The herald., 1897-09-20
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
Our Duty to Southern California Rev.
e. F. Goff

Our Duty to Southern California Rev.
E. F. Goff
The Rev. Edward +. Goff preached in
the First Congregations church yester-
day morning on "Our Duty to Southern
California" from Deut. viii:7-10: For
the Lord thy God bringeth thee into
good land, land Of brooks of water
a land of wheat and barley and vines
and fig trees and pomegranates; land
of olive oil and honey .. land whose
stones are iron and out Of whose hills
thou mayest dig brass"
These were the words by which Moses
described the promised land into which
he was leading the children of Israel.
With equal appropriateness they may
be applied to Southern California. In
fact this land presents remarkable
likeness to Palestine. The scenery, sea-
sons, products and trees-the olive, fig,
pomegranate, almond, mulberry, cy-
press and cedar-also serve to suggest
that land to us. But whereas that land
is now under the most despicable tyr
amy, we live under the freest govern
ment in the world and enjoy liberty,
security and peace that Israel never
knew. The scenery in many places is
enchanting, the sky reminds one of
Italy, the climate is delightful.
In 1880 the population of the state was
only $4,000; in. 1890 it was 100000. In 1880
Los Angeles numbered a little over
11,000 people; now it has passed the
100000 mark. When we remember that
an orange orchard Of ten acres is as
profitable as an eastern farm of 100
acres, and that small lot will give sup
port to a family, we may judge how
great the population of this country is
likely to become. If it were as densely
populated as Switzerland there would
be eight millions of people in Southern
California; as Italy, which we resemble
in topography and products, twelve mil
lions; or as little Belgium, twenty-four
millions.
With our genial and equable climate,
with the fertility Of our soil and its capa
bility of producing variety of crops;
with our home markets preserved for
our home products; with multiplied rail-
roads encouraging traffic and travel
from the east; with a great canal to be
completed we trust at no distant date,
bringing directly to our doors the COM
merce of the world, it requires but little
faith to believe that Southern Califor-
MIA will become the home of prosperous
millions and that our metropolitan city
will be, in the lifetime of most of us, Que
of the great cities Of the con ntinent and of
the world.
But the glory of country is not in
it's material resources, it is in the quality
of it's manhood. Greece has the same
delightful climate, the same fertile soil,
the same charming scenery, made his
toric by great past; but the glory has
departed from her. If Greece could give
to the world another Socrates, Plato Or
Aristotle, another Demosthenes or Le-
onidas, or another Homer, she would
recover all her pristine glory The best
crop that any country can produce is
it's crop of men.
1t has been truly said that If you were
to blot out our homes, stores, factories,
institutions and our civilization, but
leave us men great in brain, heart and
principle, they would reproduce them
all. The history of our state will make
for herself the influence she will exert
upon the country and the world will
depend upon the kind of people we are.
We are here at formative period in
the history of Southern California. We
can now do for our state what no like
number of men can ever do again for it.
In this city ard in Southern California
we can make ourselves powerfully felt
for good. Surely ours is a great oppor-
tunity. If we are wideawake, patriotic
and self-sacrificing we can make South
ern California as distinguished by the
lofty manhood of it's people as it is by
the amazing productiveness of its SOIL
The press is mighty agency that can
give efficient help in this great work.
1t will be faithful, firm and fearless in
it's attachment to the right and will be
like a great searchlight in discovering
an d exposiaS oppression, corruption and
wrong. Such a newspaper is preacher
of truth and righteousness; and, where
as the minister Of the gospel speaks once
week to few hundreds, it's voice is
,heard every day to the boundaries of
the state.
The mightiest and only sufficient
agency for the upbuilding of character
is the pulpit. By the pulpit mean the
living teacher with the living word
the gospel Of Jesus Christ. Such pulpit
has for it's supreme and final object the
production of noble character and is
backed by the authority of Almighty