The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-24
THE ANNUAL ADDRESS.
Continued from Eighth Page.

Continued from Eighth Page.
Bethesda, or to dwell at length upon
the details of its hallowed past or its
glorious present. Through trials,
through difficulties, through weary
hours of exhaustion, of physical pain,
of mental anguish, in days of sickness
of body and distress of mind" White
field never wavered in his self-imposed
task of founding and sustaining
home for orphan children. when
other men would have succumbed, have
fallen under the load or sought relief
from its overwhelming exactions in
rests among friends, he struggled on
with undiminished ardor, with uu-
swerving unselfshness, keeping ever
before him the needs of the orphans,
ever mindful of the wants of Bethes-
da." Would you seek a monument to
the warm heart and chaste soul of
Wkitefield, then look around you"
His resting place is marked in the Old
South Churchyard at Newburyport,
but his immortal memory is here. The
ground upon which we stand is hal
lowed. The grand old oaks, beneath
whose spreading branches we now as
semble, speak to us both of Rethesda's
infancy and vigorous life, and as these
oaks are strong of body, and broad of
limb, and tower grandly in the light
of day. just so does the good that has
been accomplished stand forth a last
ing monument. ''The hundreds of
boys who have gone forth from Be
thesda equipped for lives of useful
ness, demonstrating by their sobriety,
morality and daily labors, the charac-
ter of the training received, have
been living monuments to the great
evangelist and those who have sue
| ceeded him."
WhitefeId's Successors.
Members of the Union Society, there
| are those living whose brow we should
also deck. with the garland of charity
| Whitefeld laid the foundation, Those
who now live have reared the impos-
ing structure. This anniversary marks
quarter of century of service by
your worthy president, Col. j. H.
Estill, in directing the affairs of Bethes-
| da. The records of your society will
| show that no other man. save White
field, has watched over this institution
with more Jealous care and loving zeal
| than Col. Estill. Let us bring home to
his heart, in the days of his worthy
| efforts, the appreciation in which these
efforts are held. Let us name him that
which is his due-the tireless friend and
unselfish benefactor of orphan chill
| dren. The records of your society will
| dlSO SHOW That LOT VI
| century the efforts of Col. Estill have
been ably seconded by your worthy
superintendent, Mr.. A. V. Chaplin.
| Surely, the tender sweetness of his
| countenance illustrates the words of
| the poet, True happiness, when I'M
derstood, is found alone in doing good
The Orphan Boy.
To me the saddest sight of earth is
| the sight of little boy weeping over
the grave of his mother. His imna-
ture mind does not bring home to him
d realization of the loss he has sns-
| tanned, but nature, the common parent
of us all, implants in his heart an APP
palling sense of loneliness and .weari
ness, because a mothers voice is still
! ed, and in the stif1ed sobs is expressed
| the anguish of his soul. Surely, a So
! ciety that has for its purpose the dry
| ing of those tears, and the hushing of
those -sobs, and. the Frightening of the
dark days which appear to stretch out
before that lonely child, has for its
| mission a purpose second only to that
which innelled the Son of God to give
| His life for man. To us assembled here
| upon this anniversary, we. see that this
society has fulfilled its mission. We
see in the happy faces of these boys
| the transition that has been wrought.
| We read in their expressions the melo-
| QY Oh their Voices, IluStlSQ Only ny OuI
| presence. In fancy we can hear the
! merry ripping of their laughter, min
| Cling with the songs of the birds.
| There is nothing on earth half so holy
as the innocent heart of a child. There
! is on earth no music half so tender as
| the innocent laugh. of a child. Strike
with hand of fire, oh. weird musician,
| thy harp strung with Apollo's golden
| hair! Fill, the vast cathedral aisles
with symphonies sweet and dim, deft
| teacher of the organ keys! Blow.
| bugler, blow, until thy silver notes do
| touch and kiss the moonlit waves,
| charming the wandering lovers on the
vine-clad hills; but know your sweet
| est strains are discords all compared
with ehildhood's happy Augh-the
| laugh that fills the eyes with light, and
dimples every cheek with joy
A Message for the Boys.
And now for this band of laughing
bright faced. boys l have a message
Boys, know just how each. and every
one of you feels when he is called g
boy. You long for the time to come
when you can be called a, man. Bu
you should not long simply to be called
a man; you should long to be a man
a man in all that the term implies. Al
a dark hour in the history of Rome
the city was afflicted at one and the
| same time with a plague, winch num-
bered it's victims by the hundreds, will
| an overflow of the Tiber, which
brought terror and woe to the poor anC
| needy, with an earthquake which open
ed a great chasm in the Forum. TIT
| augurs declared that the Affections
1 would not depart until there had beer
cast into the abyss Romes creates
treasure. Whereupon Quintus Curtiu
mounted his good steed, and dashed a
full speed into the yawning chasm, de
claring as he vanished from sight
"Rome's greatest treasures are he
brave men, Would you be a man o
whom it can be said, He is one o
his country's greatest treasures? 1
you would, then, l charge you, possess
first of all.
"True religion in your SOUL" ~-
Boys, do not be ashamed of your re
ligion. You should glory in 1t, / hav,
known boys who had the idea that t
be religious was to be girlish and eff
Terminate. They forget that the fathe
of our country knelt on the frozei
fields of Valley Forge and prayed 10
strength and courage, and for guidance
and direction, from the God. above
Such boys are shutting out of thei
lives the sweetest companion they cal
ever know, and turning their back
upon that solace and comfort whicl
alone can sustain them in the hour o
death. You boys, bereft, as you are
of father or mother should. of all 9th
er boys. take into your lives the teach
ings of the Christ who said; "Suffe
the little children to come unto me
and forbid them not, for of such is thu