The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-10
Saying Farewell.

But it is when we say farewell not to
things, but to persons. that the deep pa
thos of human life makes itself real to our
consciousness. We are never so set upon
and mastered by the sense of our finite
ness. our dependence upon time, place,
circumstance, as when we are called upon
to go yonder while our friends remain
here, or to remain here while our friends
go yonder The last look into faces we
shall never see again, the last pressure of
hands we shall never clasp again, the
last sound of voices we shall never hear
again-these things make very visible TO
us the old shadow of pathos that has
never since time began been altogether
invisible to human eyes. and very audible
the old eternal note of 1t that has never
been quite silent to human ears. At such
moments we know that hearts are more
than mere pumping machines, are more
than mere throbbing flesh, because our
own are suffering as no machine could,
are hurt as no flesh can be!
But we should interpret amiss the mean-
ing of our human experience; we should
value far too low that most sacred and
real portion of 1t. friendship, IL we were
conscious only of loss Joined with re-
greet In saying farewell to those who have
been our friends. We cannot deny the loss,
we cannot put from us regret, but we
can and we must, If we would be true in
terpreters of the sacred reality called hu-
man experience, match loss with gain.
and regret with thanksgiving For they
who have been our friends have served
us, have helped us, have enlarged us,
and what they have done for us is not
withdrawn, nor ever shall be; 1t has
become part of ourselves, a measure Of
eternal good, incorporated with our hearts
and souls mixed with the life blood and
flowing in the channels of our best sym
pathies, affections, aspirations. This they
have been to us and done for us is I'M
speakable again. for which all temporal
words are too empty and poor to give
thanks deep and joyous enough!
Sense of Loss.
Great Is my sense of loss, today, great
my regret, as 1 say farewell to friends
to you into whose faces may never look
again-but greater is my sense of gain
and the measure Of my JOY that | may
call you friends. that l am privileged to
possess this moment and to bear with me-
forever, the treasure of your sympathy
and your service!
To what extent l have been permitted
through the years in which l have spoken
In this pulpit and minlstered in that
ehancel to meet your gift with gift,
have no means of knowing, or even guess
ing. That 1 stand here today. very deeply
and humbly conscious of failure. should
go without saying. The man who under
takes to speak and to minister in the
name of Jesus Christ undertakes just the
largest the supremest responsibility that
this wide universe has to offer; and not
to feel that one had failed to meet it,
were to be conscious of luxury of self
congratuation of which | have no under
standing.
/ am quite sure that / could not have
avoided failure. IL during the years past
l had served with ten times my strength
and spoken with ten times my wisdom.
Greater strength by far than that, and
greater wisdom were needed by the man
who should succeed and not fail in repre-
sentlng Jesus Christ by word and deed.
Whether have failed more than I have
needed TO, is a question I do not at
tempt to answer. l only know and freely
confess that as l stand here today, fail
ure looms very large before my con-
sciousness and success very small The
greatness of the gospel of Jesus Christ
overwhelms me when I set alongside 1t
the weakness and paltriness of my best
efforts In His namel
Do claim to have succeeded here at