St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-23
Rev. Vail Points the Lesson
Taught by One Mans
LabopS.
Among the Indian Tribes Of:
the Arctics Of Amer
lea. !.
The Power Of One Strong
Voice Crying in the Will !
depneSS.
A Nell in English Lanes or a
Hampden in Village
Fields.

4e are an epistle of Christ written
not with ink, but with the spirit of the living
God.
Upon this text, drawn from the Epis-
ties Of st. Paul. Rev. w. S. Vail
preached to the Uniyersalist congrega-
ton yesterday. The idea of the text is
not hard to understand. 1t teaches the
embodiment of the religious life so fully
that a person may become kind Of
concrete demonstration of the word he
brings to the people. And in calculating
my theme, shall ask you to follow me
in the footsteps of man who seems to
me one of the best modern examples of
union of precept and example. Far to
the north and west lies bit of territory
little known save to the traveller, and
from Alaska l bring my sermon to-day.
A great many years ago William Dun
can asked privilege to make his home
in Fort Simpson until he could master
the language of the natives, affirming
his attention at that time to devote him
self to their development and improve
ment. He was a bright, able man, but
to understand his work we must under
stand the possibilities of his position.
What, then, are the possibilities of
ecclesiastical ambition? A Wolsey is
one of the developments of every age,
and is found in all churches. Your
church politician is worldly wise. He
makes use of the position to gain his
ends. He has visions of high, easy
places, and knows that he has a very
large value in appealing to certain ele-
ment desirable to all leaders. Like VOL
Sey, too. he usually gets all that pomp
and plate, and palace can give man to
make him happy. But with all this he
is apparently humble, smooth and
piOuS, and one always recalls the
sanity ecclesiastic of Browning. who.
looking on the boy who had. never had
good meal. himself dressed in satin,
flashing the diamond from his finger,
and thinking of his elaborate dinner
and saying: And so, my boy, you are
minded to give up this miserable
world
THE CHURCH POLITICIAN,
too, is not without certain hope of
glory. Do you remember the bishop of
st. PraXed'S? how he called the SONS
and told them of the one hope he had so
long cherished. the hope of making a.
tomb for himself that would outriVal
all others? how he had preserved the
gem that his silent marble figure might
hold the same in its hands and startle
with admiration all who saw it? Such
thoughts and ambitions and hopes have
flied the minds of religious men. They
presented themselves as ideals of this
man. And just as every man who has
looked on the matter at all sees all the
advantages on the conservative side, he
saw them all in England, and the telling
ecclesiastical work he might do there.
The other ideal was that of devoting
his life to the development of noble
thought and high character, of carrying
to men the revelation of what might
be possible to human life were it
possible to rouse man from his torpOr
With the belief that he must devote
himself to man, Mr.. Duncan left for the
distant land. Will you stop to think
what he sacrificed? When he stood on
the walls of Fort Simpson whata deadly
sorrow seized him as he beheld man
torn limb from limb and his BODY eaten.
And when he saw the terrible medicine
man failing i'll the attempt to cure, con-
demned an innocent girl to death, what
need of reform presented itself to him!
And when he went out from the fort
without arms and only Bible in his
below, heard the howl of the mountain
lion in the hills, while in the moonlight
white snoW-capped mountains held
watch and word over the scene; he
seemed going to an unequal fight.
And when he commenced his work,
what did he rely on as evidence of his
truth? Not book containing history
in some part imperfect; not the doeu-
ments of religious councils; only his own
example. Then we come to another
question that has direct bearing on
our problems. What is the best evil
dence OF the Christian religion?
THE POWER OF THE BULLET
should be evidenced by the execution
ocean should be apparent the moment
man sees the wide sweep of boundleSs
| waves. No one need to explain the per-
j fume of the rose. And ifa man really
/ has the spirit of Christ in him, if he is
an epistle written by the spirit of the
| living God, no council or convention
| can take away his claim.
| His work was peculiar. He took the
| Indian where he found him, and
worked on lines that were in sight.
/ They had herded in common tent
| He divided them into families. but he
| allowed an assembly room where they
/ could all meet for certain number OF
| hours. Industry was developed. With
| it came better homes. The school bell
| broke the echoes of the island. Me-
ehanical ability was encouraged. A
| church and worship followed as mat
| ter of course. He instituted wise laws.
| He was kind, merciful and generous.
| The desert bloSSomed, wise men came
1 to see and to praise; but his superiorS in
the church of England thought toe much
laxity was INDUCED. and made his life
| SO much a burden that he left the vii
| lage of Metlakatla and retreated within
| American territory. A Thousand In
dams came with him. A new island
was found. and though stripped of their
| property, they began life anew. In the
| new village to-day the same industry,
sobriety and thrift prevail A new
saWmill has Just been sent to their
| home, and in the near future we may
| hope to see this village among the fore
most in the development of all that is
good in Alaskan life.
And the lesson is the embodiment of
the Christian life in man. He had no
creed of solemn import beyond the
comprehension of most people. He did
| not depend on any outward props. He
! was indeed voice crying in the will
| derneSS. Only, we are to remember
| that the great power of the man came
from his complete conservation. When
ever that comes you are won by admira-
| ton. 1t may be little Nell, wander
ing down English lanes, trying to make
! life little brighter for an old man; or
Hampden
LAUNDERING FOR FREEDOM
! in the parliament; whoever makes the
sacrifice wins our heart. This man fills
| and yitaliZes our life simply because he
| is so full of life itself. He has learned
to do without many things that to most
| people seem necessary. Like the man
| who looks on the Toys and enjoyments
| of the boy as things once necessary but
| needless now, he looks Oh the things he
| has cast aside-the luxurieS. He has
learned to watch for his ideal in other
lives. and when he sees it growing, finds
| in their lives reward for his work. He
has mastered the hardest lesson of all.
! He has seen men watch his iabors. pass
them by without recognition, say no
! helpful word and offer no substantial