The Otis Reporter from Otis, Kansas • 1

THE VOL. 1. OTIS OTIS, RUSH COUNTY, KANSAS, FRIDAY, A Christian in the Treatment of His Enemies. By Request of His Friends 9 4 We publish the following essay delivered by J. Schlegel, jr.

in the Sunday School and Epworth League Program held in the German M. E. Church, Sunday, August 11th, 1912. Rest assured, however, that the Christian who is a man of force and Character will have to face this problem of the kind of treatment he shall give to his enemies. It has been so all the way down the stream of history.

Able was a good man, a man of gentle heart and reverent soul, who served his God with fidelity, and gainst whom history treasures not one word of reproach. But his very goodness, which received the divine approbation, aroused enmity in the heart of Cain. He hated Abel because his deeds were good while his own deeds were evil. This enmity rankled in his heart until he took the life of the first man of spotless character in the history of humanity. There was nothing of evil in the character or deeds of the young shepherd of Bethlehem to arouse the fierce enmity of soul.

History does not hold a breezier more wholesome pieture of courageous youth than the young David coming down from the hills fresh from his adventures with wild beasts in defense of his timid flocks; suddenly thrust into public notice by his daring and brilliant overthrow of Golioth, yet retaining all the modesty of the hill pasture from whence he come. It was the applause of the giddy multitude that arroused Soul's anger. It was the song of the peasantry, "Soul has slain his thousands but David his tens of that stirred the slumbering devil of jealousy in Soul's heart and aroused him to insane wrath a- gainst this new rival for the popular favor. The noblest man in all history, the young carpenter of Nazareth, whose whole life had not one unkind deed in it, or one black spot of impurity, was attacked by enemies as vicious and brutal as any in the annals of human hatred. It was his very goodness that aroused their enemity.

His pure life rebuked their sinfulness. His love for the poor and the weak rebuked their caste and tyranny. Because Jesus Christ was the one perfect man that ever lived, about his devoted head gathered the arrows of most cruel hatred and revenge. Dont understand me to be saying that a man has many enemies is by any means a certificated of saintship. Of course bad men have enemies too.

Greed, ness, violent and wicked ways, will arouse enmity on every side. But what I do wish to lay the emphasis on is that in a world constituted like ours goodness is no prevention against enemies, and that' a man will have enemies simply because he is positively good. If Abel, David and Jesus brought upon themselves the bitter enmity of evil and designing men by standing for public and private righteousness in their own time and place, we may rest assured that the same course will produce a like result today. The fact is that it is as easy to judge a man by the enemies he has made as by his friends. It is infinitely more honorable to have enmity of people whose deeds mean sorrow or wrong to the community than it is to have their friendship.

There is no place in the ordinary round of human life where the standard of the world come into such sharp antagonism with the standards of Jesus Christ as in the treatment of enemies. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a blow for a blow, a life for a life, has been the standard of mere worldings in every age. But Christianity is high-water mark in human life. The charm about Jesus Christ is that he brings in a larger FALL OPENING. Mrs.

A. Schwartzkopf Takes pleasure in informing her patrons that on and after Tuesday Sept. 3rd her Stock of Millinery will be on display at THE BIEBER BUILDING BISON, KANSAS If you are looking for Chic fascinating Styles, a glimpse at her line will convince you, that she has the Right Styles at the Right Prices. REPORTER. AUGUST 30, 1912.

to be, it is not as heavy as the burden which is imposed on a young man by giving away to feelings of revenge on his enemies I am free to admit that it is not always an easy thing to live up to this rule; that to a vigorous, manly man, who has red blood i in his veins, and a quick, sensitive organization, it often imposes a burden which for the time seems heavy and galing to the shoulders. It is not always easy to turn away from a sneering enemy who taunts us with venomous word's! or, it may be, insults us in the presence of those whose good opinion is dear to us. To turn away from malignant trust with a forgiving look and restrained speech, and seek afterwards the good and not the evil of a malicious foe, requires supreme courage on the part of a Christian. On the other hand, the burden imposed by the self-indulgent standards of the world is heavier still. The world's code of Honor among men say's," If a man insult you, smite him in the face.

If he strikes you, kill him." And you know full well how that works out in ordinary life. Two men meet possibly they have been friends, but in discussing questions of business or politics or social life, a difference of opinion arises. Hot words are spoken. In a moment of violent rage one strikes the other in the face. Maddened by the insult, the man struck is roused to avenge his honor as a gentleman, and so with pistol or knife he strikes down the man before him to the earth.

His blood runs on the floor or ground. His helpless victim gasps in death. And how is it with the victo? Is he happy, now that his honor is no! He flies from the place, a poor haunted, guilty creature. Every wind of the night seems to wail the dying cry of the man whose murder is on his soul. Compared to such a burden, how light and easy is the burden which Christ lays upon us in requiring us to restrain our, rath, to forgive our enemies, and to seek the good of those who hate us.

Jesus in his prayer which has traveled into all lands makes love toward our enemie; the law of life by causing the forgiveness of Heaven for our own sins to be conditioned on our forgiving those who sin against us. When we reflect that those who hate us, as well as those who love us, are swiftly passing onward to sickness and death and the judgment, where we must soon meet them, all other sentiments except sympathy towards our fellowmen seem impossible. The follow ing is an article of the happenings seventeen years ago, clipped from last week's Rush Center Breeze: Probate Judge B. G. Lewis informs us that marriage licenses were issued by him this week to Julius Weiser of Pleasantdale township and Miss Anna Haferman of Albert, also to Mr.

Christian Bieber and Miss Mary J. Allen both of lone Star township. R. NO. 14.

hope. He is a daring optimist He will not be satisfied with less than the very noblest that is possible to us. With the splendid audacity of his sublime faith in the human soul, he utters his ringing Command, "'Love your enemies bless them that curse you, do good to them which hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. If that has seemed a hard saying to any of us I should like to call attention to the reasonableness of it, and the wisdom of it, on our account. Some people imagine that these commands are arbitrary, and in some way limit the natural rights and privileges of a Christian man, and curb to a certain extent, his opportunities for happiness.

Yet nothing is more certain than that this sublime and daring Command of Christ, If obeyed, adds to and does not detract from one man's jog. No man ever made a worse in vestment in this world than to cherish a mortgage of revenge on some poor fellow-mortal. The more mortgages a man has of that sort the worse he is off The interest accumulates on them rapidly and sinks the holder of them deeper into the mire spiritual bankruptcy. There is no more pitiable spectacle in the world than to see a man or woman who was created to do noble and brotherly things carrying about a grudge or a spite or a cruel feud against some -man, and saying over to himself or to his neighbor, It's alright; he has his turn now; but you just wait till I get a chance, and see how I'll put the thumb-screw on him. I will make him smart for all this!" All the sweet honey of life is turned into the sourest vinegar by cherishing such a revenge.

It is needless to say that a Christian must not and cannot cherish such a sentiment. We belong to a new order of nobility, and it is to us that Paul writes; Avenge not yourselves, but. rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; If he thirst, give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." The Christians is lifted into a wider horizan than that occupied by the mere man of the world. He is not living for to-day alone, but for the everlasting day after to-morrow.

He is building up a character for an immortal race; he cannot afford to have it narrowed and soured by cherishing' petty spites and revenges. He is not the judge of his enemies; he puts the matter out of his mind--turn it over to God. The new horizan is wider ranged than the old Christian is under this new horizon, with it's wider range of vison and achievement. There is probably no point in the christian program which has seemed to vigorous, live young men so hard to understand as this command to love our enemies, to pray for them that are despitefully to us, and even to feed them if they hunger. And yet I am ready to break a lance with any one on the proposition that, Great as this burden may seem The Fair.

One of the bigest annual events in western Kansas is the Rush County Fair that was held at Rush Center, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday, the first day was light, the management pulled off the entire program. The principal attraction was the airship which made a grand flight, flying from the fair grounds over to LaCrosse in two and one-half minutes and staying in the air twenty five minutes. The ball game was won by Bison from LaCrosse 8 to 5. Wednesday had the largest attendance, several thousand peoI ple were there.

The game between our boys and Pfiefer was won by Pfiefer by one score 8 to 7. The airship made two successful flights. The game of ball the last day was won by Pfiefer from Bison 15 to 7. Too Much Booze. Quite a bloody fracas occured in front of the Repp Restaurant between a couple of strangers keyed up in and Geo.

Repp. The two men were in the restaurant and on account of their disorderly conduct, were ordered out, whereupon they refused and this was when the bloody encounter started. The two intoxicants came out with the worst of it, while Geo. only received a slight scratch over the left eye and one on the leg from being bitten. The two unwelcomers were brought up in police court and fined to the extent of $15.00 and ordered to leave town.

YOUR NEIGHBOR KNOWS his MAJESTIC RANGE uses little fuel -bakes perfect- -heats abundance of water good and hot and costs practically nothing for repairs. LET Us SHOW YOU WHY. CALL during our DEMONSTATION WEEK. commencing Sept. 2.

PETER ROTHE The Doctors, Cook and Linnd of the Linnd Hospital at Hoising ton passed through town Tuesday on their way to McCracken. HUNGRY ARE YOU IF SO GO TO THE Cafo-: We Carry a Fine Line of Good Cigars, Confections, Ice cream Soft "Drinks L. R. GRAHAM Proprietor OTIS KANA.