The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-06-10

The full duty of man finds its best oppor-
unity of accomplishment with sound
mind in a sound body.
And there are Danes threatening your
mind and heart, irsidious evils that rob
you of the purity of your minds before
you are aware of it. He wanted to name
only one; the evil in books. The best
books in the world are few il number
and could be bought by every boy and
girl in the audience tonight, and what is
better, could be read in the time usually
given to literature that is ephemeral and
worthless.
There was another kind of evil that he
must warn them against, the feeling that
they ha completed their education with
a school or college course. Alfred was
a student all his life, not only of books,
but of men and things-and so must ev-
ery one be who would be truly educated.
This thing we call education is not
knowledge of a few text-books-nor in
deed of many 1t is a drawing out OF
man the best that is in him. 1t is train
ing that begins in the cradle and ends
when life ends. It is the seizlng and
using of every means Of acquiring Wis
dom.
We may also learn something from Al
fred the Christian, who, when he came to
re-establish law and religion in Wessex,
held to all that was good in the old law
and religion of his people. III the unrest
of today there is great reaching out after
new things. 1t is too often true that
young men and young women feel that
the religion of their fath'rs and mothers
needs to be modified somewhat, that it is
too old fashioned to look we'll; or they
think that this thing you call religion
does very we'll for. old women and chill
dren, but for us-we want little stronger
stuff than that Listen! If the old fash
ioned belief.iu God, and a firm faith in
his mercy and providence, will help you
and me to live the kind of life that 1t
helped Alfred to live, then we need all OF
it that we can get
There are many men and women who
would give great deal to stand where
you. stand tonight with youth and health
and good conscience, before the felters
of custom and evil habit have fastened
upon you To You now, anything in
reason is possible. Only remember this:
If you are to accomplish anything worth
doing you must 60 about it at once. 1t
is possible for a man to think about what
he is going to do till the time for action
is passed. The most successful life, the
life that comes nearer to doing what life
ought to do is the one in which there is a
balance of intellect and activity, and if
you are going to do anything you must
do it at once If you are to make the
best of your life you must think as we'll
as work He believed we should all be
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day in solitary thought, in thinking about
God and the universe, and IN trying to
learn something about the strange being
we call ourself.
1t is a fine thing for US that such man
as Alfred has lived When we are weary
aud heartsick at the selfshness and
meanness of humanity-its lying, cheat
ing, back biting and slanderous gossipiug,
when we are oppressed By all this, the
Iife Of Alfred comes to us like breath of
4. air to sick man, it revives US, it
gives us new hope; we see that, there is
possible for this poor. pitiful humanity to
lose itself in others, to crush out all that
is low and mean and degrading, and to
show to the world life in which all is
patience and courage and love.
If you should ever be so unfortunate as
to be oppressed by that sickly sentimen
tai mood that is always wondering if life
is worth living, c mmend you to Alfred
to him who near the end of well-spent
life said. what I trust that you and | in
like season may be able to say: "The
while have lived have sought to live
worthily."