Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-02-28

died at thirty years OF age and John Sum
merfield at twenty seven years of age, but |
neither earth nor heaven will ever hear the |
end of their usefulness. longevity Why, |
an elephant can beat you at that, for it lives
a hundred and fifty and two hundred years.
Gray hairs are the blossoms of the tree of life |
il found in the way of Righteousness, but 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
the editor of a secular journal be IA Chris
tianl" Some of the newspapers answered,
No. / answered, Yes; and lest you may not
understand me l 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 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 establishment and his grief that i'll our day
SO many young men were rejecting Chris
tianty. From the earnestness and the ten
derness and the confidence with which he
spoke on these things l concluded that
when Henry W. Grady made public
profession of his faith in Christ and
took his place at the holy communion
truly Christian. That conversation that
Sunday night, first in the carriage and then
resumed in the hotel, impressed me in such
way that when | simply heard of h lis depart
ure, without any of the particulars | con
cluded that he was ready to go. | warrant
there was no fright i'll the last exigency, but
that he found what is commonly called "the
last enemy Il good friend, and from his homo
on earth he went to "A home in heaven. Yes,
Mr.. Grady not only demonstrated that an
editor may be n Christian, but that very
great intellect may be gospelized. His mem
tai capacity wonderful il was almost
startling. l have been with him in active
conversation, while at the same time he was
debating to a stenographer editorials for The
Atlanta 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
GLADsToNE's WONDERFUL TESTIMONY.
There was that particular quality in him
that you do not find in more than one person
out of hundreds Of thousands, namely, per-
sonal magnetism. People have tried to de-
fine that quality and always failed, yet we
have all felt its power There are some per-
sons who have only to enter a room or step
upon platform or into pulpit, and you are
thrilled by their presence, and when they
speak your nature responds and you cannot
| help it, What is the peculiar influence with
which such a magnetic person takes hold of
social groups and audiencesl Without at
| tempting to define this which Is indetnable
will say it seems to correspond to tho waves
of air set IN motion by the voice or the move
meuts of the body Just like that atmos-
! phcric vibration is the moral or spiritual
vibration which rolls out from the soul of
what we call magnetic person. As there
may be a cord or rope binding bodies to-
gether there may be an invisible cord bind
ing souls. A magnetic man throws ii over
Others as hunter throws a lasso. Mr.. Grady
was surcharged with this influence, and it
was employed for patriotism and Christian
ity and elevated purposes.
You may not know why, in the converse
ton which | had with Mr.. Gladstone a few
weeks ago, he uttered these memorable words
about Christianity some of which were ca
bled to America. He was speaking in reply
| to this remark: | said, "Mr. Gladstone, we
are told in America by some people that
| Christianity does very well for weak minded
| men and children in the infant class but is
not fit for stronger minded men; but when
| we mention you, Of such large intellectually
as being a pronounced friend of religion, we
silence their batteries" Then Mr.. Gladstone
stopped on the hillside, where we were exer
cising, and said: 1.-THE older grow the more
confirmed l am in my faith in religion
"Sir,n said he, with flashing eye and uplft
ed hand, talk about the questions Of
the day, there is but one question
and that is the Gospel. That car
and will correct everything Do you have
any Of that dreadful agnosticsm in Americaf
Having told him we had, he went on to say
ii am profoundly thankful that none of my
children or kindred have been blasted by it
! am glad to say that about all the men a
the top in Great Britain are Christians
Why, sir" he said, Il have been In publ
position fifty-eight years and forty sever
years in the cabinet of the British govern
mont, and during those forty-seven years
have been associated with sixty of the maste
minds of tho century, and all but five of tn
sixty were Christians" He then named tn
four leading physicians and surgeons of hi
country, calling them by name aud remark
ing upon the high qualities of each OF them
and added They are all thoroughly Chris
tan" My friends, | think it will be quit
respectable for little longer to be the friend
of religion William e. Gladstone, a Chri:
tian; Henry w. Grady, a Christian. VIVA
the greatest Of Englishmen said OF Eng
land is true of America and of all ChristeI
, dom. The men at the top are the friends c
God and believers in the sanctities of religion
the most eminent Of the lawyers, the mos
eminent of the doctors, the most eminent {
the merchants and there no better me
; in all our land than some of those who sit i
editorial chairs. And if that does not CORE
spond with your acquaintanceship, am sorr
that you have fallen into bad company.
, answer to the question put last spring: "Ca
a secular journalist be Christianp / nc
only answer in the affirmative but asset
> that great are the responsibilities of thu
profession, so infinite and eternal the cons
} quences Of their obedience or disobedience
: the words of my text: Take thee gret
roll, and write in it with a mans pen" and
many are the surrounding temptations thu
!, the men of no other profession more deep
need the defenses and the re-enforcements
, the grace Of God.
HOW THE JOURNAL AIDS THE PREACHER.
5 And then look at the opportunities of jou
nalsm. praise the pulpit and magnify III
office, but | state fact which you all kno
I when say that where the pulpit touches OF
1 person the press touches five hundred. tt