Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-07-24
Colby [ University.
Grafton by Rev. G. =. Pen,eco,t OF R
ton.

| The GRAFTON Of Tuesday evening before the
| literary societies was delivered by Rev. G. +,
Pentecost of Boston. The orator was escort
ed to the church by the Portland band, fol-
lowed by a procession of students Prayer
/ was first offered by Rev. Mr.. Cow of Boston.
| Mr. Pehtecost stated at the commencement of
| his discourse, that he came before the audi
ence preacher and not as an orator, and
that he had accepted the call to deliver an
| Grafton before the societies, with the under
| standing that they would gladly receive what
ever he might offer He chose as his subject:
What constitutes real success in life, In
introducing the subject he said that it was
fair TO suppose that he was speaking to a COM
| pany of young men who are lust upon the eve
| Of pushing out into the world, with the fixed
determination of conguering for themselves
| the highest measure of success possible. If
| by this they mean that they are determined
in lifes struggle to adopt and pursue the tru-
est policy of life, and to gather the largest
| harvest that may come of it, but determined
to pursue the true policy with or without Wis
| ible success, then their determine ion is a
noble one. But if on the other hand, in their
| hearts they have determined upon the achieve
| ment of success as the world has it, regard
less of true policy, then they have invited and
! IL
! disastrous defeat
| In beginning life it is of the utmost irlpor-
/, lance that clear and definite conviction of
| what constitutes success be reached, and that
| the conviction reached be grounded in a
| .'true policy Of life" With the hope that he
might at least awaken sincere thoughts upon
the subject he would venture to throw out a
few suggestions, not as a scientific, hut an
| approximate statement.
| Some are striving for tie high places of
power and influence. Others are struggling
with might and main to gain that eminence
| in their chosen vacations, not for the wealth or
! the power it may bring them, but simply that
| their names may be in the mouths of the peo-
| pie. The strong tendency of the times ih
which we live, is towards the outward at the
! expense of the inward, towards the temper
| AIRY at the expense of the permanent towards
the unreal at the expense Of the real. Against
this tendency, against the Devils policy, he
would lift up his voice in solemn and earnest
| warning.
Above the Pla,onist and Epicurean theory
of life there is master who has lie, tall from
his lips, the lips of truth and love, some pre-
cepts bearing upon the true policy OF life that
no earnest and sincere man can afford not
to deeply ponder and lay up in his heart. lie
hath said "A mans life consisteth not in the
things which he possesseth." 4 mans real
success is something independent of all out
ward things.
We have butte take one step before we
conclude that success in life is something in
dependent Of possession; because a man may
possess all things outwardly, and yet suffer
the utter ruin of himself, as says again our
Great Master, "Wbat shall it profit man if
he gain the whole world and lose his own
soul" Mathew Arnold has rendered this say
ing of our Lord, how is a man advantaged if
he gain the whole world and suffer the loss
of himself. SO that we say if man adopt
that policy of life that has no inwardness to
il, or one in which his self is lost sight Of he
makes blunder that no amount of worldly
or outside success can repay.
We can not always be sure that the man who
wears q gentleman's clothes is gentleman
The gentleman exists Independent of the ac-
cident of clothing. The lack of genteel attire
will not permit man from being recognized
as gentleman, nor on the other hand can
any amount of dress or outward appearance
galvanze a boor into gentleman. SO with
regard to the visible success of life. Outward
signs are no guarantees of real success, nor is
the absence of them evidence of failure.
The time is coming when every man shall
be stripped of his outside things, and shall be
judged by what he is himself Then it will
be seen that a mans success consists in what
he is and not in what he has. In other words
true success consists In being something, and
not in getting something.
Man has two selves. The outward self and
the inward self. The outward self is that in
which the ego is enthroned, the inward self is
that in which God is enthroned. 1t is the in
ner self to which the outward self must be
sacrificed. The one is the seat of the perish
ing life, the other the seat of the enduring
life. The one must be lost before tho other
is found. 1t is this new found self in which
God has incarnated himself, around which all
true success gathers. The highest success is
to find and cultivate this inner self and pre-
sent 1t to God faultless, not having spot or
wrinkle. While We urge the cultivation of
the inward self as the ''true policy of life," we
do not disparage or contemn the struggle
after the outward and visible, but urge only
that the outward be sought and used as a
means and not as an end.
That is not success which in the achieve