Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-05-20

how strong and stanch n ship may be,
II II has no rudder that ship becomes
playthIng of every current and
menace to all ships sailing the seas.
No matter how swift a locomotive, IL
II has no Indicator to It's boiler that
engine Is momentarily in danger OF
blowing up No matter how high the
walls of a tower lift themselves, II
those walls are not erected on solid
base and I'm a straight line they are in
danger of toppllng over. What the rud-
der is TO the ship, the indicator to the
engine, the plumb line to the mason
building the wall, character Is to man.
II is his ballast, his sheet anchor, his
safety valve, his protector, his all.
Sad Example.
| Iet me illustrate my thought by me
sad and yet brilliant life of one OF the
qreatest statesmen England ever pro-
duced. Charles James Fox was one or
the ereatest geniuses who ever stood IN
the British house Of commons. AT
twenty-one years of age he was ranked
among the ablest debaters and at tnlr-
ty had not superior or equal In all Eu-
rome Rut though at times he was the
most applauded man In Europe, yet ne
never could win the confidence OF the
neonle They admired his intellect, but
thev could not trust his heart. HIS
daily custom was to rise just IN time
to stroll down to the parliament house.
"There nightly" as a contemporary
wrote. "he would build up chain OF
arguments for bill he was attacking
greater and more powerful than any OF
b,s adyersaries could forge. Then he
would tear these arguments TO pieces
as though they were cotton threads.
Read his speeches on the impeachment
of Warren Hastings. Read bis mas
terpiece on the Rejection OF Napo-
Icons Overtures." After parliament
adjourned then would come round OF
dehauch. Gambling with him was d
mad passion. He was both spendthrl1t
and lbertine. "How can he guard MS
kings finances" asked the people,
when he cannot protect his own pocK-
etbookf" Charles James Fox had ev'
cry qualification to make himself the
politIcal dictator Of Europe save the
single essential of character, the lack
Of which destroyed his whole career
for practical good.
But YOU do not have to go back tc
history to prove the truth of my state
ment that character is one OF the great
est builders of the towers Of lie ano
. that without true character those tow
ers are always left in half completed
staee. Who was the most brllllan'
Young man Of your school days VIII
> whom you were associated? Tall, hand
some fine looking he was. His bralr
became a perfect repository of facts
, | While YOU had to sweat and plod an(
| groan over your studies he seemed u
{ absorb his at a glance. On the footpai
l field or the baseball diamond he wa
$ the schools star athlete. The girls al
{ aattered him. The young men ran art
or him. But no one could trust him
: He was not true man. "Oh," said tn
= world, "Winfred will go right TO th
: front I'm life. Success Is sure to be his.
: Was it3 No sooner had he left school
1 few years than his name got mixed III
= with some shady transactions. VIII
i all his brains and ability, what becam
! Of him? I know and you know. He
{ dead now, a suicide; he is living,
q social outcast; or he h begging ant
r cheating his way through life. Oh, IN
magnificent ruins Of the half completes
towers of life we see eyerywher
h around us. These towers should nav
. heen citadels for defense and safety
q They are mere dungeons for the owl
. and the bats and the vermin OF sin I
n inhablt
A Fatal Gift.
; But is there no direct lesson fror
:. . this characterless tower for the wome
y. as we'll as the men? How Is it,
- woman. with the most brilliant frien
= OF your childhood days? You see he
!, now. a perfect dream Of beauty. AS
;, little girl her teeth were a collection
priceless pearls. When she laughed a
the sunshine Of the heavens seemed
!. dance In her blue eyes. Her dlmple
- looked like the eddies in the surface
= mountain brook. Her hair could
likened unto nuggets Of gold were
- not for the fact that, like that Of MI
- lam Of old. each curl had dancing fe'
~ that never kept still. Her hands wei
perfect hands, her feet perfect fee
- Then her mind-it was so clear al
- bright and sparkling and witty ar
-, resourceful. What became OF hel
:. Where Is she? You mention her nan
=, now with hushed lips and downca
A eyes. The asp offs placed one fatalfai
y, about one side Of her heart and anoth
10 fang about the other side of her hea
- and bit until she died. She Destroy
90 her own life. Yes, but, like Ceopatr
70 she not only destroyed an Antony, b
. the moral lives of scores Of other M
~ who would today have been noble hr
~ bands and fathers and honored citize
=. of this commonwealth but for her e.
II influence. Lack Of truo moral chara
~ ter destroyed her. All, yes, brain POI
al er and perseverance alone do not bui
he the strong, high towers Of life. II '
no do not admire Satan we must at lea'
I as a speaker once said, grant that
is persevering."
as This parable was spoken by Christ
ss teach a spiritual lesson as well as
a temporal one. If TO make gre
as earthly success we must consecrate o
.al brains. our bodies and life to that pf
ok ticr .r work, how much more, the
tal must we consecrate our minds a
,o hearts to Jesus Christ to help In I
40 spiritual work Of upbuilding his kin
~ dom? II we must have preparatl
~ and perseverance and true moral wor
y. to build the walls Of temporal tow
~ how much more must we have tr
~ preparation and perseverance and M
:, oko.o otor to huild thQ walls or