Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-10-17

are produced only by great occasions.
Great thoughts are born only amid the
throes and convulsions Of great agonies.
Great hopes are only the rainbowed
colors arching the dark heavens. black
with angry tempests.
Training Fer Greatness.
There must be a training for great
ness. The occasion does not create
greatness; II only develops and pro-
duces II. 1t cannot create or make
greatness out of common clay. We do
not assert that history can play a Han
deps messiah" upon a dinner plate or
blow a bugle blast with penny whls-
tie or catch thunderbolts with a straw
hat or shoot mastodons with pins or
strangle volcanoes with spider webs.
The old poets said that when worlds
are used for shuttlecocks and the uni
verse is a playground and all infnity Is
ablaze with the confagration then the
very gods themselves must take part In
the sport 1t needs stronger arms than
yours or mine to pitch islands for
quoits, to bowl down mountains for
tenplns, 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 n dying gurgle sink and disappear.
But great needs bring great men from
obscurity into prominence. The ocea-
sion furnishes the opportunity. Ulysses
q. 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
Corsican, who threatened to crush all
nations. Cromwell would have been
unknown to fame and his life would
have been that OF simple country gen
tleman had not Charles |. been obsti-
nately determined TO seal bis 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 Messinhl How much II
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 Jordnnf 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 forerunnerT
Oh, my friends as John the Baptists
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
the world for Christs second comingT
A brave hearted American officer dur
ing the Spanish war was made famous
by plunging alone into the Cuban jun
giles to carry to Garcia the memorable
message that American succor Tor
downtrodden Cuba had been proclaim
ed VIII you not carry forth the news
that Christ Is coming to the help OF his
struggling followersf AS the swift
footed runner from the bloody battle
field OF Marathon startled all Athens
with the news that the Persian invad-
ers had been hurled back. will you not
spread abroad the news that the VIC
tory has been won by our Christ over
sin and death and that be 10 coming
again to rule the world In righteous
nessl Be a Paul Revere to summon to
arms and yet to call to victory. Be
herald of good tidings. as well as
messenger to assemble Gods minute
men,"
A Forerunner of Good.
John the Baptist was a direct fore
runner. He was more than that. DE
was ready to sink and submerge and
entirely cover up his individuality with
the personality Of Jesus Christ. He
was ready to let Christ be all in all.
He wanted to be merely footlight to
make the divine face shine forth the
more clearly. He was willing to de-
crease so that the glory Of his Saviour
might Increase. Do we. like John the
Baptist, sink our individualiies IN
Christs or do we. like some OF the an
cient forerunners OF the east preceding
the kings charlots. wish to be dressed
so gorgeousy and to make 30 much
noise that people will be watching US
and admiring our strides instead OF
turning their eyes toward the royal
Master whom we are proclaiming! Let
US never give occasion In our service
TO our Divine King for such charge to
be made against us as the Spanish pre-
mier. Canovas. once made against the
egotism of Emilio Castelar,. There Is
one great trouble with Castelar,. ne
said. He always wants to be nrst IN
everything. II he goes to a bullnght
he wants to be the espada. II to a wed
ding he wants to be the bridegroom. II
to funeral he wants to be the
corpse." In our work for our Divine
Master are we animated by the spirit
of CASTELAR,? Are we wishing that all
eyes shall be turned upon US Instead OF
upon Jesus? Are we trying to preach
so that neu may say. That Is hne
serrnonT" or are we trying to preach
so that as when Demosthenes ha-
rangued. his auditors cried. LET us go
and fight Philip our hearers may say
Come. let us enlist under the banner
Of Jesusr Are we ready to sink our
indlvidualIties In Christ rs Samuel
Aaams sank his individuality m the
interests OF American liberties? The
great Massachusetts, patriot did not
care whether or no people honored him
as long as they would work In free
gcm's cause. The result was that Sam
uel Adams spent most Of bis life In de-
veloping for the cause OF liberty the
Young men. 1t was his master hand
which nodded y Joseph Warren,
John Adams. a John Hancock. Are
we, like Samuel Adams, ready to sink
nuraelvoa in Christ?