The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1893-05-13

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spring WAS sea of interested faces
that looked upto him from the nave OF
the P~resh4tesaaB chapel in the evening.
The INrmslIeENcER took copiou8 notes
OF the IHsfning discourse, but finds that
whilethtS may give the sense of what
the learned doctor said they fail utterly
toimpntt the charm of manner the grace
OF oratofy, the divine lovableness OF the
tone in which the words were spoken.
The bible reading was found in 18th of
st. John. From this the words ofthe text
were taken:
And whatsoever liveth and believeth in
me shall never die"
"We ALL" said the preacher, "abhor
the thought of standardization. This
adherence is planted in the lowest
creature that has animal life.
Tn desire to live is the
instinct in man. We not only desire to
live here but to live in another state and
continue to influence the surroundings we
have departed from. We do many things
in obeying this desire; we build houses,
we plant trees, we shape and form, i'm
prove property, knowing that we will
enjoy only n part OF the results thereof.
To all who desire it and who live Alright
there is an immortal life; nor do we need
to wait the coming of death TO enjoy it.
If we live Alright our immortality begins
with US while yet on earth and abides
with us in eternity beyond the portals of
the New Mansion.
What is life? 1t is many faced and
many conditioned. There are many kinds
OF life and many OF them not worth the
living-because the livers make it SO.
There is no Immortality in the life of the
covetous. The selfish mans life turns in
upon itself and dies.
Like a spider weaving a web in which
to catch the unwary fly, the selfish man
is ever weaving a net with which to
ensnare his victims, that hz may take
from them their substance. There is no
immortality for a selfish life.
But there is n true life. 1t is one that
lives as the sun, giving out its light and
blessings far and near. 1t is n life gifted
with the tonic touch of Goodness and
good cheer. You pass down the street;
you feel detected, oppressed and worn
with care. Suddenly you meet a friend;
he grasps you by the hand, he speaks n
few words of comfort, of cheer, and how
differently you feel. How buoyant the
dropped spirits, how full OF hope the
encouraged heart. What is lit? You have
felt the tonic touch OF a true life and its
spirit has electrified your own"
The preacher here drew a picture OF his
idea OF a true life illustrated in nature.
lI &an;oa >, Ia sail Go haontfFuI liff1a
brook winding its way adown a valley.
Its clear, sparkling waters are singing
merrily along, dancing over its pebbly
bed and laughing in the brilliant sun
light. Beneath it's ripping waters crest
hosts of the finny tribe are flashing their
fins and silyery sides. Lining the banks
are trees and flowers, all freshened with
the moisture the little broo ok gives out.
In their shady recesses the merry song
sters are chorusing their sweetest notes,
and a heavenly content seems to halo
the scene. Flo miles and miles ! trace
the course of the brook, which all along
its way is extending its influence, and
blessing whatever comes within its reach.
Thus it is with a true life. II not only
lives and expands, but everything that
feels It's touch is blessed thereby.
How different from this is the life of n
man who lives only for self. Some men
never do any good until they die. And
how tired the world gets waiting for them
to die that their boarded substance may
be distributed; for this is all the good the
world gets out of them.
II is what we do for God and humanity
that makes our lives immortal. The
amounting of Christ's feet by the woman
of Bethany was regarded as an act OF
extravaganza but the motive behind it
was duty to God, and even the odor OF the
broken box filled all the room. Thus the
odor of a good life never dies"
The preacher here paid a beautiful
tribute to the life of Henry w. Grady,
the great Georgia editor, whose influence,
he said, had all been for God and his
fellow men, Grady's name would live
as long as the records of the state were
preserved.
Reform, he said, was not necessarily
transformation. Many men had reformed
their ways but still had not given them
selves to God. Some had simply reformed
because they could not afford to go on
with their meanness.
A man must not only have good mo-
tiyes but he must also believe Alright.
Our belief is the skeleton Or framework
around which our character is formed.
II the skeleton is misshapen, depend
upon it the character will be deformed.
A man must believe before he will
invest. This is true in the spiritual as
we'll as the practical life. Every dry goods
merchant has his creed. This is: "Buy
carefully and at the right time; sell
quickly, obtain reasonable profits and
enforce close collections" With this
creed in his mind he invests in the dry
goods business; he puts forth every
energy. But it is his belief that this is
the correct thing to do that is a continual
spur to his activity. Destroy his belief
and not a dollar will he invest.
Thus it is in the spiritual life. If men
do not believe in God they will not invest
in Him. All this sanctimonious stuff
about "my mothers dear old bible" is all
hypocrisy unless the one who utters 1T
believes in and has invested in God.
Laziness, he said, is often concealed by
a mantel of piety, but 1t was laziness all
the same.
True Goodness is a correct enjoyment
of life on earth and leads to an immor-
tally in the other world.
The world, he said, was cursed with
shams. Whisky and the tobacco habit,
he said, were two of these. The reign of
intoxicants was being retarded each day.
The great cause OF temperance is pro-
crossing everywhere, and its battles being
fought on every hand. And tobacco, he
said, had seen its best day. Thanks to
the influence of our colleges and acade-
mics, thanks to woman,s influence, the
per cent. of those addicted to the vile use
OF tobacco was becoming smaller each
day, and the time is not far distant when
refined society would refuse to tolerate a
man with the odor of whiskey on his
breath or the scent Of tobacco in his
clothes.
81 am no fanatic" he said. 81 do not
say, as some have said, that no man who
uses tobacco can ever reach Heaven, but
| do believe Il man who does not use it
can be lust as good a Christian and smell