The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-08
PHRASES OFTEN MiSLeAO
TRUTH WILL PREVAIL" IS THE
: FLATTERY OF THE DEVIL.
A BRILLIANT COMMENCEMENT
Programme For the Week Crowded
With Interesting Events Trus-
tees, Patrons and Friends
Already Arriving.
Already Arriving.

|
delivered last night by Dr. Jno. Z.
Kilgo i'm Main Street church. 1t was a
great occasion, and the distinguished
president was fully equal to it. The large
church was filed to overhowing. Such
a congregation was compliment to Trim
ity College and the cause of education.
DIR. Kilgo said:
young men of the Senior Glass, am
commissioned by my colleagues to bring
to you our last message. AS young men
about to consecrate your energies and
enlarged abilities to public service you
are very naturally confused and en-
barrassed. You are to be congratulated
that you belong to a period of the worlds
history that is full of difficulties. This
is not the first period of theIkind that has
come to the world it is no, more beyond
mastery than were other like periods.
Such times have been productive of the
Hottest type of manhood. God never
gives a great man to q small age. 1t
would be a waste of heroism. Supreme
necessity gives birth to imperial char
acter while monotony is the mother of
mediocrity. Difficulties lay large de-
mands upon an age, and either intimidate
the weak and cowardly, or incite the
brave to desperate action. If you are to
become potent factors in this age you
must at the threshold plan forlarge things
and positive action. For this reason L
have decided to speak to you at this hour
on leadership with the Apostle Paul as
the type.
Every true and great work must first
dominate some soul who will pledge to it
eternal fealty This is the way God
makes history. The lives of Luther,
Zwingli, Calvin, and Knox swung the
whole world into the thoughts that had
domnionship in their souls. We are Of
ten misled by the terseness of phrases,
proverbs and aphorisms that contain
dangerous falsehood. Truth will prevail
| is to be placed among such. 1t IS the
\ homage and fiattery of the devil to dis
arm and quiet the righteous. Truth has
| no power except as it is the assertion of
some life. Truth will conquer only as
you and / make it conquer, and it is base
| cowardice to withhold our lives from Il
| just cause, because we believe that truth
| will prevail. Some heroic spirit is behind
| every truth that is a working force in
| history, and every truth can show its
| martyrs. Freedom was the dream of
| Europe. but it took Luther to make it
| the fact of Europe So the kingdom of
| eternal truth first brought under its do
| mnionship the massive powers of Paul $
/ mind and heart in order to assert its
| powers.
| Something seems about to happen,
| and the world is full of homemade and
| spurious leaders whose chief end seems
1 to be PERSONAL profit. Insane ambitions
| and bankrupt energies are prolific of these
verbose patrons of lies and passions.
| This last decade has brought out null
| titude of quack healers of all our ills,
national and social, and if they have
| made good a single claim to the con-
| fidence and loyalty of men it has not
| been recorded. We grow worse under
/ such malicious treatment. They have well
| nigh given us the delirium tremens.
| Their every utterance betrays a spite
| born of the lowest impulse, and their
| trickery exposes the nsincerity of Iago.
| They mistake their empty purses for love
| of the people, and judge that SANDER is
| truth in its most logical form. They COW
| like slaves before popular insanity and
barter away integrity for political patron
| age They belong to that type of lead
ers who stand still until they discover
the direction of the majority and then
with a parade of noise fall in far to the
| rear, beyond the reach of shot and she'll.
/ 1t is humiliating to see the parliaments
/ of the great nations nursing party life
| at the expense of national duty. The
| greatest accusation brought against
| President Cleveland was the disruption
| and defeat of his party, as if this great
| nation was to don an apron and hire it
self out to nurse political parties This
/ type of leader, or rather fraud, is to be
| found in every calling, even in the min
istry. Men who trust to their ability to
| fall in with the crowd, rather than the
truth for their success. Preachers some
times talk about the best politics. as if
truth had any policy. Young men, such
men are towards, and fear them at all
| times.
Il commend to you Paul as the highest
| type of leadership. He found his i'm
| pulsions in an overpowering truth that
| came into his life, and commissioned him
to carry it to the world, or forfeit his
rights 10 live. That is the awfullest fire
God ever kindled in the human soul, and
well may that man trenlble before the
| orderings of his own bosom. This is why
it was necessary for Paul to spend those
| years in Arabia. He was trying to be-
come familiar with himself. As Reuen
| Thomas says, He had come into collision
with HIMSELF and when n new truth
makes a mans life collide with itself he
needs time for readjustment. This is the
only basis of true leadership. 1t is born
in Il new truth that opens up another line
| of life. 1t first regenerates the life into
| which it comes, and gives it apostolic
prerogatives. The germ idea of prophet
is an overlooking man. That is despera-
ton, but is the desperation of truth.
''No man has a right to claim the at
tention of men unless he have some neces
Il fa. 70 Il and x.yhi ho, 4oly
complete hold upon him. The readiness
| with which young men lean into the realm
| of difficulties is evidence that they have
nothing to say, and should forever re
main silent. The impulses of passion are
| never a divine call to lead a movement
TOO much is made of public opinion
There is a sense in which it is important
and should be highly regarded. But il
these days we make too much of it
Your courts, your pulpits, your Legis