The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-05-17
-rnE srRueeLE ZOE LIZ
The Lecture OF President Taylor, of the
Normal, at the NJ e. Church
last EyanfnR


Normal, at the M E. Church
Last Evening.
It affords as pleasure TO note that |
President Taylor, OF the Normal, was
complimentcd al the NJ. E. church last
week by very fine audience, who.
in turn, were richly repaid for their at
tendance by the mastery lecture on
"Thc Struggle for Life,n delivered by
the speaker. The lecture was preceded
by the hymn. "Jesus Lover of My Soul"
which was sung in q very effective man.
ner by double octette of excellent
voices. Mr.. A. E. Parkinson, of the
Young Mems society, then introduced
President Taylor, who stepped onto the
platform and commenced his address,
which abounded in well-seasoned
thought and pertinent illustrations, was
couched in fifty chosen and expressive
language, and was delivered in the
most pleasing style. An outline of the
lecture is as follows:
If there is a mystery deeper than 9TH
er mysteries il is the mystery of life,
Notwithstanding that we study 1t care
fully, that It works with mathematical
exActness, that the amount of work an.
animal can do can be estimated, given
the amount of food used and the kind of
animal, yet the laboratory of life is hid
den as in q mist. With our five senses
we can see much but how much more
might we learn had we another sense
l-one by which we could watch the de.
| velopment Of life, the unfolding of
the leaf, the growth of the seed TO the
plant, the sealed book of life would be
open with the why of its phenomena
cleared away.
The creator might have spoken the
WORD and the nineteenth century would
have sprung into existence with all its
| development and achievements. The
gradual change from chaos to order
might have been done away with
but il was not in accordance
| with his divine plan. How often the
vapor became rain, built the plant and
became rai1 again we cannot tell. The
light came, the earth's crust cooled, the
interior fell away and the crust sank,
the volcano belched out its food of fire
| and melted stone and old life was again
chaos. But better life sprang up and
what was once q void became a waving
Eden with its cool shades and scented
ZephYrs, and the earth burst forth in
praise to the creator of all. Amer the
| struggle of matter was over then came
| the strife of the animal. First, huge
beasts and fishes commended tor the mas
terry, then the saufian darkened the wa
ters, the fox burrowed for safety, the
timid chamoIs sought the mountain
| strongholds out of the reach of its foes
| on the beetling crags and the milder
animals were taken under the care of
| man, who in turn, killed them that he
might live.
The bee stores not only her dinner,
but provides for life in the future. Even
vegetation is armed for the strife. The
cactus fills its cells in the rainy season
| to guard against the coming drouth.
With man the warfare is the same.
Childhood, youth and old age pass away,
generation succeeds generation, races
rise and die. Life, once tull of joy and
hope, is now death. Is nothing gained
Once the very elements were considered
as warning against man. Tho light
| ning's flash, the thunder's roar, the
earthquakes shock and the volcanoes
| glare, were gods seeking only the de-
struction of man. A cry arose to heav-
en-, craving mercy and pardon. That
cry has arisen in every land and in ev-
cry tongue. Yet nature needed it
not; she understood not that language.
L
with uncovered head, taking possession
of the sea which man had bowed to, be-
fore, in awe. 1t is the result of growth
from youth to manhood, as it were.
The cry had been answered from with
in. Nature was still the same force but
man was stronger and better.
Obstacles are necessary to life.
Wherever we find life we see this end
less struggle. The cries in great city
are only rlpples on the sea oflife. There
are hundreds OF occupations and thou
sands engaged in each, all rubbing and
grinding, smoothing and polishing, raIs-
ing to greater perfection those concern
ed In this struggle for life. Go to the
stock exchange. AS you enter you no
tice several preparing for the work of the
day. Soon men of all kinds gather. You
see knot OF them seemingly engaged
in fierce struggle, but you can find
nothing but wrangling oyer the price
Of corn. Another group are gesticulat-
ing, yelling, and pushing each other
yet they are fighting only over the
price lof cattle. There is
a lull. A few kilograms are read and
creased fury. Some go home at night
ruined, others more wealthy. Some
work up again, some fall, and thus the
struggle goes on. Turn where you will
all is strife; everybody and everything
seem to be struggling for life. Death
follows lite, and life follows death, but
each life is better, grander and higher.
The hand to hand struggles in
the arena are giving way before the
strife of mind. We all have an ideal
TO strive after, q more perfect man
There is more good In the world than
one naturally supPoses while walking
home from q political harangue or 6
popular lecture. If we turn from the
dark side which has been pictured fo1
US we can find hundreds who have done
nobly where one has been painted as bad
The world is growing better, getting
higher, and we come from each struggle
improved, manlier and more godlike.
The audience paid the closest atten
ton throughout to the lecture and at it!
close showed their appreciation by theil
I applause.