The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-09-04

W - certain type OF
- young men which he
S1N~hZ describes in the
SSsSVWgyT words before us
S0I This is not to be
CEO wondered at, for
John was a young
man when he first met Jesus by the banks
of the Jordan, and became His disciple
His was a strong nature. He was
young man in whose character the cur
rents of life ran deeply. His affections
and Sympathies absorbed his whole ma
ture. He was of quick perception and
understood his Lord better than any
other Of His disciples He realized the
mighty influence which Jesus had ex-
erted on his life; how from narrow Jew
ish prejudice he had been broadened in
his views to take in the whole world !;
how. from low and selfish ideals having
their realization in this life only, he had
been inspired with the loftiest ideals
which found their eternal realization in
God. for he exclaims in this letter from
which our text is taken: Beloved. now
are we the sons of God: and it doth not
yet appear what we shall be- but we
know that when He shall appear, we
shall be like Him; for we shall see Him
as He is" He realized how when he
first met Jesus he was filled with great
ambitions for this life only, but Jesus
had turned this strong current Godward
and had given him an ambition which
reached as high as God and which was
as broad as His eternal purposes. And
because he realized what a mighty
change and influence Jesus had wrought
ia his life as young man, he himself
was interested in young men. And
young men are always interesting.
FATHER and mother quicken at the
thought, for their hope, their ambi-
ton. their pride and joy are centered in
the young man of their household
Younger brothers and the sisters with
loyal devotion accord the young man the
place of recognized authority and leader
ship. The young man himself finds
within himself fascinating object of
contemplation, as the buoyancy of life.
the expanding energies. the bounding
ambitions, the persistent hopefulness are
felt throbbing within. And because of
this the young man is interested in young
men. as he is in no others. In the great
wide world outside the home ard outside
of himself the young man is always the
center of interest and expectation. The
business and industrial world turns to
the young men with assured confidence
expecting that its burdens will be car
ried and its problems worked out in the
main by them. The nations strength is
in her young men. She always turns to
them in the hour of danger and need.
She leans heavily upon them because
they are strong, and the honor and per-
manency of her government and insti-
tutions are measured by the character
of her young men. There is no place in
all the world where the human family
finds home where the young man has
not an exalted place and is not SUBJ
ject of interest and Importance.
THERE are different types Of young
g. Il manhood, and should we ask which
one is the superior type, we would no
doubt receive variety of answers. Some
would reply the Apollo of physical per-
lection; others would esteem intellectu-
aiism as the qualification which was to
determine; still others would declare
that business acumen which would en-
able a young man to become Napoleon
of finance and industry was the trait
n oh rly hn 90
young manhood; while still others
would hold that ethical standards should
determine the question. But if we give
John the opportunity of answering the
question, he would point to the class of
young men to whom he was writing and
declare that there was the superior type
of young manhood-the young manhood
which was strong in the Lord and in
the power of His might. Two great facts
yea three, must be kept in mind: That
man was created by God and created in
His own image, and man was created for
the Glory of Cod The highest POSSIBLE
cites of man must find their realization
then in and for God The manhood which
reflects most perfectly the God in whose
image man has been created, and full
fills most fully the purpose of that
creation, must be the superior type of
manhood.
THE sculptor with his chisel and NAL
let, and the artist with his palette
and brush seek by their creative skill to
produce something which will give ex-
preston to an inward ideal and bring to
them glory, and honor, and fame. The
highest mission of the statue or the oil
painting would be to reveal the ideal of
the one who had created it, and by it's
perfect outline and coloring bring to him
glory. But suppose after the last chip
had been taken from the marble and the
last touch of the brush had been felt by
the canvas, that the statue or the figure
in the painting should willfully refuse
to express the ideal of it's creator and
thus djshonor instead of clarifying the
ne.who had so patiently wrought upon
it,? Suppose the bird which God has
made to fly should lay aside its buoyant
wings and with downcast eyes content
itself with life which never rose above
the earth's green sod or the branches of
the lOw-spreading bush? The lofty out
look in yonder tall tree would never feel
the weight of the little songster, and the
blue vault of heaven would not echo with
the notes of his song. The highest and