Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-13
LOYALTY.
Lecture Last Evening by Hon. Grove l..
Johnson pefore the Y. NJ. C. A.


The Hon. Grove L. Johnson delivered a
lecture last evening before a large and
representative audience at Y. NJ. c. A. Hall
upon the subject of loyalty. The lecture
was able, exhaustive well delivered and
frequently interrupted with applause. He
said loyalty is a jealous mistress that reigns
not upon a divided throne. 1t recognizes
no equal bows before no superior; is sin
gle IN its life, its purposes, It's death. 1t
hath but one object, but one design. 1t
bathes itself in the smiles of but one image,
gathers strength from but one ideal; is a
feeling born of conviction, a sentiment
born of feeling. 1t rests not upon reason,
derives no power from science, receives no
aid from learning loses no strength from
| ignorance. Art does not increase its beauty
| nor squalid wretohedness mar its sympa-
| thy. 1t is indigenous to all lands, races
and people, ages and times. Neither King
nor Parliament can limit its field, nor
priest nor teacher extend its bounds. 1t
asks not for mind or intellect for its habita-
tlQp. 1t dwells within the heart. 1t speaketh
alike TO the Prince and the pauper.
Its language is ever the same to belted
knight or timid maiden, to palsied
age or bounding youth, to learned scholar
or ignorant boor. 1t anim2teS all alike. 1t
knows no law, no rule. No argument can
lmpart It, no casuistry can change it. When
1t enters into the soul il swerves with gentle
yet resistless influence all other thoughts
and feelings from out its way, and reigns
triumphant over the heart, the body, the
mind, the life. the death OF those that feel
ITS mighty but sweet and glorious power.
The speaker quoted examples of loyalty
from historic characters of ancient and
modern times; from the civilized, the
barbarous and the untutored savage, who
welcomed death at the stake rather than
sacrifice his loyalty to his kinsmen.
Loyalty is fixedness of purpose, one
ness OF desire, devotion to principle 1t
therefore can be understood. felt, appreci-
ated, recognized and admired bv all in the
ordinary humdrum of life's labors. When
you see, as some times you do, clergy
man who fails to preach npon the sins of
the day, who omits to call attention to the
evils OF lntemperance, of partisanship, of
avarice, OF gambling and similar infrac-
tons OF moral law, you may rest assured
that he is disloyal to his calling. When
you see farmer who spends much of his
time in the city, is an expert at "pedro "
and " freezeout for the drinks" who knows
every deadiall on every road leading to the
city, knows the quality of their liquor and
cigars, who can be found every day at
public houses gOsSipping about matters
and things in general, who saws TO
his men go TO work. instead
of come to work" who never
gets time to set out shade trees, or flowers.
or plants, or vines; who does not believe in
giving to church, and contributes nothing
TO their support who is obliged to keen n
hired man because his work is heavy, and
ne is getting old, but refuses to hire girl
TO assist his wife in her labor because he is
too poor who leaves his farming tools in
the sun because he never finds time TO
build shed; who sharpens his tools on
the Sabbath; who is always going to mend
that broken fence next week who does
not take a newspaper, or a magazine for
himself or family who cannot afford to
buy the girl a piano or an organ, the bows
violin or the wife clothes wringer; but
can set EN- up for the crowd" every time
ne meets the boys; who cannot spare
cent for Christmas presents, but
can spend two dollars for drinks
every time he goes to town in him
you see man disloyal to his business. dis
loyal to farming, disloyal to agriculture-a
man unfit to own or to cultivate the soil.
In closing his lecture, which was filed
with many striking examples, the lecturer
sald Let us then be up and doing let
US impress upon all, but, most particularly,
seek 10 press deep into the minds of the
young, that the foundation. stone of success
III life is loyalty to the particular matters
by each undertaken; that the only sure
method OF attaining the joys of that heaven
SO dear to all is through loyalty to virtue,
to honor, to truth-in word, through
loyalty to principle, for loyalty to principle
is loyalty to God, and loyalty to God is the |
realization of the object of mans creation" |