Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-05-11

free, she was not appealing to human
prejudices for favoritiom toward the
red man. She was saying: what Is
the iawf What II the American law?
The law Of America upholds me IN my
claims"
Al Helen Hunt jackson pleaded for
the rights Of the Indian under the
American law the Christian orator
pleads for the emancipation Of man
from sin under the lAw Of the Bible.
He does not say. II hope this may be-"
He does soy: II know this can be and
shall bs through the blood Of Jesus
Christ. The divine statutes declare It."
When . gospel orator stands upon the |
promises Of Cod found in the Bible be
speaks with certainty; he speaks with |
absolute conviction; above oil, he
speaks as no other advocate unsup- |
ported can speak. No other man in
pleading for simple justice has such
emphatic divine authority behind him
az IL found In the word Of God when
pleading for repentance and righteous
ness.
Stewards Great Plea.
The gospel orator IL mighty when he
pleads for one whom he would save
from eternal death. He naturally has
all the IRE, all the enthusiasm. all the
pent up passion Of n lawyer pleading
at the bar Of justice trying to save the
neck Of a client who Is being tried for
murder in the first degree. Aye, he
has more than that. He has all the in
tense earnestness that wns felt by VIII
liam Seward in 1916 when he pleaded
for the life Of william Freeman. an
idiotic black pauper who had killed the
entire Van Nest family OF Auburn. N.
Y. It was during the agitation Of the
abolitionist movement. The white men
of the north as we'll ae the south were
against him. Hts own friends at the
bar were against him. Yet there VIII
liam Fl. Seward pleaded and kept
pleading. When ut last his client was
hung by the neck until he was dead
by postmortem examination It was
found out that william Freeman was
in truth an idiot and irresponsible for
the crime which he had committed and
that William Fl. Seward. the young at
torney, was right in bis defense Of
him.
Cannot you feel the earnestness Of a
Seward pleading? can. cannot think
Of a lawyer defending client who Is
being tried for his life unless that law
yer Ia in an agony Of suspense until
the acQuittal comes In the two words.
mot guilty." spoken by the foreman Of
the Jury. do you make your clients
interests your interests" I once asked
a lawyer friend "Yes." he answered.
$50 much do make their interests my
interests that II they are being tried
for life am disturbed In my sleep and
dream about them. Every moment Of
my waking thoughts IL with them.
often get up in the middle Of the night
during a trial and write. go anxious am
to save them" "Ah." then I said to
myself. mo wonder you are great
speaker when you plead for life in
this way. No wonder your whole soul
goes forth into mighty plea for your
clients when you are as one pleading
for your own life" No wonder the gos
pei orators plea is a mighty plea. Ev
cry word he utters. every gesture be
makes. every thought that Is born In
his brain. has the mighty purpose OF
saving some man from eternal death
Nightly as q Christian lawyer doei
} .,e plead for the salvation of men.
} SUIT the Christian orator has higher
and even a greater inspiration than the
saving Of sinful men and women from
eternal death. He stands in unique
position. He is not only pleading fol
the salvation Of men. but also for wha
Is pleasing to God. And Of all inspira
tons to "sublimest oratory" there IL NJ
y inspiratio like unto that.
! The Christian orator, the advU ate o
the divine will and pleasure: Let M
| illustrate my thought by simple yer
| bal picture. You are not the only Sol
| Of your mother. She has another boy
| younger than you. But, whereas 20,
| are in one sense the good boy. he ha
been the bad. He drinks; he swears
he lies: he does everything he ough
Il not to do. Again and again your moth
!. err came to his rescue. Your father lef
|. her little money. She has spent 1t al
i, trying to save him. One night he cam
home from a drunken spree. Whe
II she spoke to him II made him mad. Il
II q rage he knocked her down and kich
II ed her in the breast. Al result @
II that kick cancer has formed. She
going to die. You are heartsick. "Ol
II mother. mother" you say. "If cOul
II only make you we'll and happy again
= As you kneel by her bedside she run
q her fingers through your hair just a
n she did when you were boy an
answers: Harry, you can make nj
ii happy. VIII you? Then want 20
IL to 60 after your brother Joe and sc
II him to come home again for my sake.
y With n cry you leap to your fee
You shake the dying woman's hand O
n your forehead. "What-go for tha
drunken brute, whose cruel heel ha
II given you your death wound? Neve
II mother-never! l will see him In Jail
aye, or In the internal rcgious-flrst
II Then your mother begins to plead. st
II says: Harry. you have suffered on a
II count Of Joe, but have not suffered
u Have not l given my life for him
. And. oh. Harry. l cannot die happy vi
% less we save your brother Joe" Ono
n there was q time when you wanted
save your brother Joe for bis own SAX
Now there comes a greater inspiratio