Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-05-13

driven from farm to farm she was not
picturing a scoundrel, but man de-
frauded Of American rights. When
she finally describes this poor, inno-
cent Indian as shot down by drunken
white loafer and then pictures that
drunken loafer as being allowed to go
free, she was not appealing to humano
prejudices for favoritism toward the
red man. She was saying: "What is
the law? What Is the American law?
The law of America upholds me in my
claims"
AS 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, 81 hope this may be-"
He does say: 81 know this can be and
shall be through the blood of Jesus
Christ The divine statutes declare it."
When a gospel orator stands upon the
promises Of God found in the Bible he
speaks with certainty; he speaks with
absolute convicton above all, 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
as is found in the word Of God when
pleading for repentance and righteous
ness.
Stewards Great Plea.
The gospel orator is mighty when he
pleads for one whom he would save
from eternal death. He naturally has
all the fire, all the enthusiasm, all the
pent up passion Of 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 was felt by Will
liam Seward in 1916 when he pleaded
for the life Of William Freeman, an
idiotlc black pauper who had killed the
entire Van Nest family of Auburn, n.
Y. 1t was during the agitation Of the
abolitiOnist movement. The white men
of the north as well as the south were
against him. His own friends at the
bar were against him. Yet there VIII
liam II. Seward pleaded and kept
pleading. When at last his client was
hung by the neck until he was dead
by postmortem examination 1t was
found out that William Freeman was
in truth an idiot and irresponsible for
the crime which he had committed and
that William II. Seward, the young at
torney. was right in his defense Of
him.
Cannot you feel the earnestness of
Seward pleading? l can | cannot think
of a lawyer defending client who is
being tried for his life unless that law
yer is in an agony Of suspense until
the acquittal comes in the two words,
Not guilty" spoken by the foreman of
the Jury. do you make your clients
interests your interestsT l once asked
LAWYER friend. YES" he answered.
80 much do make their interests my
interests that il they are being tried
IOT lllG L dHl ulSlul DCO Ia otNNP NA~
dream about them. Every moment OF
my waking thoughts is with them. l
often get up in the middle Of the night
during trial and write, so anxious am
to save them" "Ah," then I said to
myself. mo wonder you are a great
speaker when you plead for a life in
this way. No wonder your whole soul
goes forth into a 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 he
makes, every thought that is born in
his brain, has the mighty purpose or
saving some man from eternal death.
Nightly as Il Christian lawyer does
he plead for the salvation Of men.
But the Christian orator has higher
and even greater inspiration than the
saving Of sinful men and women from
eternal death. He stands in a unique
position. He is not only pleading for
the salvation Of men, but also for what
Is pleasing to God. And Of all irspira-
tions to "sublimest oratory" there is no
inspiration like unto that.
The Christian orator, the advocate OF
the divine will and pleasure: Let me
illustrate my thought by a simple YER
bal picture You are not the only son
of your mother. She has another boy,
younger than you. But, whereas you
are in one sense the good boy, he has
been the bad. He drinks; he swears;
he lies; he does everything he ought
not to do. Again and again your moth
er came to his rescue. Your father left
her little money. She has spent 1t all
trying to save him. One night he came
home from a drunken spree. When
she spoke to him 1t made him mad. In
rage he knocked her down and kick
ed her in the breast. AS result Of
that kick a cancer has formed. She Is
going to die. You are heartsick. "Oh,
mother, motherw you say. "If I could
only make you we'll and happy again!
AS you kneel by her bedside she runs
her fingers through your hair just as
she did when you were DOy anu
answers: Harry, you can make me
happy. Will you? Then l want you
to go after your brother Joe and get
him to come home again for my sake"
With q cry you leap to your feet.
You shake the dying woman's hand Off
your forehead. "What-go for that
drunken brute, whose cruel heel has
given you your death woundf Never,
mother-never! l will see him in Jail
aye, or in the Internal regions--hrst."
Then your mother begins to plead. She
says: Harry, you have suffered on ac-
count Of Joe, but have not l sufferedF
Have not l given my life for him?
And, oh, Harry, cannot die happy un-
less we save your brother joe" Once
there was a time when you wanted to
save your brother Joe for his own sake.