
* Deep-cushioned seats, with goodlook
ing, long-wearing upholstery.
* Attractive appointments and finish.
* Low first cost and low cost of opera
tion and upkeep.
* Tire size, 5.50 inches x 17 inches.
* Rustless steel headlamps.
* Enameled parts are bonderized for
protection against rust.
* All Deluxe cars are equipped with
two matched tone horns, cowl lamps
and two rear lamps.
SEE IT
Saturday, February 11,1933
AT OUR SHOWROOMS
SPARTA, N. C.
Smithey’s Store
TO OPEN IN SPARTA FOR BUSINESS
Saturday, Feb. 11, 1933
This organization, with its co-partnerships and sub
sidiaries, covers a wide territory. The methods of oper
ation are different. The merchandise comes direct from
the mills and factories and is bought for cash, stylish
and dependable, and delivered by our fleet of trucks
fresh and crisp. The products of the farm are handled
the same way! The customer gets the advantage of all
the short cuts. There’s no Lost Motion or unnecessary
expense. We try to be 100 per cent, efficient. Each
unit is financed before it starts. If any money or profits
’ are made it stays in the city or town in which the unit is
located over a period of years.
There are no high paid officers. There is no one draw
ing any salaries or commissions for supervision outside
the people yon see in the store. We are just plain every
' day folks, working for your interest and ours. Every
man and woman connected with this outfit, is a worker.
We want to serve you. We want your trade and co
# operation. We want to work with you. Please pay us a
visit often.
i