The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-14

not ask us to honor anything so misty and far away as the
|souls of men, but men who are at our side and whom we
touch every day. That is what we are to honor and strive
Ito save we are to seek to have a humanity in all OF its
lparts and powers made sacred to the service of God,-
Serving God in it's body and its mind, in its joy and its sor-
row. No man then ever accomplished anything for the
trace who did not honor it, who did not have faith in it and
its future. Men without this have accomplished great
Things, but they were not for the race. Napoleon Bona
lparte. without any hope and belief in mankind, without
any regard for its interests, in actual results did more per-
|haps than any other man, and yet but a few years suflced
Ito sweep away the last vestige of his creations. Compare
with this the work of Charles Loring Brace who lived in
New York, and died in 1890. In 1852 MI. Brace issued a
|circular. "In which he wrote feelingly of the degradation
of both boys and girls in the uncontrolled life of the
streets, and call upon all, who believed that crime is best
averted by sowing good influences in childhood, to assist
him." An office was opened on Broadway, and no sooner
lopened than crowds of little street-Arabs scurried thither-
ragged young girls who had nowhere to lay their heads,
Ichildren driven from drunkard' S homes, pick-pockets, child
lbeggars, and fower-sellers." That work is going on, and
TODAY, more than half a million of children have been
ures, to be shifted and destroyed at his will for Charles
Loring Brace they were heirs of a glorious life, and he
reached forth his hand to help them enjoy this life-life
on earth-elevated and god-like.
Once more. what a tremendous engine for the eleva-
Ting of men is trust and faith in humanity. Generally,
trust a man, put confidence in him, and let him know
that you are doing it, and he will respond, and show him
self worthy of your regard. Faith in humanity all that
mas De6n lie lHSpuduOH Ol pLuldHlllOplSlS,d lu Liz luSuly
instrument in their hands for the salvation of men. MANY
of you, my friends, have read that work of Victor Hugos
MIsERABLEs. You will recall that the prominent
character in that book is a man. born in the very lowest
ranks of society, for whom no kindness or consideration
WAS ever shown, whose life was spent in the hardest and
most wearing drudgery. To supply the wants of his fam
lily he committed a crime and was sentenced to the galeys
for life-to pass the remainder of his existence straining at
the oar on board a French galley. After years, he mana
ged to make his escape and came forth into the world
brutalized, with every kindly feeling dead, hating every
man,-his whole being in revolt against law and order.
As he was cautiously making his way through France, he
was befriended by a bishop, and in return robbed his bene-
factor and slipped away before morning. He was soon
brought back, when the bishop, in the presence Of the man
declared to the officers that the stolen property belonged
to the man, he had meant him to have it that the pro-
perty was the mans, and he must be set at liberty. That
act called to life again the dead soul of that man hope
and faith and trust in all things human and divine once
more were his, and right nobly did he redeem his life, and
spend it in the service Of others.
Honor all men honor them for the honor that is
theirs. Honor men because you do know the Man Christ
Jesus, and in Him you have caught a vision of what hu-
mainly really is, and of what men are, and are going to
be. You will not then degrade men by using them simply
as means and instruments for accomplishing your purpose.
Yet this is often done. You have certain plans on hand
that you desire earnestly to carry out. That you may do
so, it is necessary to have the assistance of some person,
and you proceed to pay court to him, and to enter into
close relations with him. You use him, and your associa-
ton with him, as a foil perhaps to prevent the opposition
of some man or faction, or to meet that opposition. You
make use of him to accomplish your purposes, and having
done that, you cast him aside as you would a worn out
tool. That is not to honor humanity, and yet that is be-
ing done everywhere to-day. So, not those men to-day are
LEADERS who have most merit, who have something to be-
stow upon their fellows, who are foremost in love and SYM
pathy for them, and in efforts and plans for their good, but
those who are shrewd enough to play one man off against
another, to use men as instruments to carry out their SELF
ish plans, and thus to exalt self. A leadership which is
won by scheming and plotting is false, a leadership that
comes to a man because he has something that he can give
men, something that he can do for men, and is determined
ito give and do what he can because he honors and loves
men-that is the only real leadership, and the only leader
ship that will last. The man who sets himself up to be a
Header in politics, or business, or elsewhere, if he do not
have something to give men, is destined to meet certain
and complete overthrow. "Honor all men," See to it, then
that those men who live on salaries, those men who, for a
stipulated sum, devote themselves, their powers of mind
and body, their skill and intelligence, to doing your bust
ness. see to it that you honor them, that you hold their in
terests sacred, 1t is not enough that you pay them their
salary promptly, As they labor SO willingly for your well
fare, see that you have a care for their happiness: A
short time ago, in this town, an effort was made to have
the grocery stores closed at seven o'clock: Every meF-
chant whom | know was heartily in favor Of it. Yet some
how it has not yet been done. Now | do not undertake to
say to any man when he should close his store yet | do
say, and every man here will agree with me, that it would
have been a kindly and gracious act to have given to those
young men-clerk in the stores-men who are on duty
from six in the morning to ten at ght-me who, during
the long and weary hours of these summer days, stand ever
lready to do our bidding-it would have been a kind and
lgracious act to have placed an hour or two, these even
ings, at their disposal. Honor all men )" wage-earners