The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1880-12-02
AN ADDRESS

sem bling ourselves once more in the
capacity of a Sabbath School con-
ventiou. It's to Him that we should
raise our voices 10 alteration, in song
and in prayer.
We should earnestly invoke Him
to come and be in our midst this
day and own and bless US; 80 that
whatever we may sing, think or do,
may be to His honor and glory, and
to our advancement in knowledge
and virtue
Let us pour cut our swelling hearts
to our Heavenly Father, the living
God, our devout thanks for all these
blessings, these privileges.
| come before you this morning.,
my Sabbath School friends, not be
cause [ have been elected, through
your Partially, President of the
Cobb County Sunday School Asso
citation, but because am deeply in
terested in your welfare in this life
and especially 10 the Ioug, long life
which is to come.
appear before you simply to talk
aud to advise with you.
Would that | had sufficient CON
troll of language to tell these young
people, these boys and girls, the
great anxiety and solicitude that |
feel for them.
If there is anything in this void
that claims my attention more than
anything it is the future prosperity
and happiness of the youth of our
common country for soon upon their
shoulders will rest the political, civil
and religious government of these
United States. Hence the great i'm
portance, and the great responsible,
ty that rests upon us as teachers and
lecturers, and upon you as children
and students.
If man should ever feel solemn,
should ever trembe to the centre, it
should be when be attempts to i'm
press conviction upon the minds of
the young for in them he will touch
cords strung by Omuipotence him
self, which will vibrate when he
shall be- gathered to his fathers ;
which will echo and re echo from
mountain to hill down the valley of
life and reverberate along the shores
of eternity.
These thoughts ought not to fail,
it seems to me, to affect duly and
deeply aim who occupies any posi-
ton among the instructors of youth.
One may talk to age, yea to man
hood in all its vigor, without, per-
haps, accomplishing a great deal of
good, but the ear of the youth is open
and ready to catch every sound and
to be impressed with every thought
Will you my young friends of the
Sabbath School, give your attention
for few moments and let US talk
ard reason about this life of ours. |
tell you life is a stern and solemn re
atty, and if | have passed farther
into its deep waters, where the bill
lows begin to roll and the breakers
to rise, and am yet within speaking
distance of YOU; and remember we'll
the reefs have passed, the shoals |
have escaped, aud the dangers [
have seen, is it not my duty, my
bounden duty, to send back over the
stormy waves my voice of warning
and encouragement 7 1t certainly is.
Then my young friends, let us
pause on the very threshold of life,
and ask ourselves why we live 7
This life of ours mean something.
1t is big with vast and solemn reali-
ties. Life is not glowing, it is grand
If it is mean and low and degraded
to any, they make it SO. Omnipo-
tenc made it glorious.
We are voyagers upon this great
sea of life: we have set sail upon
its broad deep waters. Our little
bark is placed in this great sea by
other hands than ours. The waves
of this mighty ocean are setting out
| ward from the port we have left
The gales are strong and mighty
Stop we cannot The passage must
be made whether we will or not
and | tell you as little as we think
about it, the trip is not a lengthy
one. 1t is but span.
Then it behooves us as rationa
and intelligent beings to make it at
delightful and pleasant to ourselves
and to others as possible.
Allow me to say that while W.
are making this trip across the ocear
of life, that many, very many temp
tations and inducements to leave tn
strait AID narrow channel, will b
thrown in our way.
Then comes the tug of war. The
we have an urgent use for true an
genuine bravery in the world tina
bravery that meets disappointment
trial, affiiction, misfortune, and al
the varied ills of life with perfec
composure. This is what we shoul
call true and genuine bravery and not
ing less. The bravery that faces tn
canuon's mouth is often the feeTS r., 2
public rebuke or the love Of puo,
praise. =
1t is, l fear, more generally am
bition, love of gain, or the madnes
of NARCOTIC drinks. But there Is