The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-01

sentatives from unorganized points on
the railroad systems of the United
States. These ought to 60 home at the
close of this conference and demand
that the 300 unoccupied division points
be entered before another gathering Of
this body. We ought to demand that
no peace be given the officers of the
railroads until these places have been
entered
I think that we are inclined to feel
that we are not appreciated III this
country But the potentates of Europe
have been watching our work and are
inquiring into it. Indicative of this in
terest from across the water is the pres
ence of several foreign delegates here.
They are seeing what we are doing and
will help to introduce our work into
the vast field that we have not yet
been able to occupy in European coun-
tries
DIR. HENSON'S ADDRESS.
Although the subject, Locomotive
Religion" had been assigned to him
DR.. P. S. Henson of Brooklyn, thought
better OF it and chose ~The Strenuous
Life for his address last evening. DR..
Henson is a very eloquent man. With
very little preparation his address was
brilliant and finished. DR.. Henson ap-
plauded the optimist. With the rather
striking statement, I hate pessimist,
he described the uselessness of the life
Of man who looks backward instead
of ahead.
A student in the school of hard
knocks, himself, he believes that the
best school of any for the young man.
Character he said, is acquired by IA
miliarity with vicissitudes. Drawing his
illustrations from every corner of his
tory he made apparent his assertions
as to the value of the difficulties which
one must overcome in the building of
strong character. His reference to The
odore Roosevelt, the man about whom
the expression. the strenuous life, was
the first used, brought out warm ap-
plause from his audience.
DIR. Henson is an elderly man and one
who has closely studied human nature
Hopefulness is one of the most apparent
things in his mental make up and
vein of humor relieves even the most
serious moments of his discourse.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Rev. Charles NJ Sheldon made the
principal address of the afternoon Ses-
sion of the conference. Owing to the
delay in trains Colonel John J. McCook
did not arrive until late in the after
noon- He took his place on the plat
form of the Auditorium about o'clock
when the principal part of the pro
gramme was over. Secretary Clarence
]. Hicks presided over the opening ses-
sion of the conference,
In his address. the subject of which
was Character and Service" Mr.. Shell
don said
If any man in this audience is hank
ering after being a hero, there is just
as good Il chance for him today as there
ever was in the times when young
man put on suit of stovepipe armoI,
climbed up on his ironclad horse with
the aid of a step ladder and went out to
knock somebody in the head for the
sake of glory, or get his own knocked
off If the other man was quicker or
stronger than he We could very well
find place for dozen or more Folks
like the one in St Louis. that could
rightly be called the right kind. There
are plenty of places for herOlSm or the
most strenuous kind in the political
arena of American life, and for the
patriotism which can rise above party
and above place and above Office as the
SpOflS for the NlctOrS. and assert itself IN
manly Christian fashion, exaltlng the
kingdom OF heaven as the first thing to
besought after all. from the humbleSr
servant in it to the exalted Head of it.
We Wart men, IS has often been
said who are not only ready to die for
their country. but to live for ito lay
down not only their physical bodies on
the bloody soil. but place their energies.
their daily thought, their answering
devotion to righteousness upon the all
tar of a living sacrifice which no doubt
is often more painful than physical
DEATH but which is needed today in
America as never in all its history be-
fore
Another great opening for the service
of Christian character is the whole
world of commercial energy. Say
what we viii Of the splendid achieve
ments of man in the department of in
vention. in the discovery and use of
wonderful machinery. in the astonish-
ing output of product, in the really
wonderful extent to which civilized man
has made steel and air and water and
light do his bidding: it yet remains
true. and it is one of the saddest truths
in our Christian civilization. that busl-
ness even in Christian communities
does not rest down upon the strictes1
Interpretation of the Sermon on inc
Mount or the Golden Rule.
I think it is one of the saddest facts
connected with what we call our com
mercial supremacy in America that a
vast deal of the tremendous wealth
which has been accumulated has been
gathered at the expense of conscience,
at the cost of the finer senSIbliItleS or
right between man and man, and as a
4 nation we have suffered from it already
and shall reap the bitter fruits OF 1t IN
I due time Now is the time for the
/ Christian manhood of the world to rise
up and declare that the kingdom of God
/ has a right in its assertive supremacy
to the whole business world. that every
thing ought to be done to the glory nj
( God in the money making world that
( it is no more right for a great corpora
ton or combine to crush the life out
of its brothers than it is for an indi-
vidual to hinder another individual
from acquiring what is just and right
for him to have
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