The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01
LOYALTY TO DUTY
SOME OF THE IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES
WHICH ARE INCLUDED THEREIN.
The Parting Words Of President Grfer
Of Erskine College, TO the Gradu.
ating Class, June %. 1891.


prominent educator said recently, "If
thing II means loyalty TO Christian duty"
This does not mean to depreclate broad and
convert literary Institution into q theolog-
icul seminary, but 1t does mean TO en-
phasise the spirit OF our institutions for
higher education. 1t does mean to assert
that i'm this country learning is not divorced
from religion. 1t is high comnlendation
Let 1t be our care to see that IT Is just. 1t
) would be II supreme gratiflcatlan TO us to
know that You carry with you from these FL
mliar scenes such spirit.
We wish to speak TO you Of some OF its
characteristics.
Drawer man than he who Is unflinchngly
loyal to duty. He who treads this path walks
a narrow way. IL Is easy enough to 60 with
the multitude and shout, "Great Is Diana of
the EpheSians.' But he who has fixed IL In
his heart that no worldly interest shall Sc
duce him to disobey his conscience-such q
one may arm himself for Il conflict that will
test every element OF courageous manhood.
4 famous American naval officer, W hen far
advanced In life, gave this account OF one OF
his early experiences; II ,ht had, s;,ia ne,
man Of me. / could swear like an old sot;
could drink stiff glass Of grog as If had
doubled Cape Horn, could smoke like a loco
motive and was great at cards. AT the close
OF dinner one day my father turned every.
body out OF tho cabin, locked the door, and
said to me David, what do yo1 mean to be-?
1
yes. be miserable drunken sailor before the
mast, kicked and cufftd about the world and
then die in q hospital In some foreign land
command rs you do no. said my father,
mo boy eyer trod the quarter deck with such
principles and such habits as you have My
stunned by the rebuke and overwhelmed
| with mortification-a miserable drunkard-
that's my fate, is it? I'll change my Lille and
change II at once. I'll never utter another
a-t,I T. a
ri never gamble. And as God is my wit.
ness have kept those three VOWS to this
hour"
Admiral Farragut never fought q hard.
| er battle than that, nor won a nobler VIC
tory. In every sphere and relation there
are occasions for this courageous spirit in the
discharge of duty. we think it is specially
demanded Of them high in place, or that It's eN.
ercse is limited to emergencies. No mistake
Is more common or more hurtful. We are
pei suaded that 1T is rather In the ordinary
we need most imperatively this spirit. The
man who wages successful warfare against
selfshness, deceit and dishonesty, against
Incidence and easy:going Worldliness; such
He has exercised degree OF moral courage
which many great warrior lacks. II you
are loyal to duty, you must need ID be OF good
missing allegiance. Conscience brings not To
such It's blessings Of peace If occasion re.
quire 1t defy public opinion, and protest
|
behind custom and fashion. This suggests
another element OF this loyalty to duty Is
patience. You hear much In the way OF crit
icsm about this as fast age. But surely
we have no occasion to lament the wonderful
application Of Steam and electri icity To the
use and comfort Of man. Every invention In
this direction has proved real blessing to
the race. To decry and depreciate these
things is to prefer ignorance to knowledge,
and poverty to wealth. II Is to choose the
st age coach when we are offered the palace
car. 1t is to stop the newspaper, and make
impossible the education Of the masses. No,
| we have no word OF criticism for the new
| things that make our age marvel, but there
is spirit Of feverish haste and unrest which
He who is not willing to labor and to walt
who is not ready to face temporary defeat
and present failure OF his most cherished
plans, such an one needs to be on his guard
| lest he betray the truth. He cannot be loyal
| TO duty unless he be patient.
Let me illustrate by that greed for office,
which. though not peculiar to our day at all,
One who had seen much ofthis shameful scram
BILE for place, says: HAD l O son able To gall
livelihood by toll, had rather bury him
office, holding in the breath OF his honest
opinions, and breathing feigned words OF
| flattery to hungry ears, popular or oillcial
and he adds, "for farthing-pittance OF Of
| fetal salary, for the miserable fees OF con-
stpble's office, for the perquisites OF any dep
Iuiyship. Il hundred men rush forward, JOS
| tling and Scrambling, to lick the hand that
office.'
In such greed principle surrenders to policy.
If we turn 10 the crowded thoroughfare OF
| wealth. we see how the epidemic OF specula.
tion, the haste TO be rich, introduces ana
fosters every species of trickery. and fraud,
and petty dishonesty. The rewards Of pa
tien industry are too meagre to satisfy those
make money and hoard IL. The marvellous
magical growth of the South constitutes a
special temptation in this direction to our
young men, our our poverty ,ct may obee
| section of this country the desoations or
war and the complete prostratlon OF onr H.
dustry, it is q fearful strain upon our integrl-
| ty, our loyalty to duty, to see the rich prizes
It was Henry Ward Beecher who said:
"That prosperity which grows up as a
room." Its harmful Influence Is felt In every
vocation from the highest to the lowest. Not
only does the day-laborer feel It,. but the
physician. the lawyer the merchant and the
| minister at the altar all are IN danger OF
drifting into the same current. That spirit OF
| lofty and unselfsh patriotism which cheer
| to duty and which eXtorted praise from the
bitterest prejudice-this may find there is
enemy more subtle, more dangerous than
armed battallions
| IF we would make successful fight
against this foe. If we would win in this Sec
ond and greater conflict, this same unswerv-
| Ing loyalty 10 duty IN us paCleIlL anu uoPe-
fuI toll must become the rclgning principle
OF our lives. Sustained by it and impelled by
| II, patience will have It's perfect work, and
can chcerfully endure criticism, reproach,
and even contumely-for wisdom is justified
of her Children We insist upon 1t, then,
that loyalty to Christian duty involves pa.
tience. He that hath this virtue Is sure OF q
| crown.
But this same loyalty to duty involves
above all things, deep and earnest conviction.
| While there may be and often Is an element
OF enthusiasm. n feryid and buoyant spirit, a
consuming zeal that rouses unwonted activity,
yet the strength and power and permanence
of the principle springs from settled conVic-
whatever else he may have. Is unstable in all
his ways. You have fallen upon time when
| 1t Is counted intellectual and moral honesty
to sit loose to all matters OF faith-to reckon
all religious questions as open questions, es-
peclally to the student and the scholar
Fox's Book OF Martyrs is relegated to the
nursury for the entertainment of the chill
dren. Liberalism, which boasts that 1t Is the
only legitimate offspring OF enlightened rea-
son, is liberal and tolerant OF everything but
upon, caricatured and Knocked at. Scarcely
any term of reprouch Is too coarse to be APP
piled to 1t. With spiteful and pers istcnt Wig
or IL Is assailed as prelenSc, hypocrisy
and blgotry. But, OH, be assured that out
such firm, settled, unwavcring faith Is to
come the worlds peace and the triumph of
Righteousness. 1t Is u true saying that no
| faith will prove an inspiration to any man
unless he is willing to die for 1t. And now.
rs you this day look out upon life, with It's
monstrous issues, / cntrrat you follow Him
who bears ur0n his body the sears OF this
conflict in behalf Of truth. HIS pierced
hands and feet are the affecting witnesses oi
his fierce struggle and glorious triumph:
your life be blessing. No ObScurity can
| hide its light, and adversely will only reveal