The Penn's Grove record., 1899-01-13

| 'uhJttts tltnS 10 thb tTDss IA
tiplicity of Opportunities For Doing
Good That Men of Talent Have Within
Their Reaoh-Brave Stay-at-Homes.
TEXT: ''Thou art worth TO- 900 of u.s.
ii Samuel xviii, 3.
One Of the most wondtous characters Of
his time was David. A red haired boy, he
could shepherd a flock or carry ten loave:
and ten slices of milk cheeseto his brothers
in the regiment, " or with leathern thong.
stone loaded, bring down q giant whose
armor weighed two hnndredweiGht oil
metal, or cause a lion which roared at him
in rage to roar with pain as he flung it,
dying, to the roadside, or could marshal u
host, or rule an empire, or thumb r harI
so skillfully that 1t cured Saul's dementia
"a harp from whose strings dripped pas.
torals, elegles, lyrics, triumphal marches,
benedictioDs. Now, this man, a combina-
ton of music and heroics, of %dithyrambs
battle fields, CT country ~quietudes and
craftsmanship, is to fit out n military ok
pedition. Four thousand troops, accord
ing to Josephus, We're sent into the field.
The captains were put In command oil
the companies, and the colonies in com
mand of the regiments, which were dis
posed into right wing, left wing and
center. General Joab, General Abishai
and General Ittai are to lead these three
divisions. But who shall take the field
as commander in chief David offers
his services and proposes to go to the
front. He will lead them in the awful
charge, for he has not a cowardly nerve
in all his body. He did not proposeto have
his troops go into perils which he himself
would not brave, and the battlefield re-
quired as much courage then as now, for
the opposing forces must, in order to do any
execution at all, come up to within posi-
tive reach of saber and spear. But there
came mp from the troops and from civilians
n mighty protest against David's taking
the field. His life was too important to
the nation. II he went down, the empire
went down; whereas, II the whole 1000 of
the ranks were slain another army might
be marshaled and the defeat turned into
victory. The army and the nation practi-
cally cried out: "Noi mol You cannot
go to the 'front.' We estimate you as 10, 600
menl Thou art worth 10, 900 of usl'"
THAI army and that nation then and
there reminded David and now remind us
Of the fact which we forget or never up
preciate at all that some people are moral
ly or spiritually worth far more than
others, and some worth far less. The cen
sus and statistics of neighborhoods, or
churches, of nations, serve their purpose,
but they can never accurately express the
real state of things. The practical subject
that l want to present to-day is that those
who lave especial opportunity, especial
graces, especial wealth, especial talent,
especial eloquence, ought to make up by
especial assiduity and conservation for
those who have less opportunities and less
gifts. You ought to do ten times more for
God and human uplifting than those who
have only a tenth of your equipment. The
rank and the file Of the 1000 of the text
told the truth when they said, "Thou art
worth 1000 of u.s."
In no city of its size are there so many
men of talent as are gathered In the capital
of the American nation. Some of the States
are at times represented by men who have
neither talents nor good morals. Their
political party compensates them for partl-
san services by sending them to Congress
or by securing for them position in the war
or navy or pension or printing depart
ments. They were nobodies before they
left home, and they are nobodies here, but
they are exceptional. All the States of the
Union generally send their most talented
men and men of exemplary lives and noble
purposes. Some Of them rave the gifts and
qualifications of ten men, of a hundred men
yea, of a thousand men-and their con-
stituents could %truthfully employ the
words OF my text and say, Thou art worth
10, 900 of u.s."
With such opportunity, are they aug
menting their usefulness. in every possible
direction? Many of them are, some of them
are not. Il is a stupendous thing to AVE
power-political power, social power, Of
ficial power. 1t has often been printed and
often quoted as one of the wise sayings &
the ancients. knowledge Is power" y
1t may as certainly be power for evil as
good. The lightning express rail traiI ;
power for good IL 1t Is on the track 1t
horrible power for dis II 1t leaves the
track and plunges down the embankment.
The ocean steamer has power for good,
sailing in right direction and in safe waters
and under goodhelmsman and wide awake
Waterman on the lookout, but indescrib-
able power for evil If under full head
way 1t strikes the breakers. AS steam
power or electricity or water forces may
be stored in boilers, ia dynamos, IN reser-
voirs, to be employed all over a town or
city, so God sometimes puts IN one man
enough faith to supply thousands of men
with courage. II a man happens to be thus
endowed, let him realize his opportunity
and improve 1t. At this time millions OF
men are a-tremble lest this nation make a
mistake and enter upon some policy OF
government for the stands OF the sea that
will founder the republic. God will give
to a few men on both sides of this question
faith and courage for all the rest. There
are two false positions many are now tax
ing, false as false can be. The one 10 that
II we decline to take under full charge
Cuba and Porto Rico and tho Philippines
we make a declination that will be disas-
trous to our nation, and other nations will
take control of those archipelagoes and
rule them, and perhaps to our humiliation
and destruction, The other theory is that
If we tax possession of those once Spanish
colonies we invite foreign interference and
enter upon a career that will finally be the
demolition OF this government. Both posi-
lions are Unreasonable mistakes. God has
set aSart this continent for free govern
ments and the triumphs of Christianity.
and we may take either the first
ar the eaAnnh pnnrga without rnin
We may say to those islands, 1--WE
do not want you, but we have set you
free. Now stay free, while we see that the
Spanish panther never again puts its
paw on your neck" Or we may invite
the annexation OF Cuba and Porto Rico and
say to the Philippines, "Get ready by edu-
cation snd good morals for free govern
ment, and at the right time you shall be
one OF our Territories, on the way to be one
Of our States"
And there is no power In Europe, Asia or
Africa, or all combined. that could harm
this nation in its worldwide endeavor. God
is on the side of the right, and by earnest
importation for divine guidance on the part
OF this nation we will be led to do the right,
We are on the brink of nothing. There is
no frightful crisis. This train of Rep y
can N Democratic Institutions a
through train, and all we want is V
the engineer and the brakemen anu the
cor iuctor attend to their business and the
passengers keep their places.
A vast majority of men have no surplus
of confidence for others and hardly
enough confidence for themselves. They
go through life saying depressing things
and doing depressing things. They chill
prayer meetings, discourage charitable in
stitutions. injure ommerce and kill
churches. They blow out lights when they
ought to be kidding them. They hover
around a dull fire on their own hearth and
take up so much room that no one can
catch the least ~caloric, instead OF stirring
the hearth into a blaze, the craekle OF
whose backlog would invite the whole
neighhorhood to come in to feel the
Astounding warmth and see the t%ransngur-
alton Of the faces. As We all rave TO
guess a great deal about the future, let US
guess something good, for it will be more
encouraging, and the guess will be Just as
apt to come true. What u lot OF ingrates
the Lord has at His tablet People who
have had three meals a day for fifty years
and yet fear that they will soon have to
rattle their knife INC FORK on an empty
dinner plate. How many have had-win-
ter and spring and summer and fall
clothing for sixty years, but expect an
empty wardrobe shortly How many have
lived nphar fraa institution al .hnf. h.