THE BIBLE CLASS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 26 May 1923, Page 19

THE BIBLE CLASS

AN ECONOMIC PROBLEM SOLVED. —. v It is heartbreaking and . humorous to see what shifts and turas the Christian outcastes of India try in. order to exist, and to discover *Jjow literally, out of thenbodily hunger^ they sometimes interpret the. offer of the bread of life, writes Dani&l Swamidoss ia "Asia Magazine." In a certain village in the Telugu country lived one of. these naive Christians. He was a teacher-pastor named Timothy, a weak brother among the great number of able and honourable Christian leaders. He taught school six days in the week, led a Bible class on Sunday, morning, and preached twice on Sunday for his congregation. Ho had a. wife and six children, and ho received a salary of two dollars a month from the mission. The mission would not ■ increase his'salary because he had studied only .lip" to' the fourth standard, the end of the primary course! Timothy felt that he must have more money. He had a real economic problem.- Because of his status, in .the-village) he -could not resort to begging. He was too poor to borrow,- The only alternative was to steal. Buf he was too old to steal. So he organised, the. young men of his-Bible class for a; plundering expedition. They scoured the neighbouring villages and brought home a stray cow. The animal was slaughtered, the meat was apportioned among the young men, and the ekin given to the teacher-pastor, who sold it to-the skin merchant for three to four dollars. Thereafter a similar raid was conducted each Saturday evening ■ -while Timothy was, preparing his sermon! Four trips a month brought.him 12 dollars to 16 dollars. One day a. rather recont acquaintance^ seeing that Timothy's wife was attractively dressed and not without jewels, and that his children were .growing fat, asked him, "How is it that you seem to be prospering on two dollars a month?" The teadher-pastor, with a happy smije, answered calmly, "Ah, the Lord is mindful of. his own." Three or four days later this friend, who had heard some of the village gossip and had come to know the truth, eaid to him, "Timothy, how can a man who does tne sort of thing you do be a preacher and teacher apd talk to the?e poor people about Ood's loveV" Then Timothy said contentedly: "Wei!, sir, if T cannot testify to God's love, who can? I have done this for ten years, and the good Lord has never once hanjfed me over to the police."