The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-25
TOM AND HIS TEACHERS.
bishop vincencs Lectare at the Chest
nut street church.

Bishop Vincent delivered lecture lost
eveningiin the vestry of the Chestnut
street Methodist church on Tom and HIS
Teachers The vestry was well hiiea,
many people welcoming the opportunity
TO hear this most eloquent and entertain
ing speaker. It was a lecture whion
should be heard to be appreciated. NO al
eouate account Of 1t conld be given In me
columns Of newspaper because all OF 'ne
richness Of coloring, tho brightness OF IL
Illustrations, the sympathy of tone and the
inimitable manner Of this charming
speaker would be lacking.
IL was lecture made up OF word
pictures most skilfully drawn. At times
the audience would be almost in tears
arain in laughter and then deeply thrilled
nv the eloquent and soul stirring inter-
ances Of this entertaining man. He began
Inv sneak ing of the false Ideas which
Sometimes influence parents In the edu
cation of their boys and told of those
things which play so great part in q
bovs education outside of the school and
tho college.
Toms tecchers were not to be found
altogether in the school. nor in Sunday
school, nor altogether ut home lie Is not
Influenced altogether by environment nor
by heredity nor by circum stance. First
Tom should he taught that he IL person
not q thing, cause no : an effect, a
power and not a piece of putty. BY many
parables applicable to the subject the
bishop skilfully illustrated his points and
presented them to his audience in most
entertaining way. Among other things
he dwelt with considerable irony on the
- Lar. r,xrfr Mt nh
habit. He spoke of the ereat attention
which is devoted 10 these subjects by some
men and women, who seek to be philoso-
oh ers, as the greatest nonsense in the
world. The people who In complaining
of their hard lot in life AMI who say
that MY Rrestest mistake was made In
my selecti on of great grand father"
are weaklings who lack character. Toms
teachers would teach him TO overcome
heredity, trample circumstance under
foot and stand as man, not as thing.
illustrating a brave struggle in the face
OF adversely the Bishou drew beautiful
word pict IRE of trip across the Allan
tic. In we'll chosen words he brought be-
fore the eyes OF his audience the scene OF
noble steamship bounding along over
the stormy sea with wind aft and her big
engines driving her irresistibly onward
He showed them the face and form of the
aged engineer who with smntty face and
oil stained clothes proudly told those who
asked him that the ship was making q
good eighteen knots" oFer the rough sea.
Everything was favorable 70 ths high
rate OF speed, the sails were set. the
mighty engines throbbing like giants be-
low and the engineer was proud OF the
work they were doing. Another picture az
charminaly drawn: A lead colored sky
and rough, wave broken sea. There are
no sails, the great waves dash themselves
| to pieces against the iron prov, the great
engines are again throbbiDR like giants
below. the deck Is wet, now and Their
washed by the breaking combers and tbii
time the care worn, age wrinkled face OF
the old engineer looks mp from the engin,
room and with his voice bling will
pride, his whole countenance alight witt
| victory amour ces to the frightened groul
| OF passengers that ship Is "makinga Root
six knots" That is not as great speet
as the other ship made unuer more favor
able conditions, but the battle was val
iantly fought and the storm tossed shil
| was the victor. Overcoming adverse cir
ouInstances, meeting adversely face u
| face, with courage and bravely overcoming
alkot stacles to success Is what Ion
should be taught To do, A mans wort
is determined not by the way he meet
success, but by the way in which he over
comes and defies adversitv.
| Another word picture showing the mil
lionaire's son with his brow bathed II
perspirati on, his hands dirty and hi
| clothes soiled and worn fighting out tn
battle of life for himself. learning to b
| man while his father with millions a
his beck and call proudly cheers his Sol
on In his endeavor to be independent. Il
| be self made man. Tom should learl
independence that be may respect thos
who labor and know what hard worl
means.
And then again he draws the contras
between a so called Christian INGREDIENT
who has none of the Christian spiri
to whom Tom is sent from his countr,
home and the merchant who is really ant
| truly Christian and carries n little o
| Oh rist's spirit into his counting room
| OF the power for good or evil such an EN-
ployer may have upon the ambitions
youth. A parable that was more convinc
| ing than scores of well turned sentences
or of well grounded arguments.
And in illustrating the statement tina
| Tom should new er be given up, no mattel
| how dull or stupid he may appear il
| school, no matter how bad he rnay be, thu
bishop drew another beautiful parable. i
was OF boy who met in school with
| teacher who had no appreciation of hi
efforts to learn, who treated him will
| soorn and contempt and made him tn,
| laughing stock of the class. And tber
Providence intervened and took thi
teacher away. Gle died." said the Bish
op. A woman succeeded him. She wal
| sympathetic. with tact and knowledg,
of how to handle akward and bashfu
BOYS She brought out in this boy OF thu
parable all that there was in him, mad,
him d asoholar and brilliant one too
though the other teacher had given him
up. This was the nature of Bishop Vim
cents lecture and 1t proved to be one o.
the most ent ertaining that has beer
heard for many days by many in hi
audience.