The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-03-13

more than nine centuries he did not &C.
complish anything which seemed worth
record. Paul lived only little more
than 60, but how many Methusalehs
would it take to make Que Pau]2 Who
would not rather haYe Paul's 60 years
than Methusaleh's 9802 Robert Nc.
CheyneI died at 80 years Of age and John
Summerfeld at 81 years Of age, but nei-
therearth nor heaven will ever hear the
end of their usefulness. Longevity
Why, an elephant can beat you at that,
for it lives $50 and 200 years. Gray
| hairs are the blossoms of the tree of life
| if found in the frosts of the second
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 Christian2" Some of the
newspapers answered no, No. l an
swercd yes; and lest you may not under
stand me, l say, yea, again. Summer
before last, riding with Dir. Grady from
a religious 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
L reveal them. He expressed his COM
plete faith in the gospel aud expressed
his establishment and his grief that in
our day 80 many young men were re-
Jecting Christianity. From the earnest
ness aud the tenderness and the conf
dence with which he spoke on these
things / concluded that when Henry w.
Grady made public profession of his
faith in Christ, and took his place at
the holy communion in the Methodist
church he was honestly and truly Chris
tlan. 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 departure without any of the par
ticulars, concluded tha he was ready 70
go. l warrant there was no fright in
the last exi2ency, but that he found
what is commonly called "the last enc
my" good friend, and from his hcme
on earth he went to a home in heaven.
Yes, MIR. Grady not only demonstrated
that an editor may be a Christian. but
that very great intellect may be gos-
pelized. His mental capacity was so
wonderful it was almost startling. l
have been WITH him in active conversa-
tion while at the time he was debating
to stenogrspher editorials for the AT
lanta Constitution. But that intellect
WAS not ashamed to bow to Christ
Among his last dying utterances was
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 thou
sands, namely, personal magnetism
People hove 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
platform, or into pulpit, and you are
thrilled by their presence, and when
they speak your nature responds and you
can not helpit. What is the peculiar
influence with which such a magnetic
person takes hold Of social groups and
audiencess Without attempting to de-
inc this, which is indcfnablc, will say
1T 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 tie moral or
spiritual vibration which rolls out from
the soul of what we call a magnetic per-
son. AS there may be cord or rope
binding bodies together, there may be
an invisible cord binding souls. A mag
netic man throws it over others as u
hunter throws lasso. Mr.. Grady was
surcharged with this influence and it
was employed for patriotism and Chris
tianity and elevated purposes.
You may not know why, in the con.
versation which had with Mr. Gladstone
few weeks ago, he uttered these men,
orable words about Christianity, some of
which were cabled to America. He
was speaking in reply to this remark ::
/ said "Mr. Gladstone, we are told in
America by some people that Christian
ity does very we'll for weakminded men
and children in the infant class, but it
was not fit for stronger minded men, but
when we mention you, such large intel
lcctuallity, as being a pronounced friend
| OF religion, we silence the batteries {"
Then Mr.. Gladstone stopped on the hill
| side, where we were exercising, and
said: "The older grow the more con-
ilrmed am in my faith in religion. "
"Sir," said he, with flashing eye and up
lifted hand, "talk about the question Of
the day, there is but one question, and
that is the Gospel. That can and will
correct everything. Do you have any of
that dreadful agnosticism in America2"
| Having told him that we had, he went
on to say: Il am profoundly thankful
that none of my children or kindred
have been blasted by it. am glad to
say HAT alb )ut all the men at the top in
| Great Britain are Christians. Why, sir, y
he said, 81 have been in public positio n
fifty. eight years, and forty-seye years
in the Cabinet of the British govern.
ment, and during those forty
years have been associated with sixty
of the master minds of the century, AMI
all but five of the sixty were Christians. ;
He then named the four leading physi
clans and surgeons of his country
calling them by name and remarkina
upon the high qualities of each Of then
and added: "They are all thoroughly
Christian" My friends, think it will
be quite respectable for little longer tc
be the friends of religion. William E.
Gladstone, Christian; Henry w. Ora
dy, Christian. What the greatest o.
Englishmen said of England, is true o.
America and Of all Christendom. Th,
men at the top are the friends Of Coo
and believers of the sanctities Of religion
the most eminent of the lawyers, tn,
most eminent OF the doctors, the mos
eminent of the merchants, and there ar,
no better men in all our land than som
OF those who 81: in editorial chairs. Ant
l IL 6npa ,;tl>