The Brookhaven leader., 1890-03-06

great deal of senseless praise of Ion
geyity, though it were q wonderful
achievement to live good while. All,
my friend, it is not how long we live,
but how we'll we live and how usefully
we live. A man who lives to eighty
years and accomplishes nothing for God
or humanity might better have never
lived at all. Methusaleh lived nine
hundred and sixty-nine years, and what
did it amount to? In those more than
nine centuries he did not accomplish
any thing which seemed worth record.
Paul lived only little more than sixty,
but how many Methusalehs would it
take to make one Paul? Who would
not rather have Paul's sixty years than
Methusaleh's nine hundred and sixty
nine? Robert McCheyne died at thirty
years of age and John Summerfield at
twenty-seven years of age, but neither
earth or Heaven will ever hear the end
OF their usefulness. Longevity! Why,
an elephant can beat you at that, for it
lives hundred and fifty and two hun
dred years. Gray hairs are the blossoms
of the tree of life if found in the way of
righteousness but the frosts Of the sec
ond death If found in the way of sin.
One of our able New York journals
last spring printed question and sent
it to many people and among others to
myself: "Can the editor of secular
journal be Christian?" Some of the
newspapers answered, No. i answered,
Yes; and lest you may not understand
me say, Yes, again. Summer before
last riding with Mr.. Grady from re-
ligious meeting in Georgia on Sunday
night, he said to me some things which
l now reveal for the first time because
it is appropriate now that reveal them.
He expressed his complete faith in the
Gospel, and expressed his astonishment
and his grief that in our day so many
young men were rejecting Christianity.
From the earnestness and the tender
ness and the confidence with which he
spoke on these things l concluded that
when Henry w. Grady made public pro-
fession of his faith in Christ and took
his place at the holy communion in the
Methodist church, he was honest and
truly Christian.
That conversation that Sunday night,
first in the carriage and then resumed in
the hotel, impressed me in such way
that when l simply heard of his de-
parture without any of the particulars,
[ concluded that he was ready TO go.
l warrant there was no fright in the last
exigency, but that he found what is
commonly called 'the last enemy" a
good friend, and from his home on earth
he went to home in Heaven. Yes.
Mr.. Grady not only demonstrated that
an editor may be Christian, but that
very great intellect may be gospel
lied. His mental capacity was so Won
derful that it was almost startling. l
have been with him in active converse
tion while at the same time he was die
tating to stenographer editorials for
the Atlanta Constitution. But that in
tellect was not ashamed to bow to Christ.
Among his last dying utterances was a
request for the prayers of the churches
in his behalf.
There was that particular quality in
Him that you do not find in more than
one person out of hundreds of thousands
namely, personal magnetism. People
have tried to define that quality and
always failed, yet we have all felt its
power. There are some persons who
have only to enter room or step upon
a platform or into pulpit and you are
thrilled by their presence, and when
they speak your nature responds and
you can not help it. What is the pecul-
lar influence with which such a mag
netic person takes hold of social groups
and audiences? Without attempting to
define this, which is indefinable, will
say it seems to correspond to the waves
of air set in motion by the voice or the
movements of the body. just like that
atmospheric vibration is the moral or
spiritual vibration which rolls out from
the soul of what we call a magnetic per-
son. AS there may be a cord or rope
binding bodies together, there may be
an invisible cord binding souls. A mag
netic man throws it over others as a
hunter throws a lasso. Mr.. Grady was
surcharged with this influence, and it
was employed for patriotism and Chris
tianity and elevated purposes.
versation which had with Mr.. Glad
stone few weeks ago, he uttered these
memorable words about Christianity,
some of which were cabled to America.
He was speaking in reply to this re-
mark: l said, ''Mr. Gladstone, we are
told in America by some people that
Christianity does very well for weak
r,indad man and chi1dren in the infant
class, but it is not fit for stronger
minded men; but when we mention
you, of such large intellectually. as be-
ing pronounced friend of religion, we
silence their batteries" Then Mr..
Gladstone stopped on the hillside where
we were exercising and said:
''The older grow, the more confirmed
/ am in my faith in religion" ''Sir,"
said he, with flashing eye and uplifted
hand, talk about the questions of the
day, there is but one question. and that
is the Gospel. That can and will correct
every thing. Do you have any of that
dreadful agnosticism in American"
Having told him we had, he went on
to say: 81 am profoundly thankful that
none of my children or kindred have
been blasted by it. I am glad to say
that about all the men at the top in
Great Britain are Christians. Why,
SIR" he said, have been in public
position fifty-eight years, and forty
seven years in the Cabinet Of the Brit
ish Government, and during those forty
seven years have been associated with