Milford chronicle., 1903-10-16
Thinning For Greatness.

Trimming For Greatness.
There nrust be Il training for great
ness. The occasion does not Great,
greatness; it only develops and pro
duces it. 1t cannot create or make
| greatness out of common clay We dc
not assert that history can play a Han
ders Messiah" upon a dinner plate OF
blow bugle blast with u penny whis
| tie or catch thunderbolts with a straw
hat or shoot mastodons with pins OF
strangle Volcanoes with spider webs.
The old poets said that when worlds
are used for shuttlecocks and the uni
verse is playground and all inhulty is
ablaze with the conhagration then the
very gods themselves must take part in
the sport. 1t needs stronger arms than
yours or mine to pitch islands for
qu0its. to bowl down mountains for
tenpins. to swing hemispheres as an
athlete hurls the hammer. or with
stamp of foot. to make the submerged
continent Atlantis. which once stretch
ed between the old world and the new,
with dying gurgle sink and disappear
But great needs bring great men from
obscurity into prominence. The occa-
sion furnishes the opportunity. Ulysses
S. Grant would have lived and died an
unknown tanner but for the civil war.
The Duke Of Wellington could not have
become the dictator Of Europe had he
not Overthrown at Waterloo the little
COrsicnn. who threatened to crush all
nations Cromwell would have been
unknown TO fame and his life would
have been that of a simple country gen
tleman had not Charles |. been obsti-
nately determined to seal his royal
follies with his royal stubbornnesses.
Great men are produced only by great
emergencies This premise being grant
ed, what greater event is there in all
history than that of the coming Of the
promised Messiah? How much It
meant to the world and to us. What
life of eternal joy have we except that
which revolves about the personality
of him who was once baptized by John
the Baptist in the river Jordan? What
hope have we of ever meeting our
loved ones. our parents and our friends
who have gone beyond except through
the Divine Being of whom John the
Baptist was the direct forerunner?
Oh, my friends as John the Baptist's
name WAS great by being linked to the
name Of Jesus Christ at his first COM
ing. will you not make your name great
by doing your part toward preparing
he world for Christ's second coming?
A brave hearted American officer dur
ng the Spanish war was made famous
~ plUnging alone into the Cuban jun
;les to carry to Garcia the memorable
message that American succor for
lowntrcdden Cuba had been proclaim-
d. Will you not carry forth the news
hat Christ is coming to the help Of bis
followers? AS the swift
OOted runner from the bloody battle
ED Of Marathon startled all Athens I
With the news that the Persian invad- 4;
RS had been hurled back. will you not {
pread abroad the news that the vic {
Dry has been won by our Christ over s
IN and death and that he is coming {
gain TO rule the world in righteous d
ess? BE Paul Revere to summon to {
rms and yet to call to victory Be L
erald Of good tidinEs, as we'll as t
esSenger to assemble Gods minute t
Ien." /
Forerunner of Good. a
John the Baptist was direct fore Il
inner. He was more than that. He IL
as ready to sink and submerge and Il
ltirely cover up his individuality with Il
10 parsauatitv Of TaSus Vbrigt tIo T.