The age-herald., 1902-04-07
Rev. pr. MunhaII Delivers a Strong Sermon at the
 First Methodist
HOW TO GUIDE YOUNG LIVES
Advises Young Men and Women to Become Christians Early-Gives Congregation Lesson in
 Good Manners.

Fifteen hundred people attended the union meeting for young people at the First Methodist church yesterday con | ducted by the Rev. l.. w. Munhall. The majority of these were children but there were many men and women. large number of conversions were made, among those protesting Christianity being many young men and young women.
 Mir Munhall insists on having order in his congregation and at the adver- tised hour the doors were closed and none left the church until the end of the services
 The pastors of the various churches concerned in the union services were pres ent and the m eetng began with the sing ing of several hymns, the choir and con gregation being led by the Rev. J. P. McFerrin.
 Dr. Munhall before beginning his ad- dress announced that the collection would be taken up at once. He showed the ushers exactly how to go about it and said that 1t required two ushers to each plate. one standing at one end of row and one at the other. While the collec- ton was being taken he announced that there would be services every night this week except Saturday, and that there would be three o'clock services on Tues day, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
 Lesson in Manners.
 He also stated that the tickets for the meeting had been scattered broadcast over the city and that there might be some present who had never gone to church or Sunday school. He informed these that it was bad manners to whisper or look about or to get up and leave while the preacher was preaching; that he gave them this advice so that they would not give themselves away. He said he was glad to so many young people out this rainy afternoon and then he offered a prayer A hymn was sung and the ushers were then requested to close the doors.
 Dr. Munhall then announced as his text the first verse of the twelfth chapter of Ecclesiastes. Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth lest the evil days come nigh and thou shalt say, have no place in them
 Problem of Life. Life is a problem which is never real ized until finally made up" said pr. Mum hall, but we can usually tell what it will be, for Christ has said as thou sow est so shalt thou reap. A life lived with out God is failure and eternity will disclose it to such one to their conster- nation and everlasting sorrow. There fore standing at the threshhold of life as you do, it Is the part of wisdom that you take God into your heart that the problem of your life may be successfully solved Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth.
 "One thing in the text that I wish to impress upon you Is, that If you do not remember God in your youth the evil days will surely come He has not prom ised to save you In middle life or old age, but now Now is the time Will you not hear his voice today, lest the evil days come when you will not care to hear his word?
 "I served three years as apprentice to a blacksmith. My father was practi- cal man and wished to teach me a prac- tical trade, and if you think any the less of the preacher for that don't think any the more of you. The first thing I did when l went into the shop was to pick up a piece of hot iron and put it down without the boss telling me. daugh- ter). In six months time, however, my hands had become so hardened that I would pick up the iron without burning my fingers. So your heart, which is ten der in youth. will grow callous if you for get God and if it is scared by sin.
 Heart Becomes Hardened.
 'Thirty-two years ago I addressed an these questions. I asked all that be- came Christians after they were 50 years of age to hold up their hands. Not a hand was raised. I then asked all that became such after 40 to raise their hands There was one hand raised. I then asked those who became such between 9 and sO and there were eleven. Between 20 there were at least 700 in the audience who became Christians at that early period. I have tried the same questions elsewhere and obtained almost the same results If person Is 50 years old and is not Christian l figure 1t out that the chances are 1000 to 1 that he never will be. If he is 30 years old and not A Christian the chances are 99 to 1 against him. At 25 years the chances are 3s to 1, but at 20 years they are not over g to 1. This only confirms what my text