The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-11-10

which one THROAT has the hOarse cav of
crow, and another the gurgling sweet
ness of Jenny Lind? Who can tell why
one boy can declaim Patrick Henry and
put the audience to sleep, while an Their
| boy will declaim the same speech aud
| break the same audience into storms
OF applause?
Nay, who can tell why the same must
clan or orator or painter thrills with the
current inspiration AT one moment, and
the next all is gone?
Men of talent have their rules, their
little adages, their prim, precise regula-
tiOns. Give them certain materials and
certain conditions and they are warrant
ed to turn you out a certain amount Of
work. They are valuable men-perhaps
the most valuable for every day pur-
poses. We neeu them can't get along
without them. They build good bridges,
make good roads, open the mines, run
the factories, operate the railroads, cut
our coats, make dresses for our wives,
sit in our courts, draw salaries in our Of
fees, usefully act as governors, colonies
and Presidents
We could not dispense with the men
of talent.
would the world be without them?
They carry the feeting glories of ma
ture into the imperishabe custody of the
canvass; they catch the passing dream of
beauty and chain it forever in the mar
bic hands of the statue. They sing to
us, and the world listens, delighted.
melted, inspired. They write for MS, ana
the light of their thoughts ilIuminaLes
I, Of ,I1 i
Time till Time shall be no more. The
man OF talent we must have, for life has
its routine, its drudgery-its drays TO
draw its wood to hew, its wheels to
turn, its prosaic commonplaces which
must be regarded. But what would life
be without its bugle calls to higher and
better things, the Sun-buTStS of inSpira-
ton which reveal to our delighted vision
the high table-lands of human nobility
and human happiness; the divine I'M
written, nOiseleSs music within our III
nermOst natures which only the man of
genius can awaken?
If we were asked to aualyze the power
of Sam Jones we would say that the
chief elements are clear mental vision,
fearless soul, kind heart and unbrided,
irreverent, witty tongue. His go d eyes
enable him t. See the world just as it is
its sad things, its funny things, It's
sham things, its brutal things, its terrible
things, its beautiful things.
His fearless soul leads him to describe
what he sees, and the immense force of
Truth and Realism becomes his ally. His
kind heart enables him to denounce, yet
not drive away; to chastise, yet love; to
punish, yet win the culpr t.
His want of reverence for other men,
their ways of speech and of life, unchain
him from the shackles of can't, custom,
routine and conventiOnality. 1t frees
him from imitation. He thus gets room
for his own individuality to grow, his
own foundation to play.
Being freed entirely from the chains
which ensiaYe so many thousands of pub
lie men lis genins shines like a star
ineXhaushble, radiant.
Put Talmadge in one pulpit and Jones
in an other to deliver one sermon in the
same city, at the same time, and Tai
madge MIGHT equal Jones in that one
sermon, and might get half the crowd,
for that one time.
But let them start in to preach a series
OF thirty or sixty sermons in the same
city, at the same time, and before a
week could elapse Talmadge would have
nobody in his church but his salaried
choir. the deaf man in the amen corner
and the janitOr. Jones would capture
the whole business. His sermons would
grow better day by day, as his genius
expanded, his thoughts intensified, and
his heart warmed to the work.
You could no more exhaust Jones than
you could star, while Talmadge, like
all speakers of mere talent, is filled for
the occasion, like lamp; and when that
particular supply of oil is burned out
you must wait for light till the poor
thing can be filled again.
Here's to you, Sam jonas
Some day We shall meet beyond the
evening and the sunset, and the Creator
of us both will know that Lot one only
of us tried to lift humanity and to make
it better, wiser, happier.
And because one, only, succeeded
there is no good reason why the failure
should not be generous and send greeting
to the success.
May twenty other years come and 20,
finding you constant in strength, constant
in good works, constant in benign influ-
ence over the erring Of fallen world.
T. E. WATSON.