The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-25
THE sECHEr OF INFLuENCE.
Iermon by DIR. n"smer. of Antioch
College
From the Chicago Tribune


From the Chicago Tribune.
Rev. DIR. Hosmer, President of An
tioch College, last evening preached in
the Church of the Messiah Unitarian
upon "The Secret of influence" the
purpose OF the discourse being to excite
the congregation to the exertion OF
force, to the end that their influence
NAV be beneficial ut the present time,
and in the future. He said: The es-
sence of influence is known alone to the
AlIwise. Humanity feels its existence
and knows that II has force, but why OF
what 1t is, Is not OF worldly knowledge.
1t is and it can never be destroyed. 1t
may be increased or changed, and per-
haps lessened, but it can never be oblit-
Grated. He conceived influence to be a
gin of living quality, which being
rightly nurtured may grow so that the
one talent shall become ten; perhaps
the ten talents might become one, but
the influence of a single human being,
he believed, could only be swept away
by the destruction of the human race.
Influence he characterized as being COM
posed of three elements. That which
flows from the man himself apart from
all conscious actiou-the involuntary
! element. That which comes through
conscious endeavor-the voluntary ele-
! ment, because II is under control. The
third, or accidental element, which
| grows out OF the results of the other ell
ements. This last is exhibited in the
results OF wealth, and il is the element
most appreciated in the world in con-
nection with the results OF the yOlun-
tary Influence. The speaker then de-
sCribed his views OF the involuntary
Influence, which goes ont as mind to
| mind to counteract the seeming of the
accidental and involuntary Influence,
| protesting against the deceptions prac-
tised or attempted - be palmed of to
secure the accidental influence of pow
er or place. Men forget their spiritual
part, and so forgetting, train their
bodies to deceive it; but they are una
BILE to avoid tue power of their lnvolu H.
| Lary influence and therefore comes the
necessity of making the three elements
to flow i'll harmony. He considered
that IL all were so regulated the con-
| dilion of mankind would be i'll great
measure changed. Were all the
streams of influence flowing toYether,
| wealth would be the portion OF the
| well-dispOsed, the generous, liberal
and cultivated. Power would include
the idea of the imperial adminis-
tratiou of justice by person who
should be model Of excellence. To
say of man that he was great, wise
and good, would mean that he had
wealth, and was in power. All this il
]
otherwise. The cause is that men seek
for influence by reason OF seeming to
\ be what they are not, Instead of being
/ what they should be; they ignore the
| elements excepting that which is acci-
| dental, aud they aim TO procure that
! influence which tends only to the pres
ent, and for the present is only the
! source of disquiet and unrest. he de-
/ sired rather that the world should
strive to procure an influence for end
| less good. To secure this the end must
/ be to deserve it Being worthy, the
power would follow as surely as that
I three twUS make six. The light must
be made to shine upon all men, not by
/ cleaning, Aladdin like, the outside OF
! the lamp, but there must be the use OF
\ good oil and wick, and the cleaning OF
| the lamp outside and in. Having lash
ioned life to the position of wOrthiness,
/ influence for good would follow In
obscuriEy the small man would fill per
| haps a small space, but 1t would come
| that the stone wanted in the wall would
uot be left in the way. Seeking after
| worldly influence he decried, and
urged his hearers to attend less to the
l result than to the means.
| The Lords supper was then admin
| istered, the Rev. DIR. Yosburg presi-
| ding at the table.