The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-29

Los Angeles, Cal, Jan. "A whole
some philosophy. which may well be ap-
piled by everyone who desires success in
the battle of life. is that which the
preacher outlines In this sermon taking
his text from 1 Samuel xvii, 80: It cannot
go with these. for have not proved
them.
A weaponless soldier is a defenseless
and a helpless soldier. Neither personal
strength or heroic valor can avail him
without effective weapons in a conflict
against an armed foe. The military chiefs
have learned that the issue Of a campaign
depends as much on the perfection and
precision of the weapons as on the Wig
or and prowess of the soldier. In the
Austro-Prussian war it was not SO much
the valor of the soldier or the stragetic
skill OF the generals that gave Prussia
the victory as the fact that the Prussian
army had the needle gun while the Aus
TRANS carried the old fashioned muzzle
loader. Nor can moral qualities take
the place Of modern equipment. Thrice
armed" says the dramitist, rs he who
hath his quarrel just" but neither justice
or righteousness can save a cause If the
champions of II neglect the material APP
planes of military science. No general
ever had more implicit faith in divine
power than had Oliver Cromwell, but even
h. did not ignore the necessities for hui
man precautions. Trust in Cod he
said to his valiant Ironsdes, land keep
your powder dry" Fortitude and cour-
age are needed now as ever in an army,
but the soldier without effective arms Is
mere food for powder.
Bunker Hill had to be evacuated by
the American troops not because they
would not fight The Revolutionists' sup
ply of ammunition ran out. Twice did
the charging British lines break and fall
back before the whitening tornado of shot
pouring into their ranks, but at the third
charge the American soldiers had to turn
and flee. Their powder was gone. They
were helpless then before the attacks of
the advancing enemy. II has been said
that Custer and his brave band were over
powered at Little Big Horn river, Mon
tana, by the Sioux Indians because their
ammunition was exhausted. The fall OF
Khartum under Chinese Gordon was
largely due to the same lack Of powder
and bullets soldier without effective
weapons In his hand is as helpless be-
fore the attack of his enemies as is the
lamb In the slaughter house when the
butcher is about to cut open the animals
throat with the keen edge Of the knife.
How David Was Armed.
This fact was recognized in ancient
times. Before the discovery of gunpow-
der had made hand to hand conflicts so
rare as they are now soldiers were clad
from head to foot in armor to protect
them from the blow of the sword or
batteax or the thrust of the spear. Thus
when David. the shepherd boy, went out
to fight the Philistine giant it seemed
matter of ordinary precaution that he be
covered with such armor as was then in
use. 1t seemed the rashest temerity for
him to go into the fight wearing his or
binary shepherd dress. King Saul said:
Il will let him so forth and fight in my
armor. My helmet shall protect his fore
head. My coat of mail shall cover his
chest. My sword, keen as Damascus
blade, with It's jeweled hilt, shall be in his
hand. Come, armor bearer, place my ar
NOR upon the champion"
This offer of Sauls was an embarrass-
ment. The young shepherd boy was I'M
accustomed to the cumbrous armor. But
tie kings offer must not be rejected by
a loyal subject so he submitted to be
girdled with the coat of mail and the
helmet to protect his head He must have
looked as ridi -ulous as the pale, thin.
consumptive Alexander H. Stevens, that
giant of mental power and great heart,
appeared in his multitudinous wrappings
Of outer garments. When Lincoln saw
him at Hampton Roads he said to his
secretary OF state, Seward, did you ever
see in your life such a pile of corn husk-
ings wrapped about one thin ear"
why" said David, II cannot fight in
this armor. Saul may use these weapons.
but I am not Saul. Give me my sling,
with which I am accustomed to protect
my sheep. Let me choose my own stones
out of the brook for ammunition. Let me
fight for Israel with the talent God has
given to me to USE" My text says And
David said unto Saul, I cannot go with
these, for l have not proved them. And
David put them off him.
David did right. The man who fights
the great battl. OF life with the natural
weapons God has given to him will win.
The man who tries to fight the battle of
life in some other mans armor will fail
every time. The purpose of this sermon
is to point out some of the useless weap-
ons with which some men go forth to
battle--not useless weapons perhaps for
others, but useless for ourselves, because
they belong to another's armory and not
to ours.
Using His Fathers Weapons.
A young man. in the first place, makes
a great mistake in trying to fit his faith
er's helmet upon his head and cover his
chest with his fathers coat of mail and
unsheathe his fathers sword for the bat
tie of life merely because they once be-
longed to his father. When a, man has
made a big success as a minister or law
yer or doctor or artist or musician or
merchant or mechanic. that does not nee
essarily prove that his boy is fitted by
mental and pbysical Temperament to walk
ii his fathers footsteps. And yet, strange
to say we find many fathers almost COM
polling their unwilling boys to be doctors
or lawyers or even ministers or mer-
chants because they themselves have
msde successes In those professions or
b. snesseg. Ard we also find many
young men forcing themselves to take
VI a line of life work for which they are
entirely untitled merely because their
fathers won fame and fortune In those
VIZ ks of life.
Ear.'s nrmor was appropriate to his