Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-07
Mr.. ROOSEVELT breaches AT
OYSTER BAY
HIS THEME is CHARACTER"
Addresses Members Of a Local Non
sectarlan Organization Known
as the Christian Brother
hood
BY Associated Press

BY Associated Press
OYSTER BAY, Aug. 6.-President
Roosevelt late this afternoon delivered
a lay sermon to the Christian Broth
erhood Of oyster Bay. He emphasized
especially the necessity of sound char
acter building, holding that high moral
character was the real essence of Chris
tian life. The organization before
which the president spoke is nom
sectarian body, composed principally
of the male members of the several
local churches. The meeting was held
in the Sunday school room Of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Several
weeks ago an invitation was extended
to the president to address the Chris
tian Brotherhood and he promised to
accept the invitation at some later
time. He notified the committee last
night that he would make the promised
address today, stipulating that no pre-
vious announcement should be made of
his intention to speak. About 200 per-
sons attended the meeting this after
noon and practically all of them were
surprised when President Roosevelt ap-
peared on the floor.
The president carried his Bible and
in beginning his address read selec-
tions from the sixth chapter of Mathew
the Epistle to the Corinthians and the
Epistle by James. No verbatim report
of the address was made, but the presi-
dent tonight dictated the following as
the substance Of his remarks:
Mr. Roosevelt's Remarks
Brother Bowman has spoken of the
fact that 1 have had large experience.
think that each one of us who has
a large experience grows to realize
more and more that the essentials OF
experience are alike for all of us. The
things that move us most, the things
of the home, of the church, the inti-
mate relations that knit man to his
family, to his close friends, that make
him try to do his duty to his neigh
Dor, by his God, are in their essentials
just the same for one man as for an
other, provided the man is in good
faith trying to do his duty. 1 feel that
the progress of our country really de-
pends upon the sum of the efforts of
the individuals acting by themselves,
especially upon the sum of the efforts
of the individuals acting in associations
like this for the betterment of them
selves, for the betterment of the COM
munities in which they dwell. There
is never any difficulty about the forces
of evil being organized. Every time
that we get an organization of the
forces that are painfully striving for
good, an organization like this, we are
doing our part to offset and little
more than offset the forces of evil.
''I want to read several different texts
which 1t seems to me have especial
bearing 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
be decent Christians are to apply our
Christianity on week days as we'll 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 We be not Judged;
sixteenth: 'Ye shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes or
thorns or figs of thistles; seventeenth:
Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit, but corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit eighteenth "A good
tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit
Judge not that we be not judged
that means treat each of his brothers
with charity. Be not quick to find
fault. Above all be not quick to Judge
another man, who according to his, is
striving to do his duty as each of us
here hopes he is striving to do his.
Judged by Our Acts
LET us ever remember that not only
we have divine authority statement
that by our fruits we shall be known
but that also it was true that mankind
will tend TO judge us by our fruits. 1t
is an especially lamentable thing to
see i'll done by any man who from his
associations with the church, who from
the fact that he has had the priceless
benefits of the teachings of the Chris