Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-04-17
STATE CONVENTION.
OF THE YOUNG MEMS CHRIST. IAN ASSOCIATION IN sEss-
 ION IN THIS CITY.
Called to Order by President Hart. : The Able Opening Address by
 Prof. J. L. Buchanan.

The eleventh annual State Con vention of the Young Mems Christian Association was called to order n the Institute in this city last (Thurs day) night by President c. N. Hart the auditorium of the Institute being fairly filled with delegates ant visitors.
 After a few words of welcome anC the appointment of several commit tees, President Hart introduced tht 1 speaker of the evening, Prof. I. l. Buchanan, L. L. D., President of ths State University at Fayetteville.
 pr. Buchanan was recieyed with liberal applause and begun his ad- dress by expressing the pleasure it afforded him to address so large refined and cultured an audience, and also apologlzed for not having carefully prepared an address for the occasion, which busy life had not allowed him to do.
 But Prof Buchanan Is an able and learned man and he soon showed that he required no special prepa- ration for an occasion of that kind. Being man of deep scientific and classic learning, of wide research and reading. he has a mind well stored with the jewels of the world g knowledge, and these he has at tie ttip of his tongue" for any occasion. His discourse was along the lines of application of the laws of the scien- tific and natural world to the laws of the moral and spiritual world.
 You have often heard thelawye g speak of the widows dover, which Is life interest in her husbands estate" said the speaker. "and after all. that is all that belongs to any one. We cannot carry anything away with us. and we should make tho best possible use of our life inter- est in this estate with which the Almighty has endowed us"
 Another one of his declarations was that the stability of truth is as perfect in the moral as in the natural world, He had no quarrel, he said. with science and he thought the natural laws of the world could be applied with profit and advantage to the spiritual und moral world. "rhis is a good old world if we use 1t right" he declared. Its laws are memorable and it's forces never sleep" It is only by some accident In the laws of the natural world that we can appreciate the laws of nature. As long as natures laws work in unison they pass on unob. served. but when we are visited by disturbances of nature, such as earthquakes, cyclones and floods, then the world stands aghast in horror. While these disturbances are known forces, yet science has never fully revealed the causes of them. It is absolute uniformity in natures laws that renders life pos sible on this earth. If the law of gravitation should be suspended for a moment there would be a general wrecISing of worlds and planets. As In natural life health requires absolute conformity to natures s Ia ws. so in spiritual life happiness in this world requires absolute obedi- enee to Gods laws. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap is us true ia the moral as in thenatural world.
 He then spoke of the lofty purposes of the Y. N. c. A. We arc creat- ures If motive, and every lofty mo- tive carries us ahead. The creation of iofts purposes and the aspiration ta higher Ideals Is one of the real purposes of the Y. M. C.. A., ne tie clared.
 The speaker then spoke of the re. sponsibilty for every act: "You cannot undo anything" he said, "ir either the natural orspiritual world You can make amends, but whatever Is done is done for time and eternity The past is fixed and irreyocable." Of the belief In a future he said "W hat we believe of the future wil have more effect upon our characte than local surroundings. What VI believe is what we aspire to. Forn the highest ideals yon can and liv up to them as near as possible" h continued. High ideals draw u to higher plane.''
 Natures purpose is the perpetua tion of the life of its highest types That was but another way of es pressing the survival of the Attest f The best in all things survives, whil the unfit dies. This Is the fixed la, f of the natural world, and there Is 2 2 less flxidity in the laws Of the spirl ! ual world. No good thing Is eve v lost. good deed or example lives Q . forever. Whatever is true in | I :. realm of nature is true In the real of matter and spirit.
 h the doctrines of Christ the al e is laid at the root of the tree. If p