The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-10
MATURE
An interesting Sermon by Rev. Virgil
w. Tevis at FIetcher-PIace.

DIR. Virgil w. Tevis, pastor of Fletcher
place NJ. L. Church. delivered the second
of a series of lectures last, night to a
large congregation on 9Th Magnifcence
of a Mature Manhood" He said in part:
Summer will follow spring. Longer
days appear. Beautiful as is nature in
May, IL will not always be May. The
hotter months are coming. The spring
time cannot, If it would. avoid this con-
clusion. Whether the bud be good or bad
il must reach the limit of its development.
The long. bright days of summer are days
OF preparation for autumn. The bees are
busy. Nature herself is hurrying all vege-
tation TO ripeEess. as though she had a
hint of coming frosts.
so, the youngest OF us all VIII arrive at
the summer of life. Whether preparation
has been complete or not, we reach full
orbed manhood. 1t is a time of labor.
When every day is crowded with Its duties;
when the responsibilities OF life press
heavily upon us; when practical, every
day affairs engross our attention. The
summer of life means maturity-the full
strength of our powers; the complete de-
velopment of whatever talents we possess.
Maturity is not necessarily measured by
years. Sometimes the indiscretions of
early life cause the evening shadows TO
fall while it is only II o'clock. The forces
of to-day cast their influence over to-
morrow. An evil habit of ~youth-time
throws a shadow, more or less profound,
over the summertime or life. But men
ought not to reach maturity too quickly.
Cato learned the Greek language after he
was eighty years of age. a little silver in
the hair and n few wrinkles on the brow
do not necessarily mean that the summit
of life has been reached.
cat maturity a man should De in full
and complete control of all his passions.
BY this time of life. IL ever. We have
learned the hardest lesson of life, that OF
controlling ourselves.
.'The mature man, if h be true, is Wig
orous, energetic. If you were an artist
and desired to paint an ideal picture of
such a character, you would not place him
on a dry goods box, with a knife in one
hand. a pine stick in the other. and an ex-
pressionless, vacant look upon his face.
But you would take a character like Lin
coin. Busy as "A rafl-splitter; dilgent as q
LAWYER; magnificent as a President, though
almost crushed with as great a burden as
ever fell upon a mans heart. And when
you came TO gaze at your completed por-
trait of a true and mature man, you would
see the strong lines OF character in his face.
and the marks of severe toll on his rugged
features.
.aThe true man should shirk no real re-
sponsibilities There is a grandeur In a
heroic soul, feariessly and squarely assum-
ing the responsibilities of Dfe. The ma
ture man should be an example of good
ness. and moral and religious worth. We
are not TO forget that more than likely We
are the models for some bright-eyed
urchins who say very little about the mat
ter. but think much. Hawthorne well says:
Let US reflect that the highest path Is
pointed out by the pure ideal OF those who
icok up TO US. and who, IL we tead less
loftily. may never look so high again
This magnificent man is sympathetic.
He Is touched with the sorrows of the
world. He tries 10 be a representative OF
the Lord Jesus upon the earth. He realizes
the truth OF the divine pronise: 'Inas-
much az We have done IL unto one of the
least of these, my brethren. We nave done IL
unto me- Out OF sympathy. a true man
becomes a helper of the unfortunate. His
heart Is tender. because It II q manly