Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-07
LAY SERMON BY PRESIDENT
Chief Executive Addresses Christian Broth
erhOOd at Oyster Bay,
breaches GOSPEL or SERVICE

breaches GOSPEL or SERVICE
Quotes Texts OF Scripture in support
of Statement that Charity IL
Basis of True Re
ligiOn.
OYSTER BAY. n Y. Aug. 6.-President
Roosevelt late this afternoon delivered a
lay sermon to the Christian Brotherhood
of oyster Bay He emphasized especially
the necessity OF sound character building,
holding that high moral character was
the real essence of Christian life. The
organization before which the president
spoke Is a nonsectarian body, composed
principally of the male members OF the sew
eral local churches. The meeting was held
in the Sunday school room OF the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, Of which the Rev.
e. V. Bowman is pastor. Mr.. Bowman
is also the president OF the Christian
Brotherhood. Several weeks ago an invi-
tation was extended to the president to ad
dress the brotherhood and he promised
to accept the invitation at some later
time. He notified the committee that he
would make the promised address today,
stpulating that no previous announcement
should be made of his intention
to speak About 200 persons at
tended the meeting this afternoon and many
of them were surprised when President
Roosevelt appeared on the platform and
was introduced by Mr.. Bowman. The
president carried his own Bible and in
beginning his address. read selections from
the sixth chapter of Matthews, the epistle
to the Corinthians and the epistle to
James.
Abstract of the Address.
No verbatim report of the address was
made, but the president tonight dictated
the following as the substance of his re-
marks:
brother Bowman has spoken OF the fact
mat l nave had a large experience
thlhk that each one OF us who has a large
eAPerlehce grows to realize more and more
that the essentials of experience are alike
ior Az. The things that move us most,
the things of the home, of the church the
intimate relations that knit a man TO his
tarnlly, to his close friends, that make him
tIy, TO do his duty to his neighbor, by his
SIod are In their essentials just the same
Tor one man as for another, provided the
man is in good faith trying to do his duty
l teel that the progress of our country
really depends upon the sum of the ef-
forts of the individuals acting by them
selves, but especially upon the sum of the
efforts of the individuals acting in asso-
Citations like this for the betterment of
themselves, for the hetterment of the
communities in which they dwell. There is
evil being organized Every time that we
get an organization of the forces that are
painfully striving for good, an organiza ton
ike this, we are doing our part to Offset
and little more than offset the forces of
evil.
Reads Several Texts.
want to read several different texts
which it seems to me have especial bear
ing upon the work of brotherhoods like
this, upon the spirit in which not only all
of us who are members Of this brotherhood.
but all of us who strive to he decent
Christians, are to apply our Christianity on
week days as well as on Sundays The
first verses / want TO read can be found
in the seventh chapter Of Matthew, the
first, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth
verses: First, judge not that ye be, not
judged"
Sixteenth: "Ye shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns
or figs OFF thistles?"
bringeth forth good fruit, but corrupt
tree bringeeth forth @ evil fruit" IT..
forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
| bring forth good fruit"
Judge not that ye be not tudged"-that
charity. Be not quick to find fault. Above
| all, he not quick to Judge another man.
who, according to his light, is striving to
is striving to do his. Let us ever remem-
! ber that not only we have divine author
| ity Tor the statement lnat Dy our lTults
we shall be known, but that also 1t is
! true that mankind will tend to Judge us
| by. our fruits. 1t is an especially lament
who, from his associations with the church
| who, from the fact that he has had The
priceless benefits of the teachings Of thu
! Christian religion, should be expected tC
| take a position of leadership in the worl
for good.
Gospel of Good Works.
The next quotation I wish to. read tc
] g- tn, fpp1 efNra
Then shall the righteous answer Him
saying, Lord, when saw We Thee an hun
! Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger
and took Thee in, or naked and clothed
! Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick II
prison and came unto Thee? And the
King shall answer and say unto them
| Verify, l say unto you, inasmuch as y
have done il, unto one of the least of Ny
| brethren, We have done II unto Me-
That is what this brotherhood means
by trying to, worship our Creator. b!
| acting toward his Creator as He woult
| have us act, to try and make our religion
a driving force in our lives, to do unit
| others as we would have them TO do unit
US. The text / wish to read is found II
I Corinthians Kilt, beginning with the frs
| verse:
and of angels, and have not charity, an
! become sounding brass, or a tinklin
cymbal. And though / have the gift o
| prophecy and understand all mysterie
and all knowledge and though l have al
faith, so that l could remove mountains
| and have not charity, / am nothing; an
| though | bestow all my goods to feed tn
poor; and though l give my body to b
| burned and have not charity, II prohtet
me nothing. Charity suffereth long and |
kind charity envieth not; charity vauntet
not itself. is no puffed up.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity
these three; but the greatest of these 1
charity"
Let each of us exercise the largest tol
erance for his brother who is trying thoug
in p different way to lead a decent life
wn0 is trying to do good in his own fash
ion; let each try to show practical sym
pathy with that brother, not be too quic
to criticise.
Pure Religion.
In closing l want to read Just a fey
| verses from the epistle of James from TN
| frst chapter, twenty-seventh verse:
| "Pure religion and undetiled before Go
| and the Father is this 70 visit the tath
| erless and widows in their afiiction an
| 10 keep himself unspOtted from the world.
| II a man will try to serve God, tn
Father, by being kind to the many aroun
| who need such kindness, and by bein
upright and honest himself, then we hav
| authority of the Good Book for sayin
| that we are in honor bound to treat hir
as a good Christian and extend the han
OF brotherhood to him.
| At the conclusion of his address tn
president shook hands with the member
of the brotherhood present After brie
call at the residence OF Mr.. Bowman, ad
Joining the church. he returned TO Saga
more Hill.