The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-01
LACK OF PURPOSE BARS
ATTAINMENT OF GREATNESS.
Sermon of the Reverend W. T. Stuart
TO the High school Graduates
mt Paris, Mo.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Paris, Mo, May s1.-The Reverend w P
Stuart, formerly of Louisville, KY, who ac-
cepted the passionate of the First Baptist
Church of Paris. Mo-. preached the BAG
calaurate sermon to the graduating class
of the High School tonight.
All the churches in the city united in the
service and the graduates with their friends
and the public at large, eager to hear the
new pastor, filed the church long before
the hour announced for the service to be-
gin.
The subject Of the sermon was Elements
OF Greatness and the text was from Mat
thew ii. 2, Verify l say unto YOU among
them that are born of women there hath
not risen a greater than John the BAPTIST:
notwithstanding he that is least in the
Kingdom of Heaven. is greater than he"
The preacher said in part:
Not every is born great in the usual ac-
ceptation OF the term. John the Baptist was a
wealth and cultured society. Su, Chris, said Of Of
him that there is not a greater born Of woman
There is prevalent idea that to be great
one must be born amid great environments. In
was born in sigh. either Of the sea or the
mountains Though. OF course. this is not an
do give higher conception of God.
and wde I i, breeds depth Of mind
Great. therefore. would seem the advantages
his campaign or learned the songs that made
ns Shepherd soy hs tended nd hs
fathers hocks II has been said. Happy the
sid Happy IS that boy who esoos &c G she
country = birthplace
rank only those as srea, Who do aoe isbt to
deeds of valor. ignoring the fact that peace wins
the greatest battles have been wased in the silent
rerssses of ones own heart,
ness of Jehn the Baptist that he had a mis-
Of 6 saa s s the a Sa the OF G5 bs
f Of 0g4 bs 4 sbos. Is he lack q
hay, in contrast to the ocean liner hurrylng with
We have many lines % Observed ss S't thas the man
who does nothing in life is the man who waits
hsgpss, IESsTy mans NE j. ne plan Of eodSa
The second efeens contrsG H5s to the mans
sTssfnsss was ne TACT mat t. properly 5ecos
how dSa hn. my eo @s asSer emsns Of
man the Impossible.
Take as az Illustration; the laying OF Of III.
STAKES srs neeessTy In me eourss Of every a lie
three stakes should be driven deep. The FIST is
ST Sc asd ae III a % e ss sss III. The R
is a determination to perform that duty.
Ssns LED sstray BY ambition or avaTise. When
the people came TO John the Baptist to ask II he
wac the Christ he told them he was not, but was
sent TO bear witness of that Christ II is not the
place a fills. but the way In which he fills
81. II lie better to be great in a small place than
To be small In a great place.
A fourth element in the greatness Of John
bis loyalty to duty. his ability to stand alone his
feerlessness to discharge duty. This strength is
eeen in his Pronunciation Of Herod In his own
house. which denuncation cost John his life.
Friends would have said. John. you had better
let that fellow Herod alone: you can't do any
good by talking to him. 1t WAS Johns duty to
tell the King Of his sin. and John did It in the
face of death itself.
Man Is strong In the consciou sness Of hight and
weak in the consciousness of wrong. The poet
raid Of the knight that his strength was as the
strength of ten because his heart was pure. Puri-
" Is the beautiful garment spoken OF IN the
Bible. lie who Is pure is all else. and he who is
impure is naught
Re who possesses these enumerated element. Is
q great man. be he poor or rich. be he the habi-
tsnt Of palace or a howell