The Burke County news. [volume] (Morganton, N.C.) 1899-1901, 1899-01-27
FAMILY F|RES|OE SERMON.
RepARED ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
AND OLD.

:. Their H~ach-Brave Stsy-at-Homes.
/. ryxr. "Thon art worth 10, 900 OF u.s.
i Samuel xviii. 3.
One OF the most wondrous characters OF
n. tine was David. A red haired boy. he
could shepherd n fnck or carr" ten loaves
and ten slices OF milk cheeset" bis brothers
!. the rerimept," or with leatbern thong.
stone loaded. bring down a giant whose
m OF weighed two hundredweight OF
netai, or cause a lion which roared at him
rage to rear with pain IS he hung It.
dying, to the roadside. or could marshal f."
host. or rule an en- pire. or thumb a harp
90 kkiIlfulIy that It cured Saul's demeDtia |
"a harp from whose strings dripped pas
Scrals. e'egies. lyrics. %triumphal marches. |
Denedictions. Now, this man. a combiDa-
Gon OF music and h~eroics, OF dithvrauibs
and battle fields. CT country quietndcs and
craftsmanship. IL TO fit out n military eH-
oedition. Fonr thousand troops. accord
(ng to J~osephws, We're sent into the field.
The captains were put in OF
1be companies. and tho colonies In COM
oand OF the regiments, which were dis
posed INTO right wing, left wing and
1rDter. General Joab. General Abishai
and General Ittai are to lead these three
divisions. But who shall take tho field
IS commander in chief? David offers
bis services and proposes to go to the
front. He will lead them In the awful
charge. for lie has not a eowardly nerve
III all IIS tOuN. hc u'd " pIpIcSCA " uGNo
his troops 60 into periis which he himself
would not brave. and the battlefield re-
4uired IA much courage then rs now, for
the opposing forces must, In OrdertO do any
execution ut AL. come up to within posi-
tive reach OF saber and spear. But there
came up from tho troops and from civilians
. mighty protest against David's taking
<he 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 marshale,l and the defeat turned into
victory. The army and the nation practi-
oAlly cried out: enc! No! You cannot
60 to the front! We estimate you "a 10, 900
men! Thou art worth 10. 900 OF us!'"
That army and that nation then and
there reminded David and now remind US
OF the fact which We forget or never ap-
preciate at all that some people are moral
iy or spiritually worth far more than
others, and some worth far less. The CEN
sus and statistics OF neiRhborhoods, OF
churches, OF nations. serve their purpose,
but they can never accurately express the
real state OF things. The practical subject
that want to present to-day Is that those
who have 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 moro for
God and human uplifting than those who
have only = tenth OF your equipment. The
rank and tho file OF the 1000 OF the text
told the truth when they said, Thou art
worth 10, 900 OF us"
In no city OF Its size are there so manv
men OF talent rs are gathereli in the capital
OF the American nation. Some OF the States
are mt times represented by men who have
neither talents nor good morals. Their
political party compensates them for parti-
san services by sending them to Congress
or by securing for them position In the wax
or navy or pension or printing depart
ments. They were nobodies before they
left home. and they are nohodies 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 have the gifts aud
qualifications OF ten men. OF a hundred men
yea, OF Il thousand men-and their con.
stituents could trutbfully employ the
words OF my text and say, Thou art worth
10. 900 OF us
With such opportunity. are they aug.
mentinG their usefulness in every possibl,
direction? Many OF them are, some OF then
are not. 1t Is Il stupendous thing to have
power-political power. social power, of
hciai power. 1t has often been printed ant
often quoted "a one OF the wise savings 0
the ancieuts. "knowhdge Is power" Ye,
II may "a certainly be power for evil as 70,
good. The lightning express raj. train hg:
power fot good il il is on the track. In
horrible power for disaster IL Ii leaves thu
track and plunges Gown tho embankmenr
The ocea! steamer has power for good
sailing in right direction and In safe water
and under Sooihelmsman and wide agak,
Waterman on the lookout but indescrih
able power for evil IL undor FULL head
way il strikes the breakers. As steam
power'or electricity or water tocces ma,
be stored In boilers. Ia dynamos. In reser
Voiss. TO be employed all over a town o
city. so God sometimes puts in one ma,
enough faith 70 supply thousands Of me-
with courage. II a man happens to be thu
endowed. let him realize his oppostunit