Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-11-19
ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST
THE REV. GEORGE W. MIL Ell ON
spI VGESO
A Lecture by the Former Pastor Of
Grace NB. II. Church i'm the Opera
House for the Benefit oR Industry
s.0dge, A, o. u. w.

The Rev. George W. Miller, formerly
pastor of Grace NJ. E. Church in this city,
now of Philadelphia, lectured last night
week in the Opera House for the bene-
fit of Industry Lodge, A. o. U. W., on
the subject of "Pluck." The audience
was small but was thoroughly entertained
by the lecture. Mr.. Miller was introduced
by the Rev. G. w. Prettyman of Union
M. E. Church, and spoke for one hour,
without notes and with that easy, un-
hesitating flow of words for which he was
distinguished when pastor in this city.
Pluck he described as word which had
been considered inelegant and vulgar in
times not long gone by. It is not to be
confounded with egotism, with which very
many people nre endowed and which is no
commendable quality. A large part,
and one of the most interesting portions
of the lecture, was devoted to illustra-
tions from the lives of men who were en-
dowed with real pluck in various depart
ments of achievement. The worlds
great warriors of course furnished numer-
GUS examples among which were We'll
lington and Grant, the latter of whom
exhibited it to such an extent that it
placed him sixth on the list of the worlds
BlSub EchNtuibt bBGuhNi buJ
order as Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar,
Frederick, Napoleon and Grant. The
lecturer drew comparison between
Grant and Met Clellan, in which he described
the latter MS having possessed evefy
attribute of a great general except pluck.
In the line of exploration this quality
was shown ps strongly as in that of war
fare. DR.. Livingstone and the intrepid
aF ~ TyA
Franklin and his successors in the effort
Columbus and Magellan achieved wonders
with it, and General Gordon left
glorious name in the Soudan, achieved by
his plucky efforts in warfare for
humanity. The Atlantic cables and the
Pacific railroads are the great fruits of
pluck struggling against the cold indif-
ference and ridicule of the times of their
projectors.
Another condition of life in which
pluck has achieved wonders, is the case
of men who were the victims of physical
infrmities and affiiction. Demosthenes,
Sir Walter Scott, Sir Alexander Fawcett
and Alexander I'll. Stephens, were pointed
out to illustrate this kind of pluck. The
speaker held that this quality was at the
foundation of all success in life. We are
not all horn equal, the declaration of in
dependence to the contrary notwithstand-
ing, but the great possibilities of life
are open to us all equally, and
it is those of us who have and make use
of the quality of pluck who will reap the
first fruits in this world. The kind of
pluck which makes man struggle to
overcome the defects of which he is con-
scious in his ,own nature was mentioned
with commendation. AS far back as the
days of Rome it was discovered by one of
the thinkers of the times that adversity
was only tutor or trainer, who threw
down the aspirant after fame and fortune
and wrestled with him, not to subdue or
ruin him, but to toughen his muscles and
his spirit, that in the struggles of the
future he might be able to successfully
cope with opposing forces. The speaker
said that if in his brief talk he had but
strengthened the spirit of any of his
hearers he would have accomplished his
purpose.