Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-06-21

At the dock of some great city a ship
is unfastening from her moorings and
weighing her anchor for first voyage
across trackless sea, to unknown
shores Friends are looking on with
prayerful sympathy, and to the listen
ing ears of the departing ones call out
some words of good cheer; some words.
may be. of admonition. some words that
shall sustain them in their strange and
untried Journey on and over the sea. So
here are we to- night. my friends You.
the voyagers on life's dim and restless
and boundless sea- For few moments
only, now, are you in the dock, at the
old Buckingham wharf. You teachers
are weighing the anchor which has
kept you in the still waters. near your
family firesides. and within sight and
sound of familiar comradeship, but
soon old and dear scenes of home and
school will disappear. Soon the we'll
known landmarks will be sunken under
the shadows of the past Soon into
deeper and broader waters will your
lives be led or driven. with no one near.
but the great God above. and nothing
under YOU but His everlasting arms.
Here are you. and here are we also, at
this solemn hour. watching you. pray
ing for you. and anxious that before you
go some word may be given from the
secret treasure house of our affection
and esteca. Here are we, parents
relati friends, ALTO wish you
good luck in the name of the Lord. -
What my word for you shall be, my
young friends. is from the Bible From
the Bible? Yes 3! Most wonderous Book
The only star which rose OH time. and
on it's dark and troublous pillows. still
throws ray of loves own light, and
to the hills. the everlasting hills of
God points the travellers eye. From
this unerring chart of human life give
you the advice of a brave princely sea-
man, who knew life as he did the sea
of Galilee. st. Peter would frame these
words for you Honor all men. Fear
God. Love the Brotherhood. Honor
the King"
These are mighty words. golden
words. glorious words l want you
to remember them. ] want you to sat
urate your lives with them. and your
lives wrought out by them, will reach
the stature of the fullness of Christ. the
perfect man. Guided by them. your
life will be identified with God. and
even in time have its fruition in views
so enlarged, in comprehensiveness so
extensive. and conscious satisfaction so
complete that their realization will be
an actual foretaste of the consummation
of the life eternal
Now, mark the words as they come:
Honor all men," You will soon be
tempted to be as others have become,
so wrapped in self-sufficiency and self
esteem, that the "holier than thou" will
of the Scribe and Pharisee, badges of
hypocrisy. So many there are. that be-
lieve all others who differ from them IN
creed, or politics, or social life. are val
ueless. For such blindness their lives
become as isolated as the sparrow that
sitteth alone on the housetop. Two men,
citizens of my native county of Calvert,
in Southern Maryland, were candidates
for the Legislature. They met in those
good old days for joint debate.
One began as follows: Fellow citi-
zens, am candidate for the Legisla-
ture. have right to ask you to vote
for me. Was not my father a gentle
man? Did he not own one hundred
negroes? Am not | related to the first
and best families of this grand old coun
ty? Yes. gentlemen. belong to no
common stock. My father was dia-
mond back terrapin, and l want, and l
expect to be elected by all the other
diamond back terrapins of land,
washed by the blue waters of the Ches-
apeake and the limpid stream of the
Patuxent river" and sat down. The
other candidate arose. Fellow citizens, "
he said: Il was raised among you.
was born with no silver spoon in my
mouth. yet too have certain, and
hope better reasons. which think shall
cause you to send me to represent your
interests at Annapolis. My honorable.
and most distinguished opponent has
told you why he demands your votes;
because he is gentleman. because his
father before him. was the master of a
hundred slaves. because he is connected
with all the aristocratic families of Cal
vert The diamond back terrapins of
Calvert" he calls them. Now. fellow
citizens, admit every word my honor
able opponent has said. But, gentle
men. what am II" Just then there
ran across the court house green. a large
flock of half grown puddle ducks. They
had been terribly frightened. and as
they ran. 'quack quack quack = the
poor frightened things cried. The young
politician exclaimed: Il asked, what am
l. Oh gentlemen. l am only a puddle
duck. l belong to the puddle duck
crowd, and | want the votes of every
Il 4 e a.