The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-09
BUILDING TIE Wall.

The text selected by Rev. j. r. Hendy
of the Presbyterian church, yesterda.
morning was from Nehemiah. 4:6:-"Ss
built we the wall; aid ali tho wall wa
Joined together unto the half thereof
tor the people had mind 10 work"
The discourse was q most earnest and
eloquent plea in behalf of the College o.
Emporia, and the following portion d
it. which bears especially upon that en-.
terprise. is we'll worthy of a place In
these columns:
In the Developments of Gods provi.
nence, this community, and especially
this church, are brought face to face
with the momentous possibility of found
ing and fostering in our own midst G
great seat OF CHRISTIAN learning, whose
walls may be broad enough and durable
enough 10 last until the light of the mil.
lennial morning shall fall upon them.
Within those walls, IN the vision 81
faith, see gathered our children and
our chiluren's children for twenty gen
erationS TO cOlne. FrOm those walls
behold great army Of trained and con-
secrated men and women going forth 10
serve the Master, with every form OF
service and In every part Of the vine
yard. The young men and young Wom-
en- that enter these halls Of learning may
go, some tO Persia, some 10 India, some
t. the far-off islands of the sea. bearing
the everlasting message of love 10 the
benighied. Here may rise up young
men that shall be the peers Of Henry
Martyr, Alexander Duff and DAVID Liv-
ingst0ne-oF young women with names
as worthy of Immortality as Harriet
Newell, Frances Ridley Havergau or
Florence Nightingale. bly, heart both
thrills and trembles as speak of 1t
thrills when l think of the golden
possibilities that to- day open up before
US; of the sacred ties that here
shall be formed-uf the increasing num-
bers that shall crowd our halls in the
quest of knOwledge-ef the
large revenue of glory our institution
may in time bring and lay down at the
Masters ieet. Thoughts like these kim
die all my enthusiasm. It was in such
halls of Learning as these that jeremy
Tay lor learned that marvellous yet tender
that TO this hour falls upon
the ear with the melody OF some great
lyric.
And yet tremble, lest being upon the
very verge Of accomplishing our long
cherished purpose, the prize at last
should slip from our Indifferent and
grasp. Oh for the executive
skill and tine eloquent tongue OF q
that could so portray the
mighty claims OF this Christian college
that every man and woman here would
respond: "che God OF Heaven, He will
prosper US; therefore we his servants
will arise and build" ] summon you
to- day with all my hearts best enthusi-
asm to help Us in this great enterprise.
We need the help of ali-both men and
woman, old and young. Seldom does
such an urgenI call as this come twice
in a whole lifetime. The work you do
now in this behalf, you will never have
10 repeat: at is done once and for all
lime" / go farther, and summon You
70 do far beyond any thing you
have ever done before. The
large gift you give to this
Christian university Will not
evapOrate IN o month or two; when you
are in your grave your gift shall be
bringing forth perennial clusters rare as
Hose Of Eschoi. plan on q great, broad
scale beseech you, brethren. Hyou
first think that you can give $100, think
and pray heartily over 1t and see If you
cannot make your gift $500. Those who
are thinking of gIft OF 500 may reach
he high point of $500, and the men who
first began with $500 may be heard say
ing: Eyes yes; the emergency is upon
Us; the opportunity of doing q great
work is right before me; my half thou
sand shall be made whole thousand"
Deem me not ungracious, brethren, when
say that if the members of this church
approach this work with but one-half
ne hearty interest Of the men in Nehe-
miah's day, why the last shadow OF anx-
Iety and doubt shall brushed away, and
your pastor shall then be able to say of
vou as Nehemiah said: $50 built we the
wall, for the people had nInd to work."
Three years ago in the venerable alb
bey of Westminster sat enraptured lis,
;enIng to one of the worlds
nighliest preachers, the gifted
and eloquent Canon FArrar.
His sermon abounded with passages of
noble thought. A few sentences /
otied down in my note book, little
thinking then that l could ever in this
Instant west use them with the eminent
do here to-day:
"As there 10 nothing more absolutely
vulgar and despicabie," said Farrar,
than selfish ana ggasping richess 30
ing your own souls, than by aiding
hose institutions which have been
founded for the welfare of mankind.
And for wealthy man can not think
Of any means of using gold more fruit
ful in usefulness, more likely TO pre-
serve an honOred memory, than TO sup
port sound learning and religious edu-
cation by becoming the benefactor of
some great school," And here is one
more: "Llfe is not the mere living. It
Is worship-it is the surrender of the
soul to God. It is fervid; 1t Is to feel
that when we die, whether praised or
blamed; whether honored or ignored
wealthy or destitute, we have
done something to make the world we
came to better and happier. We have
Tried to cast upon the waters some
seeds which, long after we are
dead, may still bring forth their flowers
Of Paradise The seed dies,-but the
harvest lives. Sacrifice is always fruit
full, and there is nothing fruitful
Else"
al want you to notice yonder citadel
said friend to me one day.
IS we walked out along the road leading
from Paris to Versailles: That fort is
Mont Vaierian. It alone withstood sue
the terrific fire of the German
others succumbed. Then,
when the maddened mob of commun-
lists determined in blind fury to sweep
away all semblance of government. 1t
was this grand old citadel that smote the
and that sheltered the brave
men who rallied rOuld the patriotic
Thler in his effort 70 bring order cut Of
Such citadal, only far more benefi.
cent one, we seek TO plant here, brethren
"a citadel of truth, of learning, Of
citadel that shall stand
The cross fire OF ignorance, lawlessness,
citadel that forever shall
stand to shelter the patriotic citizen, the
the Christian, the stu
dent. VIII You help rs to build itf