Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-05

it, one may enquire, that the individ'
ual has such importance attached to
him? How prone we are, when we
feel our weakness, our nothingness,
our insigniiicance, to say of ourselves
as individuals:
at cannot surely much behoove,
If in thy hfes so shallow groove,
Thou moyest, or thou doth not move,
Amidst the thousand myriad lives
What matter If no work survives
OF thy small doing? who counts, alas!
One cricket chirpiug in the grass,
The less, when summertime doth pass?"
False reasoning is this. Because
of this influence we have under con-
sideration, which each man cannot
but exert, the individual man is
clothed with infinite power for good
or evil. Possessed of good influence
or evil influence, one is invested
with power superior TO that impart-
ed by any magician's wand. Like
Prospero he can call forth a Caliban,
deformed and degraded, or an Ariel,
springing from the world of pure
spirits. The individual man Or wo-
man by this power can be Franken-
stein creating demons to crush the
world or a Phidias, enrapturing and
charming mankind by developing
beauty out Of deformity, loveliness
out Of crudity and irregularity.
Your individual influence eXer-
ted in the line of the. true, the
beautiful and the good, can
make another life what God intended
it should be; eXcrted on the side Of
sin and unrighteOusness, it will
change some fair life into a dark and
mOurnful history. We can estimate
the power with which the individual
man is invested? Zone man of you
shall chase a thousand" is as true
now as when the words were ut
tered. When there is work to do, an
enterprise to be carried forward, say
not with Elijah, Il even only am
left" and on that account become sad
and dispirited. Add another 20 your
force through personal influence, and
then still others will be embraced
within the sweep Of that influence,
until your ranks become sufficiently
full to accomplish the " ork and car
ry forward the enterprise 10 its sue
cessful consummatiOn, As an indl.
yidual, as unit, as Il single man,
you are an important factor in max
ing up the history of the world.
1t is Gods way To work through
little things TO great things. lie
made atoms, then through them a
world. So he selects units from the
sum total OF humanity, and through
them carries forward his mighty pur-
poses. In reading the Bible, we per-
celve individuals looming before us
stepping down through the centuries
in single tie-Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Isaiah, Jtre.
miah-not cluster of stars, but each
clothed with brilliancy and bright
ness of its Own--cach used by the
Almighty as separate force to full
fill his designs. Young ladies and
gentlemen, each of you has been en-
trusted with power, the eXertion OF
which converts you with yourtellow'
men in this time, and through al
coming ages, yea through eternity
itself, Use it for the glory of Goo
and the elevation Of the race. Re
member your individual responsible
ity because of your individual pow
Cr.
One thought more, and conclude
this sermon. What is the standard
by which we are to pronounce a lilt
successful or unsuccessful? Sha!
that standard be wealth Oh, no. On
many a costly monument erected Il
the rich dead, might be inscribed il
letters large and bold:
"a life of nothngs, nothing worth
From that first nothing before birth,
To that last nothing under earth"
Shall it be reLoNn? Were the I
Of the illuslrious ones, who hav
passed from earth, to be called, will
what emphasis would they declar
the worthlessmess of fame. TO striv
, for glory is but too frequently TO b
, wrecked for time and eternity. ShaI
, the standard he results achieved ? d.
not thus conceive Of success. 1t i
grand to start at the end Of life sur
| rounded by glorious results, the frui
$ ton of our hopes and prayers, gran,
to have the setting sun of life shed it
departing rays on battleiields whic
speak Of victory for truth-grand t
die:
"Wept for, hOnOred, known
Y And like u woman oycrthrown,
When soied with noble dust he hears
!. His Country's war song thrill his ears"
| II, when we come TO the end of OF
journey, we are conscious of havir
q tried to exert Sour influence on I'll
/ side of good; If as we look back "
S are conscious of ever having had bC
fore our eyes the possible good whiC
n might issue from our words and OF
: deeds, even tho we feel AS tho W
@ had been defeated in lile's battle
c even tho we have no trophies TO tc
q Of our honest efforts; even tho on
g names are not mentioned in the hoe
G Of fame which men keep on earth.
d we have nevertheless been successtu
grandly, gloriously successfully,
perhaps in the eyes of the "maddin
crowd" but in the eye of him wi
knows the heart, The influen,
which goes forth from your life is Il
standard by which to determil
whether that life should be pr
nounced success or failure.
life "hid with Christ in God, mol,
ed and fashioned after Ills life, pa
taking Of its fragrance-even tho Il
world knows not that it is beil
lived-is u success in the genuil
meaning of that word, for etcrni
alone can estimate the good whit
silently goes forth from it. Let II
thank you for your very kind atte
A ton, and close this address by quo
,e ing to you Il poem, illustrating mo
10 beautifully the thought | ha'
been seeking to enforce, viz; that n,
m in fame or glory or great achiev
10 menis is true success always to
,t found, but in noble living, eXertil
I. an influence for good that is uncndil
to and undying.
~ 81 sing the Hymn of the conquered, who fell
is the battle of life,