The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-07-01

e
him, trying to shake that faith by per-
Ouasion and menace. He is telling him
that he has been his friend, but. unless he1
abures his religion, he will now be cou-
strained to deliver him up to his enemies,
10 be burned on the morrow. Bowing
before his sovereign, touched by the kind
ancss he had shown, but grieved at the
weakness lie displayed, the old man, in
flexible in his duty, replied in these mem
oT.ble words: "Sire, your Majesty has
often said that you pity me. For my
part, I pity you for pronouncing the
words i am constrained This is not
speaking like king; but let me inform
you, in royal language, that neither the
Guisar,s. your whole people, nor yourself,
shall conslrain poor potter. can die
I can die! royal language, indeed, for it,
i the language Of truth. of faith, of duty.
Which of these men, Syla. the fortunate,
or Palissy, the martyr, is the greater in
the sigh. of wisdom-which the most
snc. essfu, if this question is to be an
swered, not Ivy time, but by eternity
1t is my earnest counsel to you to make
firm and abiding sense of duty the
great active principles Of your lives. l
do not tell you to do this. because it is
expedient that you should do SO; l do
not promise that by so doing you wills
gain renown, heap up riches, or escape
sorrows, because no such false and illuso-'
ry hopes can be held out to you. Onthe
contrary you may fail, as many Of the,
best men have DONE in accomplishing the
objects dearest 10 you on earth. You
mnst look for no earthly reward if you
adopt this principle, and; yJ?o's- may even,
expect TO suffer on its account; but in the
face of this expectation, still conjure
you to cling to it, for it is the right.
Perhaps as you walk toiling and painful.
ly along the straight and narrow way OF
dutv, where difficulties meet you at eve
ry step, where dangers appal and tempta.
tions allure you, your strength may fail
and you will long to follow the allur;ng
but crooked paths of sin; if so, think of
Him who crowned with thorns trod with
mixed and bleeding feet the road that led
to Calvary, and from his example learn
to cleavc to the right. even il. thus doing
so leads you too 10 the cross Perhaps
when You see vice faunting by in her
| triumphant cnalloC, crowned Will s.io
laurel of victory, drunk With power, rich
with spoil, seductive in her mcretricious
beauty, pressing on swiftly in that bread
road Which seems to lead to fortune.
pleasure. glory, while virtue, sad and
afflicted. with weary steps and slow, pur-
suing her lonely way on that thorny and
rugged path which ends only aa s''fs'
grave. your hearts viii sink and you may
b. tempted to fors:ke the true faith, 10
worship at the shrine of the false. Should
such temptations arise, should you be dis
posed for the sake of expcdiency to sac!
rritice duty, 20 to yonder quiet cemetery,
and, as you look upon the grave of Jack
son, think of that great soldier, pure Pa-
triot and humble Christian,
..Who taught MS how to live, end Oh too high,
For such price who taught us how 10 die"
Should any further incentive to confirm
YOUR wavcrng faith be then needed, turn
from the grave Of the dead hero and
Christian to contemplate the living one,
and learn to live like him, whose inspira-
tion has been patriotism, and whose polo
star is duty.