Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-05-13

yOSpel orator ; flleSSage Is the mlSntleSt
Of all messages. 1t furnishes the speak
or with the mightiest of all themes. 1t
cradles its thoughts, not like Moses up
OH the waters of Il river Nile. but by
the shores of the great moaning seas
of the eternities. AS Il charioteer 1t
harnesses to its verbal chariots charg-
ers which have eyes all seeing. ears all
hearing hoofs so swift that their speed
is swift as thought 1t deals with in
finitesimals only as they are essential
parts of great infinlties. 1t halts not
Time mt the grave. II makes Time, as q
Eugene Sues Wandering Jew. move OH
and on and OH and never die. Its trum-
pet Is the voice of the eternities. God,
heaven. Immortality. resurrection, as
cension. heaven. hell. eternity. redemp-
ton. salvation, eternal coronation, eter-
nal suffering. are its mighty subjects.
Like the mornings Of the mighty deep.
its voice comes reverbsrating down the
halls OF the past ages. Like the echoes
which are tossed from hillside to hill
side up among the Alpine crags, its
hopes go echoing down the centuries
upon centuries and the millenniums up
on millenniNms to come. It's themes are
the mightiest of all themes. No sub
ject in all the realm of thought is as
great as that which occupies the public
speaker in gospel Oratory.
If its theme were not the greatest Of
all themes. then my caption today
could not be written. You must have q
great theme to produce sublime ora
tory" All the students Of oratory rec
ogniZe this law. Why is Abraham Lin
coins Gettysburg address to be rank
ed among the greatest Orations Of the
ages? Was he placing few poetic gar
lands upon the graves Of the dead? No.
He was making national plea for for
giveness and love. Why did Patrick
Henry. the great Virginia orator. with
his hearers until he swept them from
off their feet? Though the hangman's
moose was dangling over every one Of
his auditors heads. yet they were
ready to risk all because he was plead
ing for sweet Liberty's shrines. Why
did John KnoX's eloquence set all Scot
land afire: Why did Martin Luther's
invectives thrill all Europe with the d.
vine love? Why did Savonarola arouse
Italy until its inhabitants were tumul-
tuous in agony and strife: Why did
Ciccros arrangement of Catiline and
the philippines that Demosthcnes hurled
against the king of Macedon create
armies and make men enthusiastic in
battle! Were these orators declaiming
for selfish political purposes. merely
trying to destroy rivals who were OBJ
structing their path! No. They were
attacking lust and Righteousness and
tyranny and crime of all sorts. 1t was
their mighty themes that made their
eloquence effective. You must have a
great theme to have great Grafton.
Must Have Great Theme.
This contention is true. Where. then.
can You find greater themes for true
eloquence than In gospel oratory? Is
there sounding line which can go to
the bottom of II deeper sea? Is there
any power on earth which more surely
can transform wrong TO right. make
the strong care for the weak. make Tyr
amy take her iron heel Off the neck of
PROSTATE Hclplessness. than the power
Of Jesus? Where can you find an i'm
mortal panacea for the graves horror
crucifixion and the resurrection and
the atonement OF Jesus Christ? The
themes of gospel Oratory are not only
wide enough and great enough to put
q man In right touch with God and
heaven. but they are so great that IL
we once accept them and practice
them they will give us perfect homes.
perfect neighbors. perfect nations and
a perfect world. They are so great
that II we only practice them love,
joy, peace. long suffering. gentleness.
goodness. faith. meekness. temper
ance." shall everywhere he supreme In
the human heart. Could we have a
surer cure for all the evils of the world
to come than is offered In the themes
of gospel 0ratory?
TO make right might and to redress
the wrongs of II limited class have been
the causes which have inspired wonder
full orations during the past years.
Watch the lightnings of invective that
have leaped out of the eyes of the ora
tors during the dark days of the abOli-
tion movement. Amid that mighty hur
ricane of Oratory we can see William
Lloyd Garrison. with clinched fists, de-
flying the Boston mo4s. We can hear
his biting words. anu II perfect pande-
monium OF wrath. crying: You will
hear me. In spite of yourselves You
will hear me.' You can see Wendell
Phillips standing amid a shower Of
brickbats waiting for Il lull In the storm
to drive into the hearts of his hearers
another sentence to prove to them why
the black men should be free. We can
hear glorious John Bright pleading for
the rights Of the black men from the
other side of the sea- And II injustice
against the black men offered such
mighty theme for the eloquent tongue
shall not modern injustice against the
white slave offer just as great u
theme for gospel eloquence? oh. yes.
gospel orators have the mightiest Of