The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-05-27

THE NEW METZ
They trust that they are willing at all
times, in their own way, to aid and as
sist every institution aud organization
that has for its purpose the uplifting
of humanity, and for this reason it is
with peculiar pleasure that the Grand
Lodge of Mississippi participates in
this ceremony to-day.
We heartily congratulate the Cit
liens of Brookhaven, the pastor, the
officials and the members of this
| Church, OH the realization of this labor
of love-
To impress on this audience certain
ideals which l should delight for every
citizen of this commonwealth to I'M
derstand and assimilate, shall tell
you story: In an Eastern land dur
ing an epoch devoted to corruption
and vice a young mau began his earth
ly career. He was of humble parent
age, and if we can judge from the rep
utation of the town in which he was
reared, his early environments were
not of the most intelligent or refining
He had convictions of duty, and he
commenced his inimitable career, by
courageously combating corruption
aud vice wherever he found it. The
wealthy and influential did not escape
in his battle for right. Strange. re-
markedly strange to relate, He did not
hesitate in his magnificent strides for
truth to confront and combat the very
powers that be. With eloquence sub
lime, with wisdom not understood by
men, with courage indomitable, with
| gentlenesS and loving kindness mex
! pressible, He drove before him the
wicked, the low, the vile, the base, the
avaricious and the corrupt, and he
gathered behind him the poor, the
gentle, the clean, the brave aud the
pure. He spoke as one with authority.
He told the truth. Such character
from the very moment when the
Creator said, LET there be light, and
there was light" down to this the dawn
of the Twentieth Century, has run
counter to opposing forces. My hero
was not All exception. The day came
when the forces he was combating
were organized. They were stronger
than he. They were determined to
stop his career. Accredited officers
were deputized to make his arrest.
He had declared himself to be King.
The truths he had told were offensive
and dangerous to the continued SUI
premacy of the ruling element. Now
he is to be tried for treason. The
crucial moment has come. He is de-
serted by his friends, scoffed at, spit
upon by his enemies. He is entering
now the battle field of the strong.
Will he culver, will he quail, will he
hesitate, will he trim, will he permit
the banner to trail in the dust? Watch
the hero now. He stands erect with a
firm grasp on the banner, grand, brave,
magnificent, before the judge, ready
and glad to release him if he will de-
viate just enough from his conception
of the truth. Inevitable and ignomin-
ious death, the result of a refusal so to
do. cart thou the King?" "Thou
sayest." 1t is an old, old story. Do
you recognize it? In the anuuals of
heroism have you read of greater
hero? In the stories of the brave can
you tell me of one who was Drawer?
Surely that man is mistaken who re-
CARDS him as weakling. He was a
hero. He was King. I wish were
an artist, I would like to present this
conception of heroism on canvas. I
would like to have the picture placed
in every home in Mississippi. Ishould
like to have it inspire the manhood of
the State with sufficiency of truth and
courage to cause them to act and con-
tend for the right because it is the
right, even though the right may not
be popular, but I would rather that
they imbibe enough of fortitude from
the picture to understand that he who
is not so brave as to be willing to
suffer defeat for the truths sake, does
not know the alphabet of courage.
Nineteen centuries have passed since
the hero of the story began his career.
Looking back at the picture through