The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-06
THE POWER OF MAN
For GOOD AND EVIL DISCUSSED
BY REV BAsCOM ANTHONY.
GOD ONLY EXCEPTED.
MAN THE MOST PoTEET FACTOR IN
THE WHOLE WORLD.

Man the PossessOr of an Uncon-
sciOus FOrce-ExpIained by Some
as Magnetic Emanations-Illus-
trated by the Power over Men of
Samuel, st. Paul, Caesar and Ma
pOIeOn-The Text Given as "a
warning TO Men i'm the Use of This
Poyver-Mnny of the Wrecks of
of This Force.
1.-The Power of Man was the sub
ject of Rev. Bascom AnthonY's SER
mon at Trinity Church last night. The
preacher chose as his text: 1 Timothy,
iv, 16: Take heed unto myself"
why" he asked lis this warning
given? When one sees notice to keep
off the railroad track, he knows that
unless he obeys it he will be run over:
one keeps off d street car track because
of the same danger; when storm sig
nails are displayed he takes precautions
accordingly, for he knows and under
stands what each of the dangers are.
Here is the word of God uttered also
as a warning: Take heed unto thy
self He knew your potency for good
and for evil because you are force
and power in the world.
when / was a boy" said Mr.. An
thony. II heard a lecture in which it
was stated that a man under certain
conditions could be seen surrounded
Nv
composed of the magnetic properties of
his being, a sort of sensitized envel-
ope peculiar to that particular person.
| and that it is to the possession of this
peculiar property or thing that may
be attributed the instant sympathy or
antipathy that is often felt upon meet
| ing another person. This feeling IS
exemDlified in the old stanza:
II do not like thee, DR.. Fell"
The reason why l cannot tell:
But this know and know full well,
I do not like thee, DR.. Fell.
II do not know how true this is
said Mr.. Anthony, but l do know that
there is coming from every man a
| force. This is shown in the Biblical
story of Saul and Samuel; of st. Paul
and Agrippa, and in the apocryphal
| story of julius Caesar and the pirates;
also in later times, by the wonderful
| influence that the great Napoleon pos
sessed over men so that at his bare
bidding they went to- certain death. In
a greater or less degree this power be-
| longs to every one of us.
The mightiest force of the world,
| outside of God, is man. In him is
placed the power to gather, hold and
appreciate all the facts that are re-
| ported by the senses, and these mem
ory, discretion and wisdom all conspire
] to gather and sort and make the most
| of, and thus make of man the greatest
force in the world. It's no small thing
to have lived in this world and to
| have had it's opportunities. Could /
but analyze you and show you what
you are you would turn away in
amazement.
Think what marvellous creatures
we are when by an impulse of the
| mind we can make the sheeted dead
walk before us for our pleasure even
as the children obey the master; when
we can even bring ourselves to judg-
ment, for every man at some time
brings himself before his own judg-
ment. What being man is; what a
| force he is! There is but one thing
greater, and that is the eternal God
| knowing what we are, it behooVes us
to take the admonition of this book,
lake EeeG Unto myself -
After telling his hearers that each
in his sphere could use the power pos
sessed for good or evil, Mr.. Anthony
| told of two women, who though of
| humble station, had, nevertheless,
wrought greatly for the benefit of hui
mainly. One of these, an old, poor
and infirm apple woman of London,
had in forty years taken from the
| streets of that city some twenty
! " yITan cI,1 A,l
sustenance, and to whom she had i'm
parted such knowledge as she possessed
and started out in life with such ad-
! Vantages as she could bestow. An
| other woman, also of lowly station,
| had done similar work in New Or
leans, and so noble We're her efforts
| and so disinterested her work that
she is now honored with monument
in the city of her life and labor.
Not only is it true that man is a
! power for good" said the speaker,
but he is power for evil also. / had
rather never been born than lead the
| life of hundreds of men l have known.
| know of many men who stand to-
| day. stripped of every noble feeling
and beautiful sympathy, like a house
that. swept by fire, has all it's fur
nishings destroyed and stands with
blackened and cracked walls--a wreck
and these men were brought to this
state by the pernicious influences of
| their fellow men.
There are influences outside of our
! selves, and despite ourselves: potent
forces, though used unconsciously, and
as you walk through this world, these
forces are used for either good or ecil.
In the first case, bringing light and
| hope to those you meet; in the other
case, trailing after you a blighting
aura. from which evil is disseminated
like an infectious disease.
How are you a-going to help your
! selves? There is but one way: Be
right, be good. be true and be loyal
to God. Nothing but good can come
from a good man, and nothing but evil
from an evil man.