The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-14

they gIorified the temples, they adorned the
cemeteries with statues. some in cedar, some
, in ivory, some in silver, some in gold. some
in size diminutive and some in size colossal.
Thanks to Phidias, who worked IN stone; to
Clearchus, who worke3 in bronze; to Doutas.
who worked in gold. and to all ancient
chisels of commemoration. Do you not
realize that for many Of the wonders OF
sculpture we are debtors to the Greeks?
YEA for the science OF medicine, the great
art OF healing, We must thank the Greeks.
There Is the immortal Greek doctor. Hippo.
crates, who first opened the door for disease
to 90 out and health to come. in. He first set
forth the importance Of cleanliness andsleep,
making the patient before treatment to be
washed and take s.umbsr. on the hide Of
sacrifice beast. He first discovered the i'm
portance OF thorough prognosis and dag
nosis. He formulated the famous oath OF
Hppocrates which is taken by pt tysicians OF
our day. He emancipated medicine from
superstition, empiricism and priestcraft. He
was the father OF all the lnf1rmaries, hospit-
als and medical colleges of the last twenty.
three centuries.
Furthermore. all the world is obligated to
Helas more than 1t can ever pay for its
heroics in the cause of liberty and right.
United Europe to-day had not better think
that the Greeks will not fight. There may
be fallings back and vacilIatioLs and tempor-
ary defeat, but il Greece is right all Europe
cannot put her down. The other nations
before they open the portfolios Of their men
of-war against that small kingdom had
better read of the battle Of Marathon, where
10000 Athenians. led on by Miltiades,
triumphed over Joe, 900 Of their enemies. At
that time. in Greek council of war, five
generals were for beginning the battle and
Ave were against 1t. Callimachus presided
at the council OF war, had the deciding vote,
and Miltiades addressed him, saying:
"It now rests with you, Calimachus, either
to enslave Athens, or, by insuring her free
dom, to win yourselfan immortality OF fame,
for never since the Atheniaus were people
were they in such danger as they are In at
this moment. If they bow the knee to these
Medes, they are to be given up to Hippias,
and you know what they will then have to
suffer, but If Athens comes victorious out OF
this contest she has it in her power to become
the first city Of Greece. Your vote is to de-
eide whether we are to join battle or not. II
we do not bring on battle presently, some
| factious intrigue will disunite the Athenians,
and the city will be betrayed to the Medes,
| but II We fight before there Is anything rot
| ten in the state Of Athens believe that, pro-
vided the goos will give fair field and no
favor, we are able to got the best OF 1t in the
engagement"
But now comes the practical question,
| How can We pay that debt or q part OF it2
For We cannot pay more than ten per cent.
OF that debt in which Paul acknowledged
himself bankrupt. By praying Almighty
God that He help Greece in its present war
with Mohammedanism and the concerted
empires Of Europe. I know her queen,
noble, Christian woman, her face the throne
of all benefcence and loveliness, her life an
example Of noble wifehood and motherhood.
God help those palaces in these days of aw-
full exigency! Our American Senate did we'll
the other day when in the capitol building
which owes to Greece its columnar impress
siveneE they passed hearty resolution Of
who have potent words that can be heard In
Europe would utter them now, when they
are so much needed! Let US repeat 10 them
In English what they centuries ago declared
to the world in Greek, "Blessed are those
who are prosecuted for righteousness sake,
for theirs Is the kingdom Of heaven"
Another way OF partly paying our debt to
the Greeks is by higher appreciation OF the
learning and self sacrifice Of the men who in
our own land stand Tor all that the ancient
Greeks stood. While here and there one
comes to public approval and reward, the
most Of them live in privation or on salary
disgracefully small. The scholars, the
archeoogists, the artists, the literati-most
OF them live up three or four flights Of stairs
and by small windows that do not let In the
full sunlight. You pass them every day In
your streets without any recognition. The
world calls them "bookworms" or "Dr.
Dryasdust," but If there had been no book
worms or dry doctors OF law and science and
theology there would have been no Apoca-
lyptic angel They are the Greeks OF our
country and time, and your obligation to
them is infinite.
But there is better way to pay them, and
that Is by their personal salvation, which
will never come 10 them through books or
through learned presentation, because In
literature and intellectual realms they are
masters. They can outargue, outquote, OUT
dogmatize you. Not through the gate of the
head, but through the gate OF the heart, you
may capture them. When men OF learning
und might are brought to God, they are
brought by simplest story of what religion
can do for a soul. They have lost children.
Oh, tell them how Christ comforted you
when you lost your bright boy or blue eyed
girl! They have found life struggle.
Oh, tell them how Christ has helped you all
the way through. They are in bewilder-
ment Oh, tell them with how many hands
of Joy heaven beckons you upward! "When
Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug OF
war;" but when warm hearted Christian
meets a man who needs pardon and SYM
pathy and comfort and eternal life then
comes victory. If you can, by some incident
of self sacrifice, bring to such scholarly men
and women what Christ has done for their
eternal rescue. you may bring them In.
Where Demosthenic eloquence and Homeric
imagery would FAIL kindly heart throb may
succeed. gentleman Of this city sends me
the statement of what occurred few days
ago among the mines of British Columbia.
1t seems that Frank Conson and Jen
Smith were down In the narrow shaft
of mine. They had loaded an iron
bucket with coal, and Jim Hensworth,
standing above ground, was hauling
the bucket up by windlass, when the
windlass broke, and the loaded bucket was
descending upon the two miners. Then Jim
Eemswerth, seeing what must be certain
death to the miners beneath, threw himself
against the cngs of the whirling windlass,
and, though his flesh was torn and his bones
were broken, he stopped the whirling wind
lass and arrested the descending bucket and
saved the lives o. the miners beneath. The
superintendent Of the mine flew to the res
cue and blocked the machinery. When Jim
Hemsworth's bleeding and broken body was
put on O litter and carried homeward and
some one exclaimed, Jim, this is awful!'
he replied, "Oh, what's the difference SO
long as.I saved the boys?"
What an illustration it was Of suffering for
others. and what text from which to illus
trate tho behavior of our Christ, limplng
! and lacerated and broken and torn and
crushed in the work Of stopping the descend
| ing ruin that would have destroyed our
soulsi Try such scene OF vicarious suffering
as this on that man capable Of overthrowing
90. fHf nd 1yvill