NOVEMBER 1, 1913 



781 



thing like 1400 million. Of this great mass 

 of humanity about 450 millions are Chinese ; 

 and my impression is they need quite a 

 little " looking after," with their idolatry 

 and superstition. If I am right, God created 

 them also, and planned a glorious outcome 

 for that heathen nation ; and, thank the 

 Lord, that glorious outcome is already in 

 sight. Now, can we not step still a little 

 liigher up, and have faith to believe that he 

 who has created the universe will finish the 

 task he has undertaken?* Washington, 

 Lincoln, and -other great men of our nation, 

 have been, and our present incumbent is, a 

 believer in God and in prayer to him; and 

 I believe the intelligence of the peoi^le of 

 the United States regards praj^er as a 

 mighty force in the affairs of the world. 

 Every little Avhile somebody comes to me or 

 writes me something like this: "Mr. Root, 

 your little prayer, ' Lord, help,' has cheered 

 my life and helped me to surmount a lot of 

 trouble." Jesus urged at times almost 

 vehemently that his followers should watch 

 and pray. He says, " Ask, and ye shall 

 receive ;" and he tells us also that " the Lord 

 pitieth them that fear him." 



Xow a word in regard to the " street 

 Arabs," as you are pleased to call them. 

 I want to say to our readers that I can 

 imagine a twinkle in the eye of my old 

 schoolmate when he speaks about picking 



* Now, while we are contemplating the great Ruler 

 of the universe let us try to comprehend that this 

 Creator is also Father; and while doing so let us 

 listen to the words of the dear Savior when he says 

 (Matt. 10:29, 30, 31), "Are not two sparrows sold 

 for a farthing ? and one of them shall not fall to 

 the ground without your Father. But the very hairs 

 of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not, there- 

 fore; ye are of more value than many sparrows." 

 With all God's care of this vast universe, is it not 

 comforting that we are in his sight of more value 

 than many sparrows ? If we reject those beautiful 

 words of the Master as too wonderful and t(J3 im- 

 possible (if you will excuse the expression) what 

 shall we do ? Do you remember what Peter said 

 when the Lord asked them if they too were going 

 to turn away? " Lord, to whom shall we gol Thou 

 hast the words of eternal life." 



Our older readers will recall that I have often 

 mentioned a small particle of radium that I have 

 had in my possession for several years. Suppose you 

 take a cambric needle and touch the point to a drop 

 of white paint. With a magnifying-glass you could 

 just see a speck of paint on the needle-point. Welt, 

 my particle of radium is about the size of that speck 

 of paint. It can be seen only with a magnifying- 

 glass. But, small as it is, it has been day and night, 

 winter and summer, year after year, throwing out 

 showers of shooting stars. They continue to pour 

 forth in every direction like a water-spout, and yet 

 the radium is not exhausted. The " bombardment of 

 meteors," as it has been called, is in no way dimin- 

 ished. I put it in a dark room three or four days 

 ago, and got up in the middle of the night, and there 

 it was blazing forth in undiminished splendor. So 

 far as I know it will go on in this way for ever and 

 ever. Scientists are nonplused and appalled. It up- 

 sets and overturns old theories. Now, is it too great 

 a stretch of the imagination (backed by the words 

 of the dear Savior) to believe that God's love for the 

 creatures of his handiwork — for mankind, his great- 

 est and final creation — is it too great stretch of our 

 faith to believe that God's love and care can go out 

 unceasingly in the same way toward his children ? 



the " arms and legs " out of the wheels, etc. 

 I admit these small boys are often provok- 

 ing. Now, we who are older should keep 

 constantly in mind that boys can be taught 

 like ducks and chickens. A little teaching 

 prompted by the Devil would induce them 

 to puncture your automobile tries and do 

 other mischief to the machine. Another 

 kind of teaching will make those boys your 

 friends instead of enemies. 



I once became discouraged about a boy 

 whom I had labored with repeatedly, ap- 

 parently without success. A Christian lady 

 said to me something like this : " Mr. Root, 

 Jesus died for him." It set me to thinking. 

 When we feel vexed and provoked at these 

 boys' antics, let us stop and consider that 

 Jesus died for them. He died that they 

 might be made better. 



I am soon to go back to my Florida home, 

 and I suspect 1 shall have more trials along 

 this same line. Satan has found out that 

 he can trip me up, for he has tripped me up 

 in times past. Dear friends, you who be- 

 lieve in prayer, and have had your prayers 

 answered, will you not pvay for me and for 

 those boys, all of them? 



Now just a word in conclusion about un- 

 [iromising boj'S. In looking back through 

 si.xty years I remember C]uite a few that I 

 pronounced at the time " no good." But 

 years after, when I heard from one and an- 

 other that they had climbed to positions of 

 excellence, it was one of my " happy sur- 

 prises." One especially I have in mind that 

 vexed me rej^eatedly because of his awful 

 indifference and heedlessness. I have just 

 been told that he has made some valuable 

 invention worth thousands of dollars to 

 manufacturers of automobiles. I said when 

 I first heard of it, " Why, no ; it can not be 

 that that boj' has become a great inventor?" 

 Perhaps I did pray for him in his youth, 

 but if so I am seriously afraid I have for- 

 gotten about it. 



Shall we not Avind up, dear friends, with 

 that beautiful injunction from the dear 

 Master, so wonderfully hard for poor hu- 

 manity like you and me to cari-j' out ? "Love 

 ye your enemies. Do good to them that 

 hate you. Bless them that curse you, and 

 pray for them that despitefully use you." 



Blind unbelief is sure to err, 

 And scan his works in vain; 



God is his own interpreter, 

 And he will make it plain. 



Later. — Just after the above was dictated, 

 this letter was placed in my hands, and 

 from it I make extracts of tliree para- 

 gTaphs : 



Dear Sir and Friend: — Yesterday's mail brought 

 me from some source a marked copy of The Flaming 

 Sword, covering a four-and-a-half column of super 



