The record-union., 1893-06-26
A GUIDE TO YOUTH.
Lessons From the Life and Character
Of Leland Stanford.
A Timely Sermon Preached at Pythfan
Castle Yesterday by Rev. L.
J. Horner.

Rev. T. J. Horner of the First Unfair
ian Church delivered an interesting ser
mon at Pythian Castle yesterday on the
Life and Character of Leland Stanford"
speaking from the following text:
lam the resurrection and the lite.-Jesus.
Be OF good cheer about death, and know
this OF a truth-thaJ no evil can happen 10
good man. either III life or after deatn.-Plato.
lie VINO in the m rang mas seen the rlsAL
WAY. may III the evening die without regret
COnfuclUs.
Senator Leland Stanford is dead. Yes
terday all that was lett Of HIM was laid
away in the presence of hundreds who
Aad gathered to do him honor.
The farm boy, the young lawyer, the
merchant, the far-seeing man OF business
who undertook great enterprises and
carried them through successfully, the
Governor OF great State, the Senator of
the United States, the many-times
millionaire, the great phlIanthroplst, the
husband and father, has passed from
earth out into the great unknown, as IS
the fate of all men, taking with hlm
nothing but the character OF soul which
the experience of this life helped to form.
Great souls are known by the character
of their achievements. Judged by such
standard, Leland Stanford's s was undoubt-
edIy great soul. His achievements were
great III the mastery of mind over matter,
in the accumulation of wealth and the
power that goes with it, and in the re-
munciation OF much Of that wealth, while
vet living, for the sake of those who are
TO come after him.
The establishment of the great uni
uersity | should regard as by far the
greatest achievement of his life. 1t will
not only carry the name of Stanford down
through the centuries, but 1t will provide
the blessing of education to thousands yet
aaY,lC hot tFnG
Stantord's death and that Of Jay Gould !
Jay Gould died, perhaps the worst
hated man in America. NOt because he
was railroad king. Mr.. Stanford was a
railroad king. Not because he managed
millions, MIR. Stanford did that. Not be-
cause he accumulated millions, many
others have done that and still retained
the respect and love of their fellow men.
Mr.. stanford did that. The world
does not despise man because he is rich,
or because he is powerful, or because he
takes advantage of circumstances, but be-
cause he is absolutely heartless and self
ish; indifferent to the world about him,
without whose help he could accomplish
nothing.
L was in Boston a year ago when MIR.
Gould visited that city on railroad busi-
ness. He was an object of curiosity to all
who saw him, but that curiosity was the
curiosity that men show when they look
know is dangerous to deal with. AS you
gaze through the bars of the tigers cage
you think of what that mild-iooking
creature would do were the opportunity
offered. So the curiosity excited by the
presence of Jay Gould is curiosity
prompted by a mingling of fear and hate;
lear of what he may yet do and hate for
the heartless methods used in the past.
y OF one in the crowd at the station that
gathered to see him depart had a spark of
love or respect in his heart for him.
How different the feeling in the pres
ence Of such man as Leland Stanford
The mighty mountains that tower among
the regions of perpetual snow; the
splendors of the deep Yosemite; the
brlliancy OF the native flora Of this great
wonderland dwindle, fade and grow pale
in the presence of a soul lofty enough to
rise above those mountains in achieve
ment-deep enough TO feel the heart
throbs OF the nation in time Of rebellion,
and brilliant enough to look down
through the aisles of the future to
see the needs of the teeming
millions yet to inhabit these great
valleys, the coming generations of Cali
fornia's SONS and daughters, and provide
for their needs. Great souls give birth to
great hopes, and the great achievements
OF great souls are the prophecies of still
greater things to come for humanity.
Let Us then pause to-day, while the
memory of Mr.. StanfOrd's character and
deeds are fresh in our minds, and draw
some lessons from them that may aid US
in the building up of our own souls to-
ward some degree of greatness.
Every man who has lived to achieve
anything for humanity leaves that
achievement behind him when he departs,
as a benedictiOn to the race. We are ali
more or less sensible to the restless
change that rules the world. We are
born, we exist for little while and then
we vanish away.
Life, viewed from this side the grave, is
but the shadow of a passing cloud; a
gesture on the empty air; fire that burns
Tor a little while with greater or less heat
and then gives place to ashes; a bubble
that floats for a moment on the great
stream of being and then bursts. creating
a little ripple and all is still, while
the great stream ever moves on and on.
\ ct this bubble, this shadow, this titful
fire, Is the symbol Of universal being.
The most that we know of God is the
highest that we know of man.
That man, then, who. however i'm
percepubly, has helped the world along;
has been a cog in the wheel OF life; has
helped to unfold the plan OF the universe,
and therefore has lived. Such a man,
however small his opportunity, if he has
improved that opportunity and made the
most of ii, deserves the respect of his
opportunities and has accepted them and
been true to them, deserves the greater
honor because his opportunity was
equally great TO clog the machinery of the
worlds existence.
In the first place, then, let none say
that l am not one of those that think a
man Is necessarily rObber because he
has accumulated a great fortune. | am
not one OF those who believe that a rich
man cannot enter into the kingdom OF
heaven. Nor am 1 very much disposed
to eXtol the blessings of poverty; be-
cause l honestly believe that wealth is
one Of Gods blessings, and is never a
curse to him who has it unless he allows
himself to become mastered by it. Take
"a census OF this city and feel quite con-
1dent that you Will not find the highest
degree OF intelligence, Of social develop
lacnt, OF culture, OF appreciation for art.
science or literature among those who
live from hand to mouth. Nor do l
think that those who have developed the
highest Christian virtues, such as love,
10y, peace, long suffering and geutleness,
are 10 be found always among those who
have to struggle to make both ends
meet.
| would not deny that the Christian
virtues are sometimes remarkably visible
among the poor, but my own experience
in life has taught me that the school OF
poverty Is not good one in which to
develop the highest powers OF the mind
and heart
The security ofone's physical existence
Is almost necessity in this age before
time and thought can be given to culture.
Mhy2 Because the opportunities for
physical lie are so great that the world
does not have much respect Tor him who
cannot get on and provide his family
with that degree OF security from poverty
which will enable them to reach at least
some degree of education, refinement