gL Sunday School lesson 4 LESSON IV. : RECEIVING VISION FOR SERVICE Mark 9. 2-10 Golden Text: -- This is my beloved Son: hear ye him. Mark 9:7. THE LESSON IN ITS SETTING Time--Autumn, A.D. 29. Place--Probably on Mount Hermon. The transfiguration of Christ is re- corded also in Matt. 17: 1-13, and Luke 9: 28-36, b ¢h of which accounts | should be read with the one in Mark to get as complete a conception as possible of this remarkable event. Peter has an additional account of this miracle in his Second Hpistle (1: 16- 18). 2. And after six days. That is, six days after the confession of Simon Peter regarding the Messiahship of Christ. Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John. These three, the flower and crown of the apostolic band, Peter, who loves him so much, and John, whom he loved so much, and James, who should first attest that death could as little as life sep- arate from his love. (Acts 12. 2). These were the three who, alone, were with the Lord at the raising of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5: 37), and who were the only ones allowed to go with him into the Garden of Geth- semane on the night of his betrayal (Mark 14: 33, etc.). And bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves. "The place of the transfiguration is not definitely locat- ed in the Gospels. Earlier tradition almost unanimously fixed on Mount Tabor. Modern opinion almost as un- animously regards as most likely Mount Hermon. The Transfiguration 3. And he was transfigured before them. And his garments became glister- ing. The word here translated 'glis- tering" is applied to (1) the glitter of arms or of polished surfaces; (2) the flash of lightning; (3) the twinkling of stars, and is therefore peculiarly expressive. Exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them. A fuller was one whose trade was to clean linen clothes. We can never know fully exactly what this transfiguration was. In the circumstance that his glory was not one which wag lent him, but his own, bursting forth as from an inner foun- tain of light, not merely sili pg fro jthonme = ens of superiority, prerogatives of the Mas- ter above the servants, The veil of flesh which has concealed the glory of the Gounead, was, as it were, with- drawn, and the full blaze of ineffable light broke forth from within, while even his garments caught the won- drous rays, and shimmered with the dazzling brightness of sun-smitten snow. 4. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. May it not be 'hat Moses and Elijah are present because of their peculiar and miraculous exit from the world? Moses, as we know, died '1 a special way by the hand of God. Elijah, as we know, did not suf- fer death, but was translated in a chariot of fire to heaven. Moses of Course represented the law, while Eli- jah was representative of the prophet- ic order, and thus in Moses and Elijah and the Lord Jesus meeting together, we have the trinity of the law, the prophets, and the g.spel. 5. And Peter answereth and saith to Jesus. Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three taber- nacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. The tab- ernacles of which Peter spoke were little booths or huts made out of branches of trees or bushes, such as Were constructec for the feast of tab- ernacles. Peter and his fellows were so taken with the sight of the felicity they saw that they desired to abide on the mount with "esus and the saints. : A Mistake 6. For he knew not what to answer; for they became sore afraid. Had he said, Let us stay here and make three tabernacles, one for thee and one for me, and one for James and John, it would have had more of reason in it. Think of Moses sojourning in a taber- nacle, or Elijah settling down to rest in a booth! The whole suggestion is grotesque. For him, as for all men in like circumstances, it were infinitely better to say nothing. He had lost the sense of the spiritual; and his mind, moving wholly within the realm of material things, imagined tha' the spirits of the just made perfect could find shelter in tabernacles constructed of boughs. The mistake is by no means an obsolete one. Men are still trying to make tabernacles, one for Christ, one for Confucius, one for Bud- dha, 7. And there came a cloud over- shadowing them: and there cape a voice out of the cloud, This is my be- loved Son: hear ye him. This Voice was heard in three critical hours in Jesus' history; at his baptism (1:11), here, and when he was tempted to evade the cross, to leave his nation, and to go to the Gentiles (John 12: 28). The full text of the Father's wit- ness (combining the three Gospel ac- B--D counts) is--This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. Hear Ye Him ; We are to hear Christ regarding our own sinfulness. We are to hear him as he unfolds the truth concerning God. We are to hear him as he speaks of life to come. We are to hear him as he speaks of himself, the only be- gotten Son of God. We are to hear him as we hear no one else in the world, dead or living. 8. And suddenly looking round about, they saw no one any more, save Jesus only with themselves. "Moses and Elijah had pa-->d. The glory had v.nished. The heavenly voice was sil- ent, and they saw J. us only. He was the same Jesus that they had known. But they never could think of him again as they had thought of him be- fore. For once they had been permit- ted to look at him changed, altered, transfigured. 9. And as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, save when the Son of man should have risen again from the dead. 10. And they kept the s..ying, questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead should mean. What the rising from the dead is refers, not to the resurrec- tion in general, but to the rising Jesus predicated to himself. On the fact of the final resurrection of the dead the di~ciples did not dispute, for they be- lieved this. Jesus, however, had spok- en of himself rising from the dead three days after his being killed. This was a different matter. If Jesus want- ed to rise again, why should he permit himself to be killed? How could the Son of God be killed, and, if he could not be killed, how could he then rise from the dead? Meaning of the Transfiguration The life of Jesus was bound to reach this point of transfiguration. It could do no other In Jesus of Nazareth there was the perfect unfolding before heaven and before men, of the divine intention as to the process of human life. Beginning in weakness and limi- tation, passing through difficulties and temptation, gaining perpetual victory over temptation by abiding only, at all times, and under all circumstances, in the will of God, at last, all the testing being ended, the life passed into the Tight oF heaven, Hopasi, And luto the of death, but through the painless and glorious process of transfiguration, and as he was transfigured, he was filled with the answer of God to the perfection of his life. May Soon Make Corn-Fed Cars "Agrol,"" New Fuel Developed From Farm Products, To Be Manufactured In Plant At Sioux City, Iowa. Corn will soon be fed to automo- biles as well as hogs in the region around Sioux City, Ia. With other small grains and sorg- hum, this farm staple is to be made into "agrol, a power alcohol, which blended with gasoline makes an effi- cient motor fuel. With construction there this spring of a $500,000 plant for its manufacture there will be launched an extensive test of both manufaturing and marketing possi- bilities of the new fuel. It has been made before 'in commercial quanti- ties but not on such a large scale and such a widely organized basis as is now planned. "Anti-Knock'" Qualities The plant is to be built by the Am- erican Chemica! Foundation, an af- Albania Awakening From Grip of Tribal and Religious Customs RE ih ER RRR FRR Interest in Albania, focused by the recent visit of the sisters of the King, reveals that the tiny Balkan state is finally emerging from centuries-old domination of religious and tribal customs to follow western civilization. The change is gradual, and women sti}l gather at this water fountain in Tirana to exchange gossip and draw the day's water supply. filiate of the National Farm Chemur- gic Conference. The venture has the backing of various local interests. While it is claimed that mixing agrol with "regular" gas will give it anti-knock qualities, and at the same price, the primary purpose of the enterprise is to furnish a new market for agricultural products, The Foundation: has for some time been producing agrol at a plant in Atchison, Kan. More than 100 gaso- line stations in the area are now selling agrol, blended with various kinds of "straight" gasoline. In Ne- braska and Kansas there already are more than 1,800 service stations sell- ing the product, according to Leon E. Champer, Sales Manager of the At- chison agrol plant. Heart Of Atlantic Is Saragossa Sea It Has Rhythm -- Centre of The Ocean Is a Mile Deep In an office-just behind the Eiffel Tower is the Scientific Office of Fish- eries of France. Tnare sits M. Le Danois, the director, an z.,ternation- ally known oceanographer, S&ys uu - ~ven-z1meS. It is his task to tell French fishermen where particu- lar species of fish are running in shoals. To aid him Le Danois has drawn elaborate charts which indicate re- gions of equal temperature. ° Studies Thermal Conditions For more than a generation Le Danois has been studying thermal conditions in the Atlantic. To him the Gulf Stream is not a current but a mass of water that expands and contracts in cycles of one, four-and- a-half, nine, eleven and eighteen years. A huge bowl is the Atlantic, he holds. Its bottom and sides are colder than the centre and not so salty. And the centre? That is the Saragossa Sea, a mile deep and 800 miles in diameter. "Immense masses of water of dif- ferent densities and temperatures do not mix readily," explains Le Danois "Hence, this Saragossa Sea, this heart of the Atlantic, which rests on the colder water below, beats more or less rhythmically." Lear and Fat What makes the "heart" beat? The moon, Jupiter, and the sun. A big pulsation occurs every eighteen years. Smaller pulsattons occur in eleven, nine, four-and-a-half years and one year. These "transgressional movements" as Le Danois regards them, account for the seven lean and saven fat Can A Handwriting Analysis Help You? By LAWRENCE HIBBERT (Well-known Psychologist and Handwriting Analyst) Every reader of these articles will, I suppose, at some time, say: "Can a character-analysis help me?" and "Exactly how can it help?" There are so many ways in which a character-reading can be helpful. In the first place it is beneficial in your contacts with others. In domestic circles it can promote mutual understanding, and will in many cases help to eliminate the dis- sension that shatters the peace of so many homes. In business and financial matters it can steer you past the traps set by the unscrupulous or over-optimistic. And in love affairs it can be a guid- ing star that leads you to happiness. Any thing that facilitates your judg- ment of others must be a boon, for there is probably not one of us but has lost money, happiness, comfort or security through miscalculating the character of someone with whom we have been in some way concerned. And above all, character-analysis gives you a clear-cut picture of your own character and potentialities. It reveals unerringly what you are and what you might become. There is no false modesty about a handwriting analysis. It shows with crystal clear- - ness exactly what you are like. One of my recent correspondents, a girl of 20 years, told me that she is in love with a married man. In sending me some of her friend's hand- writing she was obviously hoping that I would confirm her friendship. Now I have no intention of discuss- ing the ethical angle of this case. In any event, it is unnecessary, for this man's writing showed too clearly what an unsuitable friend he is for this girl. If she refuses to sever the acquaintance she will pile up a lot of unhappiness for herself. I mention this case to show that a handwriting analysis plays no favour- ites. It only tells the truth.. Can you doubt that it will help you, too? Whatever your problem may be, this well-known psychologist and handwriting analyst can help you. You can write to him fully and frankly, for all letters are confidential. Send speci- mens of the writings you wish an- alysed, and enclose 10c for each speci- men (coin or postal note preferred). Enclose with stamped addressed en- velope, to: Lawrence Hibbert, Room 421, 73 West Adelaide St, Toronto, Ont. years of the Bible, good and bad crops, rains in Africa, the water level in Victoria Nyanza, famines in India, the number of icebergs, the catch of fur-bearing animals in the Hudson Bay district. Life in the Atlantic depends 'on the beating of the great heart in the Saragossa Sea. Esophagus Performs Astonishing Feats We Hear of a Man who Has Suc- ' cessfully Eaten Razor Blades; Another Consumed Glass and Nails. A performer advertised as a '"Won- der Boy" because of his ability to eat anything, including razor blades, has been taken ill at Halifax, Nova Sco- tia. He chewed and swallowed a raz- or blade and an electric-light bulb, and was found lying on the pavement half an hour later. His condition, however, is not in the least serious. Extraordinary as it may seem, there are many who claim to eat meals that would kill the average person almost at once. A prisoner in a Glasgow jail swallowed a ring, for which he was in- Carceia- » thon ate a spring, a lens and pieces of Iucia.. Tinally he tried cating the bolte and Tally i ia but gave this up. ; An Irishman named Drurimond, who talked with yogis at Darjeeling, swallowed 150 four-inch nails, 700 gramophone needles, and razor blades --and lived. But the most astonish- ing feat in this lume of business is that of a German nobleman who con- sumed 150 rails, 102 brass pins, 150 pieces of j. ged glass, 7 horseshoe nails, 6 coins, 3 bridle buckles, a large lump of lead and 20 other articles, with no ill-effect. And some people have died through swallowing an orange pip! : Sentenced To Hike Somewhere in the United States trudgek a 33-year-old New Yorker, sen- tenced to a 1,200-mile hike for smash- ing his children's toys and calling his wife rude names. At 200-mile inter- vals he must write a postcard to the judge just to say he is keeping moving till he has put 1,200 miles between himself and his wife. You Can Never See Pure Black Pure black is practically an impos- sibility and all the blacks most of us have ever seen are mixtures with some visible colour. It is impossible to see black. This is because pure black absorbs absolutely all the light rays that fall upon it, and reflects none to the eye. Since vision de- pends upon reflected rays of light, there would be none in the case of pure black. If an object were pure black, we would see the outline of it because of the lighter shades around it, but the black itself would not be visible. Steps To Protect Quebec Pea Soup Trouble Is the Pea Moth That Threatens Crop In Some Districts Quebec's pea soup--it's "soupe aux pois" on the menu--must be protect- ed, so Agriculture Minister Bona Dus- sault has gone to bat to rid the prov- ince of the pea moth. The tourist's trip to Quebe~ ign' AL = Boat Pea namnlata withant soup, and each year the pea crop has become more important. Lately, though, the pea moth has been caus- ing damage in the principal growing districts, with the result that Mr. Dussault has issued an edict against the insect. Take Precautions "Whereas," says the minister's rul- ing, "the insect called the pea moth (laspeyresia nigricana stph) causes serious damage throughout the county of Bonaventure and threatens to in- vade the county of Gaspe-South, where the cultivation of green peas has at- tained a considerable importance, it is expedient to take the necessary meas- ures to arrest the progress of this in- sect before it becomes epilemic." Pea growers now must burn all traces of the current year's crop be- fore September 1 and notify the Agri- culture Minister if they find trace of the pea moth. They must not take in- to the counties of "Gaspe-North and Gaspe-South peas or any part of a pea plant or any receptacle used in handling peas. Canada's Streamlined Tower ~:n at work on the streamlined tower of the t uiadian pavilion for the ..mpire Exhibition at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. By VIRGINIA DALE 3 Sylvia Sidney has just finished a picture called "You Wind Me," with George Raft, for Paramount, but she's not much interested in it -- that is, not so much as she is in"geveral other things. . The house she has just bought in New Jersey, near Flemington, for in- stance. It's very old, and she is hav- ing the usual trouble with remodel- ing, which never goes fast enough. But she's also having adventures with it. For instance, some 12 coats of paint had been put on the dining room, dur- ing all the years -- and when they were removed beautiful old pine panel- inng was discovered beneath. Furthermore, the land is good farm- ing land, one hundred and sixteen acres of it; grows good crops of wheat and oats and alfalfa. Irene Dunne has formally adopted the little four-year-old girl who has been living with her for the last year; * HERR Irene Dunne she took the child from the New York Foundling hospital, not from the Cradle, in Chicago, which is the fash- ionable place to get babies. Jean Arthur is coming back to the screen, after a year's absence due to! Ha TAGE Dav has been vacationing in Yosemite, but will go to work soon in the screen ver- sion of ¢"You Can't Take It With You," the delightful play which has been having such a long run on the New York stage. Edn CRE up VE BE SS SE Remember the fuss when John Charles Thomas refused to broadcast it he couldn't finish with "Goodnight, Mother?" Well, that same kind of trou- ble bobbed up on the Fibber McGee and Molly program, and the rules of the broadcastin~ company were bro- ken. Fibber was ending with "Good Night Molly," and was told he couldn't do it any more. But -- "Molly" is the name of a character in the show, explained the sponsors, so it might logically be- long there. In real life, "Molly" is the wife of Jim Jordan, the man who plays "Fibber McGee," and is just recover- ing from a long illness. When the Radio City Music hall in New York holds a picture for a second week you may be pretty certain that the picture's a success, and one that you'll want to see. "Jezebel" made the grade recently. Dolores Del Rio returned home with glowing tales of her vacation trip to- Morocco, and a lot of souvenirs -- per- fume, jewelry, neck- laces. Leaving Afri- Ta, she flew across Spain, and on to Par- is, where she saw a lot of old friends and acquired a lot of new clothes. Dolores reported thankfully that she did not bring back any sou- venirs of the civil war in Spain, nor of the threatening in- national situation in Europe, general- ly. Dolores Del Rio ODDS AND ENDS Cary Grant had a novel present the other day --a bottle of old-fashioned cough medi- cine, which he sadly needed, from Ka- therine Hepburn ...... Bette Davis en- tertained Mrs. Roosevelt at Clara Bow's "It" cafe The blondes led in the 1937 popularity poll conducted by the Motion Picture Herald, a trade paper for exhibitors ...... Rosalind Rus- sell gets Joan Crawford's role in 'The Shop Worn Angel" because Joan did not like it George Brent has now bought a home near Kay Francis' Spencer Tracy's popularity rating is now on a par with Clark Gable's and Robert Taylor's And Tracy, Tay- lor, Wallace Beery and possibly Fran- chot Tone will work together in "Northwest Pasage" ...... Allen Jenkins and his wife picked Mexico City for their vacation 7... "Scaramouche" will he screened again .....