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About Portland inquirer. (Portland, Or.) 1944-194? | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1944)
PORTLAND INQUIRER Pai* 6 his brother had suddenly become rich. As his friend started away he said, in a drunken fashion, “ Say! Look! when you see my brother tell him I got the world by the tail. If he needs anything, let me know.” But when he became sober, he needed that fifty dollars. 3. And here is a more mild method of escape from life’s duties, and the most often used. It is the alibi of preoccupation— being too busy doing something else than to do what God wants us to do. Some people really think they are too busy. Or, they think what they are doing is more important than things God wants them to do. But many people merely alibi because the thing that God wants them to do is unpleasant. think about. And people of all they could not manage the ship. times, run away from what they They would have been destroyed ought to do do not think about had they not thrown Jonah over these things. board. 1. When one attempts to escape However we may attempt it, we a duty he always involves other cannot get away from God. The people. Sometimes people think by 139th Psalm asks these questions: escape they can make it easier for “ Whither shall I go from thy Spir others when in reality they make it? Or whither shall I flee from it harder. Look at the men on thy presence?” And then the board the boat which Jonah board psalmist affirms, “ If I ascent into ed for Tarshish. They were caught the heaven Thou art there; if I in an unnecessary storm. Their make my bed in hell, behold, Thou lives were in danger. When they art there. If I take the wings of found that Jonah was the disturb the morning and dwell in the utter ing factor, they rowed hard to land most parts of the sea, even there the boat without throwing him shalt Thy hand lead me, and Thy overboard. They pitied Jonah, they right hand shall hold me. If I say, suffered for his wrong, they did surely the darkness shall cover me, their duty, but could not right Jo even the night shall be light about nah’s wrong. They had to, against me.” their best desires, toss him into the CONCLUSION sea. But a merciful God gave Jonah It would be far better for any a second chance, and a third. He group if it tossed into the sea those prepared a fish to swallow Jonah. of its members who attempt to es Jonah prayed in the belly of the cape duty. For no group can es fish. He was carried to Nineveh. cape the consequences of those in The repentent prophet hurried to it who are always inventing ways the city and preached repentence to to escape the things they ought to the people. They received his mes do because those duties are un sage, repented, and were saved. pleasant. When Jonah was given the sec 2. The people of Nineveh were ond chance, he made good. If you have run away from God involved. They were wronged. Jo and duty, all right, come on back. nah had misjudged them. He felt Jonah’s God is your God. He is that if he preached to them it would do no good. And he did not merciful. You have a second chance want to preach to a heathen nation to make good. “THE MIAN WHO RAN God. If it makes him unpopular, it is still his business to do the will AW AY" By J. James Clow, of God. And God will take care of the rest. 116 N. E. Schuyler Street Jonah was trying to get away / ‘But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the from what he considered an unpleas Lord, and went down to Joppa and ant duty. And he was not the first he found a ship gring to Tarshish; or the last man who has tried to so he paid the fare thereof and get away from God and from duty. went down into it, to go with them He was not the first or the last unto Tarshish from the piesence of preacher who has tried to escape from God and from duty because the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3). The little book of Jonah is num- he met with unpleasantness. People bered among the books of the mi have always tried to escape from nor prophets. It is hidden in the things they did not want to do. II. Now, let us look at some es heart of the Bible. It is a fascinat cape mechanism. Let us consider ing little book, v 1*! highly drama first one or two drastic forms. tic. It is not doing the pleasant 1. Suicide. Some people seem to things that makes men strong. It is The G od 'of Jonah is a God of power. At the same time, he is a think that they can take their lives doing* the unpleasant things, the God of great mercy. The story is and end it all. God gives man life hard duties, that gives men courage also one of second chances. Jonah and puts him in a world of respon and strength. needed a second chance and got it. sibilities, and trouble and suffer 4. Many Negroes resort to es All of us need a second chance, and ing. Some men, when they come cape mechanism rather than face a third, and a fourth. The book face to face with their duties in the problems that confront them as of Jonah assures us that with God meeting the problems of life, like Negroes in a white world. The one we have as many chances as we Jonah, try to escape in the opposite most frequently used is isolation. direction. They take the ship of Too many Negroes advocate racial need to make good. death rather than the ship of life. segregation. “ Let us have our own,” I. Let us look first at what Jonah Maybe death does not end it all. At they say. They don’t want to mix was trying to get away from. God any rate, it is far better for the up with them. But you don’t escape called him to go to a heathen city and preach repentence. He was to individual and the world in which the race problem by segregation. It tell the people of Nineveh that he lives that he face life no matter has been proven by scientific in their days were numbered unless what it may bring. It is his duty vestigation that segregation is the they repent. Jonah thought it to live. One cannot escape God by primary cause of race riots. In a anyhow. He did not mind preaching would make him unpopular to carry destroying himself. segregated pattern people cannot to Jews, but to these heathen, no. 2. Some try to escape through know each other, they fear each So they were without the gospel this message to Nineveh, and he because Jonah refused to preach to did not want to be an unpopular strong drink. Life calls on them to other, they hate each other. preacher. So he tried to escape his shoulder burdens, sorrows, and Then, too, segregation is prevail them. duty by going somewhere else. He heartaches; and they attempt to es ing. If you have segregated recrea Look at the importance of Jo went in the opposite direction of cape them by drowing them in tion, it does not stop there. It leadri nah’s message. “ Arise, go to Nine Nineveh. Nineveh was East, he drink. They tell me that when a to segregated schools, segregated veh, that great city and cry against started West. He went down to man is intoxicated he lives in a parks, segregated theaters. One of it.” Jonah’s message was a warn Joppa, and took a ship going to world of make-believe. The keenness the worst influences in our Amer ing. If it were not delivered, the Tarshish. He paid his fare, got on of his senses are dulled, his mind ican life is the segregated church. city would be destroyed because of dazed, and he thinks he has es board, and went to sleep. As unpleasant as it may be its sins. Jonah’s attempt to escape caped his burdens. But the fact is sometimes, it is our duty to inte said in effect, “ Let them die in No preacher really wants to be that he has to come back to his grate in our race relations. There their sins. I’m not going to preach unpopular. Some preachers, com can be no solution of our race prob to them.” paratively few of them, move from burdens a much weaker man. church to church, trying to escape A story is told of two men who lem without integration. Segrega When I went to Georgia some’ unpopularity. But all of us find had a rendezvous to bid each other tion is merely an attempt to escape people said to me, “ Why would you that wherever we go we are going goodbye when one was going to an unpleasant duty. And you can go down there?” Well, someone to be unpopular with some people. their old home. The man who was not escape. We might as well face has to preach in Georgia. When I To s e v e r a l classes of people; not going away said to the other, the problem with all of its un decided to corpe to Oregon, a friend those who are up on the preacher “ When you see my brother, tell him pleasantness and suffering. wrote me a letter and said, “ Why III. Let me call attention to some on earth are you going to a God and those who are down on him. I am down. If he can spare a bottle And if a preacher does his duty he of liquor to celebrate the parting.” other things that may be easily forsaken place like Oregon?” will be unpopular with a great When the liquor was consumed, inferred from the story o ff Jonah. Someone has to preach in Oregon. many people. The business of the this fellow who was so badly in They are things which Jonah, in his If God wants me to preach here preacher is to answer the call of need and wanted fifty dollars from selfish flight from duty, did not then I will answer the call of God. 3. Remember this, too, when you take a ship away from duty, you always pay your own fare. This is a significant statement in the text: “ So he paid the fare thereof and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” When one ships against God and against the laws of life a fare is exacted of him. And it is a hard fare. You don’t ride on Sa tan’s ship free of charge. You pay, and pay dearly. Ï£f /RD & MORRISON S. W . 3rd Ave. at Morrison Street Clearance Sale Priced! Fine Qualify— Forty-Pound LAYER FELT MATTRESSES .98 • Both Full and Single Bed Sizes • Fancy A rt Ticking C overin gs___ ___ at $11 TERMS 4. Jonah never got to Tarshish. He started but never got there, When you work with God every- thing in the universe will fight with you, but when you work against God, you are at war with the universe. The sea, and the wind became Jonah’s enemies. A storm arose, and no matter how hard those experienced seamen rowed j YOUR POLITICS THE PRECINCTS IN THEIR PROPER PLACE By Clifford Walker For the sake of convenience and efficiency, each county has been subdivided into political working units, known as precincts. The ma jor political parties have in each precinct a man and woman repre sentative, the precinct committee man and precinct committee wo man, who are responsible to the citizens for proper representation in party affairs and politics. The party relies upon the work ing ability of the precinct commit tee men and committee women to carry the party program into the homes and gatherings of each given district. It is their job also to see that every qualified resident is registered and properly informed about voting procedure. The party representative must be thoroughly acquainted with the people in his precinct and must be willing to exert energy, patience and fore sight in order to bring into the party votes. Voting polls are provided in each precinct. Not only does this furnish a voting convenience for the citi zens, but it also affords a means of checking the tendencies in vari ous localities. The voting precincts give you, the voter, an opportunity to exer- cise your influence in party affairs and td shape party policies. It is there the elections are won or lost by you, your family, friends and ac- quaintances. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS Extra Savings Are CASH FOR YOU R CAR GREEN STAMPS Mattresses of Restful Comfort — Constructed for Long Service A low price — for a dependable Mattress of s u r p r is in g l t forty pound LAYER FELT — construction - t h a t assures restful .-ping comfort and long service, these Mattresses come in both single and double bed sizes and, are covered with a high-grade, fancy art-ticking o f long wearipg quality—and pleasing pattern. 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