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LESSON IX â-  MAINTAINING PERSONAL EFFICIENCY (A Personal Aspect of Temperance) Daniel 1:8-16, 19, 20; I Corinthians 9:24-27 Simple Food Only Daniel’s simple request was that in place o£ the rich food which the king had ordered set aside for him and the other three Jewish youths who had been selected with him to lire in the Golden Text.â€"Every man that striv- eth in the games exerciseth self-con- trol in all things. I Corinthians 9:25. THE LESSON IN ITS SETTING Time.â€"Daniel was carried to Baby- lon 606 or 607 B.C. The apostle Paul wrote his First Epistle to the church at Corinth before A.D. 59. Place.â€"-Babylon was the great city of the Mesopotamian valley, located at the lower part of the Euphrates River. The city of Corinth was located in the southern part of Greece, and the epis- court, they should give him' what is here called pulse. Pulse meant noth- ing else but vegetables, as far as we know. The word itself means “seeds." 14. So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths that did eat of the king’s dain- ties. 16. So the steward topk away their dainties, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. tie to Corinth was written from the city of Ephesus, in the province of Asia, almost directly across the Aege- an Sea from Corinth. 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore,he request- _sd of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. This pas- sage has a very definite meaning, and has a lesson that we should carefully observe. But we cannot find that it teaches constant abstinence from wine any more than it teaches constant ab- stinence from meat. That is not the point of Daniel’s determination. The question, then, must be asked, Why did Daniel refuse to eat the meat and drink the wine brought from the king’s table? Professor S. R. Driver brings most of the principal reasons togeth- er in this comment: “The meat might be that of animals not slaughtered in the proper manner (Dent. 12:23, 24) or of animals prohibited to the Jews as food (Lev. II: 4-7, 12, 13-20), while the meat and the wine might have been consecrated to the Babylonian gods by the offering of portions to them in sacrifice, so that to partake of either would be tantamount to the recognition of a heathen deity (I Cor. 10:20, 27-29). There was no security, therefore, that, in every mouthful he might take of this meat and drink from the table of the king Daniel would not be violating the laws of his God. The question consequently was, whether he should consult his consci- ence or his appetite and comfort, The worldly-wise may call it squeamish- ness, and sneer at it as a straining at ghats, that Daniel i â€"olved not to de- file himself with the viands of the king’s table; but it was the great foundation-stone of all his greatness. Principle is never small. Daniel took his stand for God, con- science, and righteousness even in the little matter of his meat and drink, and thus laid the groundwork of a character which p .ssed untarnished and unscathed througl seventy years of political life. Appeal to Self-Interest 9. Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs. One can- not help thinking in reading this pas- sage of a similar experience of Joseph (Gen. 39:21), who, though thrown into a dungeon because of a terribL crime of which he had been accused, found favor in the sight of the keeper of the Egyptian prison. The Superiority of Daniel and his companions over the wise men of Babylon in wisdom and understanding, Dan. I: 19, 20. 19. And the king com- muned with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Banan- iah, Mischael, and Azariah; therefore stood they before the king. 20. And in every matter of wisdom and under- standing, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were iu all his realm. It is not unlikely that ques- tions of policy and statecraft, would be submitted to these candidates to see what they would say. Above all, in personal intercourse the king of Ba- bylon would be able to form some es- timate of the real worth of these youths. A magician to-day is one skillful in tricks and magic, but in those days he was a learned man ac- quainted with science, and, while he was supposed to perform some magi- cal rites, he was a man far more in- telligent than the common people of the kingdom. The word here trans- lated “enchanters” is from a verb meaning to breathe, or to blow or whisper, and indicates that these men .^practiced their incantations by move- ments of the breath.” 24. Know ye not that they that run in a race. The race and pugilistic contests were not merely exhibitions of bodily strength, but solemn trials of the excellence of the competitors in the gymnastic art, which was to the Greeks one-half of human education. 25. And every man that striveth. This is exactly the same word that our Lord uses in Luke 13:24 when he speaks of striving to enter in at the strait gate. In the games exerciseth self-control in all things. The discip- line for those participating in these contests lasted for ten months, and was exceedingly strict. One day’s de- bauch was enough to undo the results of weeks during which the athlete had carefully attended to the rules pre- scribed, and we find that one lapse into worldliness will undo what years of self-restraint have won. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. Cf. 2 Tim. 2:5; 4:8; Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5.4; Rev. 2:10; 3:11. The crown that- these contenders received if they won was made of laurel-leaves, and of course within a few months or, at the most, a year, it would be wilted. The crown we obtain, a crown of life or a crown of righteousness, will abide through- out all the ages of eternity. 10. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of, your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king. The chief of the eunuchs knew that personal good looks were an im- portant matter with Nebuchadnezzar. If they were badly nourished, these Hebrew youths would be handicapped in their examination before the king. The chief of the eunuchs first appeals to the self-interest of the youths be- fore him, but as that does not move them, he hex; tells them that his own life would be endangered. 11. Then said "'aniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 12. Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; $nd let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13. Then let our coun- tenances be looked-tupon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king’s dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. Daniel’s determination here speaks well for the home in which lie was brought up. Some one must have in- structed Daniel most faithfully in the things of the Hebrew faith, and prob- ably his mother and father lived virtu- ous lives before him, the beauty and sincerity of which would never pass out of his heart and mind. Bâ€"D 26, I therefore so run, as not uncer- tainly. If the runner is now heading that way and now this, making all manner of loops upon his path, of course he will be left hopelessly in the rear. There are few things more lacking in the average Christian life of to-day than resolute, conscious con- centration upon an aim which is clear- ly and always before us. So fight I, as not beating the air. A great part of our spiritual strength is spent in mere parade. Spiritual energy is put forth, but it is not brought fully, fair- ly, and firmly into contact with the sin to be destroyed. 27. But I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage. It was probably by sheer strength of will and by the grace of Christ that Paul subdued his body. Lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. The word here translated “rejected” means, literally “not stand- ing the test, not approved”. We do not run a race to obtain salvation in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not given to us at the end of the race because of our fine running. It. is given to us at the beginning of the race, and in the strength of it we ought to live .un- der the mastery of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rest In Matchs ticks A retired grave-digger of Czecho- slovakia has just made his own cof- fin. The exterior is inlaid with 170,- 000 used matchsticks. Joe Louis, left, heavyweight title holder, and Max Sehmeling, trans-Atlantic challenger, go through the preliminaries in the offices of the New York Boxing C ommission. The bout will be fought in June. At last Charles Farrell has an oppor- tunity to stage a come-back in Ameri- can movies, one that his admirers of the days when he was making pictures with Jandt Gaynor have wanted for him. He will appear in a re-make of one of the Farrell-Gaynor hits, “Sunny Side Up.” Remember it? It was the picture for which Far- rell and Gaynor had to learn to sing, to the dismay of practically everybody else on the Fox lot. For they worked at it endlessly, it seemed to the others, Janet Gaynor with a voice coach, and the results were distracting, to say the least, But the result was worth it. But this new version of the picture is going to be something different, judging by the cast. It will star Shir- ley Templeâ€"and will include Bert Lahr and Bill Robinson. â€"oâ€" Every so often come rumors that Maude Adams will appear on the screen. Now it’s David Selznick who is said to have captured her, to play the dowager in “The Young in Heart,” with Janet Gaynor, Paulette Goddard, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Roland Young in the cast. Since her retire- ment from the stage in 1918 she has refused to discuss movie offers, but this time she at least was willing to talk things over. â€"o;â€" Remember that little native lad in “Elephant Boy?” You’il see him in “Gungha Din,” with Victor McLag- len, Cary Grant, and Jack Oakie. The fact that he’s to be included would look as if, when the poem is screened, the picture will show the influence of “Kim,” which has been about to be screened for years. â- â€"oâ€" If you encounter a man who’s tre- mendously interested in the folk music of your part of the country he’ll prob- ably turn out to be one of the Radio Rubes. Each Friday each of the three leave New York, going in different di récrions, in a search for old American melodies; they already have a collec- tion of two thousand. Recently Harr Duncan devoted himself to New En» land, while that same week Zeb Ti t new flew to the Mid-West, and Eddie Smith went south. If you want to see a movie star in the making, go to “Accidents Will Happen” and see Gloria Blondell, sis- ter of Joan. She’s on her way. She has been for quite a while, so far as that’s concerned, but it is just leading her to the movies, because she didn’t want to cash in on her -sister’s success. Now that Marlene Dietrich has sign- ed t.o lie a picture for Twentieth Century-Fox, with Ronald Colman, and to make three for Columbia, you can’t blame Paramount officials who let her go if they are doing a bit of worrying. For Frank Capra may direct one of the Columbia releas- es, and he has a way of turning out smash hits. And it’s no fun to lose money on a star, let her go, and ; :.én have he; bring gold into the box office for somebody else! ODDS AND ENDSâ€"William Janney, whom you’ve seen as the kid brother in the “Hopalong Cassidy” series, has taken to the air, in “Pepper Young’s Family” . . . Joan Crawford, after twelve years with Metro, has signed for another fiveâ€"can do one stage play a year if she likes ... They’re shooting again on “Marie Antoinette” . . . Johnny Weismuller will play Tar- zan again for Metro soon . . . -Seven stand-ins who have been in the movies for years got their chance when they were cast - s themselves in “Shopworn Angel” . . . Crane Wilbur, of the silent films, will play Napoleon for Warner’s in “The Hundred Days” . . . Frances Dee drew a ni assignment when she was chosen to play opposite Ronald Colman in “If I Were King.” Lithuania On February 16, 1918, Lithuania was declared an independent republic, To- day it consists of the old Russian Gov- vernment of Kovno and portions of the Suvalki and Vilna Governments. The legislature consists of a single chamber Assembly (the Seim) elect- ed by universal adult suffrage, the ex- ecutive being the council of ministers, Bounded by Latvia, Poland, Ger- many, and the Baltic Sea, the area of Lithuania is approximately 20,000 square miles (a little under half the area of England). The population is under 2,500,000. Agriculture is the chief occupation of the people. There are large for- ests. The most important products are rye, wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes, and the exports are bacon, dairy pro- duce, cellulose, timber, flax and live stock. The capital is Kovno on the Rivet Niemen. Its population is about 110,- 000. Under the Treaty of Versailles Ger- many renounced the sovereignty, over they town and territory of Memel. The sovereignty of the territory has been transferred to Lithuania, as set out in the convention signed at Paris (May 8, 1924) and ratified August 1925. The total area administered is 945 square miles, with a population of about. 150,- 000, of whom about 38,000 inhabit the town of Memel. Truth In Advertising A lawyer, of Rice Lake, Wis., who needs a maid-of-all-worlc in his home, doesn’t believe in obtaining one by false pretences. So he told the whole sad story of what she was to expect in his newspaper advertisement, thus : WANTED: Maid for general housework : 7 children, lots of noise, nothing to eat ; husband, an aider- man, another business on the side, date at lunch-as often as 6 times a week; position offers splendid op- portunity for one wishing to gain experience as to management of pri- vate restaurant or small hotel, or possibly a day nursery. If still in- terested, telephone. Robs Own Nest A man recently applied to ’ an American jail for a night’s, lodging. His request was granted, bed- he did not leave in the morning. He robbed a prisoner of $5 and had to stay for 30 days. Marlene Dietrich Is. Your Problem Among Those Dealt With Here? By LAWRENCE HIBBERT (Graphologist and Psychologist) A girl of 17 writes; “I am sending you the writing of a Upend of mine. He is nearly 40, but I am very fond of him. My parents are opposed to our friendship but I cannot give him up. What do you advise?” I know that sometimes parents show a lamentable lack of sympathy with the affairs of their children, particular- ly girls, and on occasion I have to ex- press my dissent from their views. But in your case, your parents, are quite right, You are too young to be seriously in love, especially . i;h a man so much your senior. Go out with young people, and you will find that your 'interest in the man will subside. Eventually you will meet someone more suited to you. A young married woman writes : “Is Ay husband faithful to me? He spends -i lot of time outside, and I am won- ering whether he is getting tired of me.” Your husband’s writing shows that he is fond of .change and variety. Are you sure that YOU are not to blame for the time he spends outside the home,, without you? You/ writing shows that you are somewhat domes- ticated; are not very fond of gaiety. I advise you to meet your husband' half-way. Go out with him more than you do. After all, marriage is a mat- ter of give-and-take in which both partners must do their share. Don't allow yourself to get jealous and show'* it. Nothing can so quickly wreck a happy marriage as continual jealousy. ' ' | Do YOU want to kne what your handwriting shows of your character? Have you a sweetheart, friends or re- latives you would like to know the real truth about? Send specimens of the writings you want analysed, enclosing 10c for EACH specimen. Send with stamped addressed envelope to : L, Hibbert, Room 421, 73 West Adelaide St., Toronto, Ont.