The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-22

kind of MANHOOD to himself and to the
simple ends of justice ana freedom for
which he stood.
Lincoln knew men; he knew the plain
virtues of plain men; he had . deep trust
in them. Because he trdsed us, We, the
people, ross to the level OF his trust. he
showed us those elements In ourselves
which We could trust, could respect, could
believe In, could lay down our lives for.
That is he showed God in US.
Let us go on now to make tho present,
personal application of these thoughts
about the past.
And the very first sugges tion that must
come tn us will be that, 60 far as the
life OF the nation is concerned, the active
influence of it's really great men docs not
cease with their own times. God touches
ana rouses our life through theirs. again
and again. There is the simple force of
their example, by which We put to test
the motives and ends and methods enter
tanned and appealed to by the chosen
leaders and the people who choose them
today. For the true test Is not In the
greatness or the smallness. the diversity
or the simplicity of the outward contin-
gepcy or crisis in national afairs-but
in the motives and ends and methods
with which the opp ortunity or response
bility, whatever 1t may be, 10 met; the
kind Of manhood on which the nation has
TO depend In its bour of need ~ mani
tested in the public. sentiment (which he
H. ~ hA Huin fgan nf
the living hour. 1t 10 the awful response
bility OF civil war. Is II the glorious
opportunity of q treaty of arbitration?
Are we meeting the responsible ties of
peace with the same simple mindedness
of aim, with the same trust in the best
elements OF human nature az opposed to
its worst elements-the same simple mind
edness and faith with which our fore
fathers met the responsibilities OF war;
But here we are brought face to face
with second phase of the influences of
nations great men on Its life. 1t is ac-
cumulative influence, and so far as 1t IL
recognized and yielded to, 1t forces the
national life to higher levels-it makes
what was personal private sentiment
and hope, little by little public ideal,
national aim; and then, touching the
national life on this higher level, the
memory of great men moves to still
pobler destiny. How often 1t happens
when the world one day throws off some
heavy burden Of superstition or injustice
or cruelty or shame, that we look back
to the life of some great man OF the pest
and discover that just the nope OF this
happy contamination was in his heart
but he was ahead OF his generation-yet
he spoke bis word or did his deed for
what he believed ,must come at last, and
in his word and action was the first
opening of the door which thereafter no
man cuufd sfut.
SO il comes about that because of the
great men of the past, we live in a greater
and, IL we are faithful, must put
the spirit that was In them to the larger
service which they saw afar of but could
not enter.
Thus our thought Issues from the
world OF the past into the world Of the
present. 1t comes to this, then. that we
could know the peace of faith in liv-
ing God who guides the world from
strength to strength and from glory to
glory, causing the truth to prevail ana
the lie to rot. We must first olive with
God, ourselves, put him into action sitter
action of our own lives. iou cannot
touch God through mere thought or
through mere feeling. You can find him
only in the life which you have suffered
to pass through your will into your deed
and no day passes that does not bring at
least one hour when God stands at the
door of your will and knocks, seeking a
way through your life into the world.
As sometime in every day there comes
the demand of the perfect life upon our
life, the opportunity to do the inevita-
bly,, unmistakably right-it may be in
the smallest ways of Gods judgments
for the brisfest time, while all around are
hours of uncertaioty,or or opportunities that
are indifferent or questions ble. But IL we
are faithful over the few things submitted
singly to our faith then the greater faith
is sure to come at last, and the greater
service that belongs to the-greater faith.
We do we'll to keep before ourselves and
before our children, as ideals to live by,
the men and the women who out of such
faithfulness have laid hold of a great
faith and out OF that faith have nobly
served their generation.
We cannot afford TO forget that not
measures, but men, make a nation and
that our chief watchfulnsss should be
toward the type Of manhood that is most
admired and followed among us. Is it
rising or falling? The laws, the customs
the safeguards of business, soc isty, the
home, rise and fall with it,
To keep in touch with Gods ideal OF
manhood, brought within reach by the
unbroken traditions Of the. .hpuseh hold, the
street, the cnurcb-to let that ideal have
expression in tho scope OF our life narrow
or broad-yes, always broadening-thisi 10
to enter into our rightful inheritance of