The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-06

| want every man In this presence 20 race
] that this ~ one of the things that is
working consciously or unconsciously in
| your mind and shaking the very founda-
\ tions OF tho religious lifs and your at
tachment 20 the church of Jesus Christ.
! Until we have a clear and definite dag
| nosis of the temper uf the Zines We cail-
| not hope 20 ind n remedy. Until YOU
/ You can never hope 60 ind the means TO
| larger deeper faith j know from eN-
| perlenee thar This & one of the thinss
| that shake mems faith 20 the centre
| Every such man and woman in tms
| presence, proud OF doing their duty. but
half ashamed Of their allegiance 60 Jesus
Christ, 4 want 10 point 10 the lesson or
| history
sADDEsT SPOT ON EARTH
No one can turn TO tho past without a
Of the llttle chapel near the town ot
Goudon, Whsre SO many noble men and
women Iie buried hurried 10 their doom
by tho axe OF the cxecutioner. said thar
"a was he saddcst spot on earth All
such places are sad Tor the millions who
100 buried have passed from men s. minds
into the night Of Oblivion that in this
world viii never know o dawn. These
men and women have had their JOYS and
SORROWS, their hopes and their fears. but
they and an they loved and cherished
have been forgotten. only here and there
q Few that time has chosen live on IN
ine minds 81 men and their names are
spoken with reverence and awe Their
own age doubtless thought them fanatics.
They Wore men filed with a stern con-
Nlcton of duty and into the accomplish
ment ot iheir tasks they hurled all the
stfongh ana impetuosity OF their great
souls IL IS now a ST. Paul breasting
tho sea. suffer ShipwreclS. strifes and
prison that he may carry thc me ssaRe ot
Christ 10 the Gentle world and plant The
banner Of the cross in the Eternal city.
Again IL is SaVonarrola preaching I'm
me Duomo Of Florence. lingering I'm his
cell through long days and nights OF fast
ine and prayer thai h may catch a clear
ef vision or tho unseen light His soul IL
round and for the CITY he lived and on
rs altar he shed his blood a ransom for
tho multitude that had once been intoXi-
Gated by his clOdurnCe.
Again IL is William of Orange toiling
for Holland, sacrincinE his home and his
possessions and finally his life that the
light OF liberty might blaze on the shores
OF the sea, a beacon light 30 tho world
Again IL is Lincoln with one purpose
time but his all upon The altar OF the ma
ton that he might heal the chasm be-
tween North and South and leave "a peo-
ple free. SO IL has been with all these great
ones toiling and striving. cndeaVoring to
do the work set before them. In their
ears there sounded ever the stern watch
word OF duty No man OF this genera
tion has had "A keeucr sense of obligation
than these men had Trace history and
lnu the immortal ones who have done
ierculean tasks and changed history and
ton. and YOU Will find in every case that
10 these men the eternal night has been
Tor them a living voice But look again
and closer and Won Will see that these
men have not oniv been conscious as Few
men are conscious OF duty. but these men
whore their hands were Idle and their
voices silent were sitting alone in the
face OF great eternal realities
Like 81. Paul on the road 20 Damascus,
like Peter ON the housotop they have had
q vision they have been men of ideals;
MOI .Asalss httf Fs.tf. -.
an end and with an object. and because
something beckoned and lead them on
their way.
PRACTICAL AFFAIRS OF TO-DAY.
But why go 60 history Turn 10 the
practical affairs OF today. Turn 20 busi-
ness. Who are the leaders? who are
the NapOeOns OF finance?
Men who have peered deep into the fli-
ture. Men who have seen an end and
goal Of which other men have not dis
cerned and stimulated by the vision have
worked Win mind and soul TO that end.
They have been who knew what they
wanted to do have done Chat and that
other men have vacilated because they
had no goal. They have failed The
difference between the Rothschlds. the
Nanderbilts and the Gouids on the one
hand and the ST. Piiuls the Savonarolas
aud the Iuthcrs on the other is not that
one had ideals and the Other did not. both
classes had ideals, the difference is I'm the
,,r character. me nature ot the ends for
which they labOred. Write failure after
YOUR name VI sou are in business or pro-
tessional life today ana are not striving
20 some definite goal " there is not some
thing that tho mind sees that the eye can
not yet behold ~ your business is 10
sweep Che street aim to sweep II well. In
the light OF an this let tho man who In
sists that duty has nothing TO do with
Ideals ask himself what his duty is Duty
is determined not By the eNigenCtes ~ "A
slnsie case or The conditions In which
YOU find Yourself az this hour, but by the
one end which YOU have in life II Is
that which tells you what your duty is
crisis comes, the question is asked,
what shall do2 ls the end OF your life
pleasure, then surely YOU will not sacri-
flee for the right Is your end sacrifice
then you VIII give Noinself willingly and
gladly n the cause demands it. Are YOU
1Ilng I, I Iof me common good, then you will
in business yOu are more or less
determined by that which Nou have
chosen ss The highest good. Here is an
opportunity To make "a large sum of
money TO be sure, some other will be-
come moor by my so doing. What. then.
snail dof You will DO as your ideal
dictates. Are Won IN business for the end
~ gaining wealth. Then YOU will do il.
~ the cud you have chosen Is to live
clean and honest lifo and help other men
90 10 the same YOU will reject tho on
portnity with sCoru Tho deal has re-
vealed your duty But us ono thing to
h4t-,'r-t he risfi' md another 90 do II. our
'NhEH llhlN fNfleilhft~ NNFnmF heavy.
Duty - only another name FOR dI'udgcrv
We have no hone and SO NC 20 on In
despair That means that We haNc lost
sight or the end I'm view The man who
goes torth 10 seek knowledge and loves II
does not tire OF study The man who
goes forth with The idea of wealth does
not shrink from the hardest tasks
" ~ the ideal that gives hone. that IN
stills love, that turns drudgeIv into iov
ana leads us to our tasks with a song
upon our lips. Duty for Jesus was The
fuhllment of love 10 was tho expires
sion Of this love for man ana cod. His
idcal was 10 seek aud to save these men
who were lost No man ever came "a
so thanklcss 20 task No mar was cvcr
so Isolated iu his toll NJ man ever did
such disagreahlc work and no man ever
received the iov from his labor that Jesus
did because his course was clear tho
end was certain. the ideal was an oper
vision. Nor could any man have done as
he did. nor could any man have accom-
nlished what Sc paul and Luther and
lincoln did without the helm of the Wis
ion There are those for whom tho goa'
is revelation of dutv and q spur 10 the
doing ~ IT, but who have not The strength
alone TO acconnlish &c. The ideal m lifr
may be in the heaven. but " reaches
down into the hart Of man and lifts him
up ard gives him strength II iusniree
men with courage. fills them with the
uaqsion Co do aud makes their hearts beat