Democratic messenger., 1905-08-12


office. There find ~ noble class Of
men ~ ever lived. men who are doing
one-rhtrd, perhaps One-half. OF their
work for nothing or perhaps even less
than nothing. go TO the great Chi
cago surgeon. Dr. Murphy. and say:
"Dr. Murphy. here is young girl SUI
fcring She has not cent. Will You
operate ON her for nothIng;" II WILL"
says Dr. Murphy Send her down"
And send her down did. 20 TO the
brilliant Massachusetts lawyer George
+. Hoar. and say: "ir. Hoar. your
country needs you. Will you live and
die a poor man? VIII YOU live in a
boarding house In Washington upon q
meager salary so that you may leave
your country rich heritage Of a life
sacrificed for duty's sakey" The young
lawyer. George r. IIoar. answers. II
will" Senator Ioar lived and died
financially poor man.
I enter the study OF the great French
author Zola. | say: "Mr. Zola. there Is
n young man. Alfred Dreyfus by name.
who has been unjustly condemned and
sent to Devils island. He never has
committed crime: neither have his
accuscrs brought forth one proof OF a
crime. VIII you throw your Influence
against the ringlcaders OF the French
army? VIII you be cursed and be cruel
fed and sent TO prison for Justices
sake while you stab to death the In
iquities that are destroying the French
government" Emile Zola answers. II
will" go into the college class room
and say to some Of the brightest stu
dents sitting there: Young men. Will
you fit yourselves for service In for
eign missionary fields? VIII you give
Your lives up to God and humanity
for II mere pittance of a salary and be
separated from all the opportunities OF
wealth that you could win at the bar
or In the medical profession or behind
the merchants counter!" No sooner
do speak than scores and hundreds OF
young men raise their hands and cry:
II will. II my God and my country
need me. | am ready to lay down my
life IN their service. | will. | Wilt
oh. the noble sacrifices for justice and
honor and truth and Christ and coun-
try and home and loved ones we can
see on every hand. DO not these in
spire you and me to answer "The Cail
Of the Good:' DO they not bid you
say. Il will; yes. in Gods maine. l will
live the higher sacrificial life for 9th
crs!"
Changed and Purified.
But. after all. believe the greatest
"Call OF the Good" comes from the tes-
timony OF men and women who were
once. as wild beasts OF passion. roam
ing over the mountains of sin. carrying
death and terror everywhere. but who.
by the grace of God. have been CON-
pletely changed. Their voice was once
the voice Of hate: now II is the voice OF
love. Their eyes were once bloodshot
and their hands sharp clawed aud their
teeth as cruel as the crooked beak OF
hawk. ready to make its fatal plunge
into the heart Of dove or lamb Or fawn
Now their eyes are eyes of gentle
ness: their feet are like the great paws
Of the noble ST. Bernard dogs OF st.
Gothard pass which the monks send
forth and which climb over the Alps to
hunt for the lost and the dying travel
ers. These men and women, once cor
rupt, are now purified. Once Wild
beasts of passion. now gentle as lambs,
they follow at the feet of the Good
Shepherd. and they come to us and say.
IF the grace of God could change us
and save us the grace Of God can spir-
itually change you II you will let It,"
Not from the jungle of sin to the jun
gle OF sin did they go. but from the far
country Of sin they came back as re-
deemed sons and daughters to their
fathers house. Not from man to beast.
but from evil monsters TO Gods saint
shin. has been their redemption, trans
formation. transmigration and spiritu-
alization.
II some OF us could not feel that God
saves the vilcst and the lowest and the
chief of sinners, we could not feel that
"The Call of the Good" was for us.
There Is a natural law that water
cannot rise higher than its source. l
60 down into the valley and ! find the
brooks lcaping over the rocks. ] see
the creeks and the rivers. with their
great serpentlne coils. bending and
winding through the meadow lands. l
see waters tumbllng over miller's
wheel and, like circus rider from the
top Of Bushklll or Minnehaha falls.
leaping through their hoops Of gold.
which the sunbeams In the forms OF
ralnbows have lifted for them 10 play
with. I know the water In the valley
can do all this because the source OF
that water is higher than meadow
lands. Those waters come from reser-
volrs OF clouds which have emptied
themselves upon yonder mountain side.
But In our own strength we have no
highlands. II left TO ourselves we are
nothing but n bare. bleak Sahara des-
ert. filled not with life. but with death.
But X the spiritual waters can rush
down from the mountain sides and
cleanse and purify. and turn into spir-
itual oases the bleak. bare. sinful des-
ert lives OF some of the men and wom-