The Portland daily press., 1890-04-10
MORAL BACKBONE.
Rev. Joseph Dickson Speaks OF Its
Necessity and Accomplishments.

Owing to the run Of yesterday, many
people were unable to attend the closing en-
tertainment of the Y. NJ. G. A. Star course,
given at the First Baptist church, but those
who were there were amply repaid in listen
ing to the Rev. Joseph Dickson, Jr., pastor
of the 23d Baptist church of New York
City.
Mr.. Dickson announced his subject as
Backbone" The subject is trite and COM
monplace, said he, but the standing
principles of character in the moral world
correspond to the spinal column Of the
ply sical He makes success Of life who
makes stand. If we see these characters
ties in the child we shall see then in the
man. He related pathetic story Of two
little waits in New York city, a boy Of six
years and girl of four, who were making
soup of a few scraps Of meat and refuse
vegetables which they had picked up some
where, but before the soup was done the
officers of the society with the long name
came to see them. and asked them where
their father was. Haven't any; he Is
dead" "Any mother?" Eyes, but she's no
good, she's on the Island all the time" So
away, and when they found they were to be
separated the girls grief was almost uncon.
trollable. To comfort her the boy put his
hand on her shoulder aud said, "Never
mind, Tilly, I'll have big house by and by,
when Igrow up. and we'll have it all to cur
selves" That boy will have that house by
and by, that nameless wall, that wharf rat,
will have a name. because in him are the
elements of true manhood. Backbone Is the
element in character to hold the forces to
gsther; but it doesn't mean fool hardness.
The Irishman in the battle of Bull Run, who
was taunted with running away said: II
did run, and them that didn't run are still at
Bull Rum"
The man who is saying, "What will people
think?" is a slave to that, and cannot make
please everybody fails. If there is a pollti-
clan here he probably has tried. In the
South anyone who wants to run for Office
can run as long as he pleases. l knew a
man who has run for sheriff for ten years
and been defeated every year, but Is still
running.
"Please everybody" ?" says one. "Oh that is
easy-for the preacher. He has only to
preach the Cross and Christ-surely he can
please everybody" Can he? l have had
broad experience four churches in as many
Il
Baptist church in Boston, and sometime,
after get through with New York 1 may go
back there and live, really live to the square
inch. thought l would try and please
everybody. Was everybody pleased? One
% the organ an others found fault with the pews,
vestry, steeple--because the church was
built Of brick, and covered with stucco which
the heat Of summer and the frosts of winter
would tear off. Well change the whole Of
the exterior and interior, would they be
pleased then? No, they didn't like the lot.
A preacher please all?-an imp0ssibility.
In the church much is sometime needed
instead of moral suasion. An amusing Illus
tration was given in the case Of drunken
man who stepped clear up to the altar 10 a
Methodist church, and asked the minister IL
he could perform miracle: AT first the
minister tried to reason with him, but he de-
manded miracle wrought on him. So the
minister advanced to him and said that the
only miracle left for the church militant was
to cast out derilsi and Immediately put him
out.
II man stands his ground even in bad
cause, one feels certain respect for him. 1t
is the vacillating man that tails. The world
draws out its foot and kicks him out.
1t is very trying thing nowadays to have
the courage of ones convictions. II you
make stand, there Is fight, and If you
don't make your stand, your are going to be
kicked out.
There are three forces which environ man
the power inside, the power above, and
the surrounding circumstances. A man can
hold his hand on The lever of life and guide
his own destiny. A man who talks of fatal
ism, and carries horseshoe around with
him and a horse-chestnut in his pocket, says
something Is going to happen, and something
will happen to him. When man says ~
will, the mountains become mole-hills and
impossibility becomes possible-he can
eliminate the word impossible from his die
tionary