The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-03-01
DIR. LYMAN ABBOTT
SPEAKS At BLOWN
VESPER SERVICE

Yesterday afternoon Or. Lyman Abb
bott. editor OF the Outlook. was the
speaker at the last OF the vesper services
which have been held on "Wednesday
afternoons for the past few weeks at
Brown university.
DIR. Abbott spoke before a very large
audience which overnowed Sayles hall,
while many were unable to find seats
and had TO be turned away. His message
was In part as follows;
have come TO talk 10 you. young
men OF the university. and not TO speak
10 others. although my message may
incidentally be OF benefit 10 them. The
demand Of nation is on you. With
its population OF seventy millions, it
needs leaders. II Is true that II Is
democratic power exercised by the people
See what n long way back IL Is from
this world to the old world. There are
thousands OF emigrants coming over
daily. Ignorant and scarcely able towrite;
see the great number OF negroes coming
UP out OF the past with the whip marks
still on their backs. some OF whom have
no education See the thousands OF chill
dren that are being born I'm this world
daily. some In luxury, some In poverty
Here they are They look 10 you young
and all our American colleges for
leaders
What are the qualities you need TO
possess TO be a leader First n vision:
No man can lead a just people whose
hand Is hampered by tradition. Not all
men can be leaders. We must have
brakenen as well as engineers on our
trains. We must have a weight as well
as a pendulum on our clocks There
must be a thousand privates TO one
colonel. But II you are 10 be a weight.
an engineer a head of a train, a captain
20 direct forces, you have got 10 have
q vision. You must see ahead. You
must understand purpose and have
that purpose in mind.
We must understand the needs Of our
fellow men. We must understand that
everywhere commerce Is changing. COM
mercial relations are different now than
they used 10 be. Old economic methods
are Intellectual nowadays.
We must understand the vision OF the
new world in law. Chief Justice Marshall
had vision. Law Is 10 be a hard set
OF precedents We must have apprehen-
sion OF the fundamental principles. Laws
10 govern the highways OF commerce are
not the same as when the cart and
wagon was in use.
we must have men with a vision I'm
medicine In the last 25 years medical skill
has found the anaestheUc for painful
operations Bodies can be opened, and re-
paired while alive. All this has been done.
but there still remains a great realm or
remedy and we must have leaders in this
realm
We need leaders in the ministry. men
who understand truth. Truth is not sin
gle thing. a point. which you can keep
your eye on: Il is infinite. What we need
is men who understand the trend OF
.f, he AnGt
milton, the new meaning OF the old mes
sage. To show It's application and inter
probation all eyes OF the world were on
Jonathan Edmands. John Calvin had
vision, as leader OF his time. He did not
repeat the old doctrines as they had been
repeated to him. but gsve new inter-
probation 20 them.
Politicians have no vision. They can see
no further than the next district or party
election. Sometimes far sighted one can
see as far ahead as the next presidential
election Bismarck looked far into the flu
ture and saw a national empire Glad
stone saw the great democracy OF Eng.
land. He set himself to lead her along "A
perpetual path. Abraham Lincoln saw
the slaves with their shackles on as he
went down the Mississippi and said will
shake those shackles off.
IL you are to be n leader, you must
have courage. You must dare and dc.
Dreaming does not accomplish anything,
When IL Is over the work is not done.
IL you are TO be a leader. you must
have faith and go wherever you are called
and at whatever cost. ] should be asham-
ed TO say courage for yourself. You must
have II for others also. Luther not only
sees a vision. but dares 10 launch his
thunderbolt which shakes the whole ex-
listing religion OF that time
Lincoln was urged to leave his intention
OF freeing the slaves out OF his senatorial
speech. He told his friends he would reth-
er lose the senatorship than TO do H.
Mcclellan was IN every way as good
man as Grant, as fearless. and as brave.
When Grant took his troops around
Nicksburg. he risked his army, because
he believed In a principle.
Young men get old ideas. Some go
into politics and get what Colby did lie
said we must fight fire with fire must
compromise Man who is strong enough to
etand up for a principle in the beginning
isn't strong enough to fight at all Bye
and bye I will-never accomplishes any
thing.
A man must have courage 70 risk his
cause. Armstrong. who built up Fortress
Monroe. said: II hold an obstacle like
a fence When 1 can't get over Il I go
UP on Il as far as 1 can and crow" We
need a spirit that does not lay down a
truth or principle. come what may
To be a leader you have got to be one
of the people In a democratic commun-
fly. have got contempt for the man
that plays to the gallery, but you must
know what kind OF menNare in the gal