March, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



TF 



i til 



OUR HOMES 



A. I. ROOT 



you read 



the whole of 



that seventli 

 chapter o 1' 

 Mark, j-ou will 

 notice it was 

 the pious Phari- 

 sees that began 

 to pick on the 

 followers of the 

 Lord Jesus 

 Christ and criti- 

 cise them be- 

 cause they did 

 not observe the 

 ceremony — 

 please notice I 

 say ceremony, 

 because it was 

 only a ceremony 

 — of washing 

 hands before 

 eating. Thej'^ did 

 not claim the 



disciples' hands needed washing, but the 

 ceremonial washing they insisted on was 

 only a part of their traditions. We can 

 not for a moment suppose the dear Sa^^or 

 would advise coming to the table with soil- 

 ed hands. After I have been working in 

 the garden, of course I am careful to wash 

 my hands thoroly before responding to the 

 call for dinner; and in order to do this as 

 quickly as possible, both here in Medina and 

 down in Florida, I have a wash-basin, 

 towel, and some soap right handy out in 

 the shade; and I have them outdoors so 

 that I may use as much water as I choose 

 without being as careful as I would be in 

 the bathroom. Now, what our Savior meant 

 to teach was the folly of spending time, 

 and perhaps debate, on non-essentials. 

 These same Phaiisees, probably, or at least 

 some of them, were guilty of the awful sins 

 and crimes enumerated in our last text; 

 and yet they made a great fuss because the 

 disciples neglected the washing of their 

 hands when they were probably already 

 clean. 



Those of you who have been following 

 the prohibition crusade have noticed again 

 and again how the laws against intoxicants 

 make an exception of " wine for sacra- 

 mental purposes." This would seem to in- 

 dicate that there are churches — I do not 

 know what kind, and I am glad that I do 

 not — that insist on having intoxicating 

 u-ine at the communion table. Why, it 

 seems to me just awful to think that in 

 this day and age of progress any man, 

 woman, or child should insist that the 

 ^vine for tlie holy communion table should 

 be intoxicating. 



And when they (the Pliarisees) saw some of his 

 disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with 

 unwashen hands, they found fault. — RLvrk 7:2. 



There is nothing from without a man, that enter- 

 ing IntO' him can defile him ; but the things which 

 tome out of him, those are they that defile the man. 

 — Mark 7:15. 



For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed 

 evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 

 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lascivious- 

 ness, an evil eyei, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. — 

 'SUnK 7: 21-22. 



171 



Years ago an 

 inte mperate 

 man in our 

 town was re- 

 formed and 

 seemed to be 

 thoroly convert- 

 ed. I think our 

 church then us- 

 ed real wine. 

 When it came to 

 communion he 

 asked to be ex- 

 cused, saying a 

 taste of that 

 stuff would set 

 him crazy. The 

 old tempter 

 would seize the 

 chance to get 

 him again into 

 his clutches. I 

 can not remem- 

 ber exactly, but 

 I am really afraid the good deacons told 

 him he would have to partake of the wine 

 with the rest; and they did not seem to 

 know of any other kind of wine at that 

 time. The poor man set aside his better 

 judgment and tasted the wine; and, sure 

 enough, just that little taste of wine 

 started the old craze, and he went off on 

 a drunken spree, and that was the last of 

 his convei'sion. You may say that this is 

 exceptional and extravagant, but it is not. 

 Satan once held me in his clutches, and I 

 know what it means. Unless we get right 

 down to the princijile of " touch not, taste 

 not, handle not," we are on the side of dan- 

 ger. 



There is great talk just now about a 

 union of the churches, and may God pros- 

 per the undertaking. But before that time 

 comes I hope and pray that not a church 

 will be found composed of people who 

 think the wine must be intoxicating. 



There has been a lot of debate as to 

 whether the wine of ancient times was in- 

 toxicating or just unfermented grape juice. 

 Now, I would not waste a minute in any 

 such stupendous folly. It does not matter 

 four cents' worth whether the wine the 

 Savior used was intoxicating or not. If 

 he were here on earth at the present time 

 he certainly would not object to any red 

 juice as an emblem of the precious blood 

 he shed that you and I might be clean — yes, 

 " whiter than snow." 



Let me digress a little. On page 464 I 

 copied what Mr. Trumbull, editor of the 

 Sunday School Times, says about the de- 

 feat of injustice. Some one may ask where 

 he got his authority for saying that we 



