Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-11-19
EVERY FELLOW FOR HIMSELF.
DELIGHTFUL LECTURE BY
DR.. SHERIDAN.
Conflict And The Struggle For
Life, He Claims, Is
Pre- eminent.

One of the most delightful lectures
delivered in Annapolis for a long
time was that at Maryland Avenue, NJ.
E. Church last night by Rev. DR.. +.
w. Sheridan, pastor of Mount Vernon
Place NJ. E. Church, Baltimore. In
introducing the lecturer, the pastor
Rev. I. +. Peters, said the speaker
of the evening represented the largest
and most influential Methodist church
in Baltimore.
DIR. Sheridan Immediately impresses
his audience with his striking person
ality. There is a certain charm about
his clear cut features, his pleasant
smile and his splendid voice. He
never speaks too loud, but always
distinctly and with perfect enunciation
and infection His subject was
Every Fellow for Himself. - His
theme was "Confict.' Before be-
ginning his lecture he congratulated
the people of Mary land Avenue Church
on the completion of great enterprise
and the final victory within their
grasp. He began his lecture with
saying that life is a great eonfiicG,
that we have heard SO often of the
'sstruggle for life'' and the 'survi-
val of the fittest" that these phrases
have become hackneyed and almost
meaningless, yet all through life it
seems the stronger lives, the weaker
dies. He illustrated with examples
in the mineral, vegetable and animal
kingdoms to emphasize that the
struggle for life is pre-eminent and
does not stop with the animal king
dom.
DIR. Sheridan said the baby is born
a little thief in that he struggles to
get the things that belong to every
other baby. and he is little fighter
until conscience comes to the throne
of reason and spiritual life becomes
pre-. eminent. He illustrated with the
story of the larger boy claiming and
struggling for the smaller, boys apple,
and said it was much the same in
Wall street today. Conflict, the leo
turer said, had even entered the mat
rimonial state, and decayed aristocratic
foreigners were coming over to this
country to get the wealthy mans
daughter. It was not only matter
of matrimony-but matrimoney. The
mercenary instinct is getting into
every department of life and struggle
for life goes ON in school. in the pro.
fessions in the ehurches-everywh
until it has become the great Ameri-
can passion. 1t is a struggle for bare
existence to keep up appearances, to
make people think you are what you
appear to be until the endless grind for
existence wears them all out.
The struggle for life has brought
about very uncomplimentary feeling
toward our fellow men. Every man
thinks every other man selfish but
himself lone. and at the bottom man
is a supreme egotist.
'Of all my fathers family, love
myself the best,
If Providence takes care of me, the
devil may have the rest''
is the sentiment of the average human
race. The law of the commercial
world is EVERY Fellow For Him.
self'' and the devil take the hinder
most. DR.. Sheridan turned the pic
ture ON the other side and said there
is not only the selfish struggle, but
the unselfish-for the life of others,
which he said was foreshadowed in
nature. He gave many beautiful IL
lustrations and said Like q noble
river the stream of self-sacrifice has
been flowing for the life of others, and
it is stronger and deeper and brighter
now than ever befOre.' The struggle
for the life of others is the supreme
law of development. If there were
no struggle there would be no pro-
gress. Competition in schools, in the
professions, in newspapers, in church
es, makes them all better. Competi-
tion means watching one another. 1t
is the law of progress. 1t means the
survival of the fittest. The struggle
for the life of others is the supreme
law. 1t pays, it must prevail
Every sentence Of the lecture was
weighted down with truth and wis.
dom, and the lecture itself was a cas-
ket of gems that sparkled and glisten-
cd in the sunlight of beautiful
thoughts.