The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-25

the superintendent, MIR. A. Y. Chaplin
ana the matron, Miss Harris. thev present
always neat, bright appearance. and
especially was it so Yesterday. Thew
looked bright and chubby, strong and
healthy, and there is no doubt that their
ually NE Is calculated to give them these
characteristics. The little girls of the
Savannah Female Orphan ASYLUM. pretty
IN thelr neaxt and tidy dresses, were
seated Just IN the rear Of the little fell
lows, and all listened attentively to the
ADDRESS of Rev. A. NJ Williams. the ora
Tor OF the day. The benches around the
speakers stand were filled and the audi
ence was good one. All the little chill
aren rose with the others without wait
ing TO be told when Rev. T. Fl. Blenus Of
fered prayer
REV. MR.. WILLIAMS ADDRESS
The address of Rev. Mr.. Williams was
delivered in bright, clear and impress
Slve style, and was much appreciated by
his hearers. 1t was as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen and Bethesda Bows:
some sage, solomon, Socrates, Seneca. or
josh Billings, has said An honest confess
sion Is good for the soul. Under the leading
OF that wisdom let me make confession to
you. l have always wanted to be original To
say something unsaid by Others Much
pleased with the invitation to talk for you to-
uay, began to look about for something new
70 say. 1t hrst occurred to me TO begin with
an apology after comparing myself with the
great orators who had preceded Through
the courtesy of Col. EStill l was able to run
through many of the addresses made on this
occasion and you can Judge my disappoint-
nent When found seven out of ten speeches
beginning as had intended. Next I thought
how nice II would be to quote some inspiring
sentiment OF the poet for the grace OF the oc-
caslon; A glance through the same records
showed that Longfellows psalm OF Life"
and BaEeys We Live in Deeds, Not
Years" had served their apprentice
snip, reached their majority and were
ola enough to vote. l could tell that
you had been addressed by great
men II had not seen their names for
their minds ran in the same channel OF poetic
quotation.
Then thought would throw off my weight
OF years, lay aside my awful dignity and re-
gale you with side-splitting anecdotes When
ran over my repertory-OOys, look that up
IN your dictionary speakers must use some
words that Will require a dictionary or they
cannot edify--I was reminded that the speech
was to be made near the woods Now / do
not know the flora OF this section and feared
you might be near some chestnut trees. We're
/ 10 give you my lUKes might receive Is
shower OF those little nuts pleasant TO the
palate but not very agreeable as an agent Of
applause. Failing then in the line of anec-
dote | considered the advice of many friends
who talked to me about the oCclsion-lecture
the boys tell then. how to be good BOYS and
great men At this my heart rebelled. l am
sure you nave been lectured enough-364 days
In the year are sufficient You should have
at least one day free from advice.
AT longth in my despair i determined to
follow Wolseys advice to Cromwell on am,
billion, to throw away originality and speak on
the oldest thing l could ind, so | have Sc
lected the word Bethesda as my topic
am not going to give you the dictionary
meaning OF the word. You all know it means
house Of mercy" The dictionary is a poor
place to go to for the true meaning of words
1t serves very good purpose to look into if
you will use it as a signboard. The sign
board points out the direction and distance of
place. II you stop at the sigupost you will
never reach the place. So you will never get
the true meaning of a word il you stop in the
dictionary. Words mean different things to
different persons They mean one thing at
one time ana quite another at another.
While perhaps her case does not come ex-
actly under the proposition l am on it will
show what different ideas the same word sug-
geSts. In the mountains OF Upper Georgia
the Baptist and the Methodist. Our Presby-
terrain friends determined to look up the elect
OF that region and so sent a missionary there
This faithful worker hailed at cabin on the
roadside and asked the old lady If she
knew whether there were any Presbyterians
in that section" She replied: Il have never
hearn Of any SIGH, but the old man killed
some strange varmints the other day. Their
skins are hanging on the wall of the house.
You can see them. May be they are what you
want" You see that the word Pres yterian
carried a very different image to her mind
from that of the noble Christians OF Savan-
nah.
Bethesda touches sweet cord in the hearts
Of you boys and those men who have lived
within these hallowed walls. 1t would con-
vey very inadequate impression to the same
number OF persons in a distant city. 1t
meant a very different thing to ardent, en-
thusiastic George Whitefield and calculating
phlegmatic Ben Franklin. Words take new
meanings each day and come to us fraught
trft1 n no MIA
persons whence they come. Like the wind
takes from the surface over which it blows
the health-b breeding tonic of the salty ocean
or the fetid mtasma of tho putrld
swamps, so words bring us inspira-
ton, noble thought high emprise
or polluted alusion, evil suggestion
degrading purpose THIS is fact OF solemn
consequence Words are powers; they con
ceal destructive dynamite, or they
Boys. watch words See that none
are admitted into the sanctuary OF your heart
stained with corruption. falsehood, bitterness
or perseverance, for they will leave the microbe
that works mental and moral disease. See
that no word OF impurity, untruth. unklnd-
ness. or low ambition takes any particle OF
contagion from you to others.
But what does the word Bethesda bring to
us? To me IL suggests antiquity. To the man
who has seen the wonders across the ocean,
it would not seem old. The Coliseum at
Rome has been the wonder OF the eyes OF
eighteen centuries. The Parthenon at Athens
reflects the glory Of Phidias across twenty
three centuries. The Cleopatra Needle in
the strange Babylon OF New York has looked
on the fieeting civilizations and changing
generations of over thirty centuries. Com
pared with such monuments, this venerable
institution seems youth. But 70 one like
myself, who has lived in thriving towns
younger than himself, IA years seems very
long time, Measured by the other institu-
tions OF our south land Bethesda is entitled
to be regarded an antiquity. One thing
gratifies in the antiquity Of this favOrite OF
Savannah, as we compare II with the three
older records we have mentioned 1t is
source Of pride to us that Bethesda fills the
Christian law Of love rather than the beastly
lions of the second or the mystic contempla-
ton of the third
The uses of antiquity is a lesson our Ameri-
can civilization has yet to learn. Our calling
has been to explore the territory, and lay the
foundation of future empires We are near
ing the completion Of this epoch OF our his
tory, HencefOrth the old will mingle with the
new, giving richer color to our enterprise.
In the presence of this, one OF our Oldest enter
prises, it is we'll for us to allow the place in
our hearts for this future influence. The
name intuitively associated with this home,
under the suggestion Of antiquity, should be
an inspiration to you boys When George
Whitfield was the age OF the eldest here, there
was nothing in his promise to indicate that
his name would live into the close Of another
century. He was an humble, serving boy,
career He died the prince Of preachers and
left his name indissolubly blended with this
and other noble works. Boys, take the IN
spiration seek to do something when you
have fallen to your native dust that will live.
Write your character on the institutions OF