Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-09-12

/ CnOlOgiSt VIII tell you. Wnere are
the laws of moral life? What are the
forces of the spiritual realm? Now
he must take from the shelf the Book
of Books and hearken unto God.
We should know the forces with
which we are to deal and attempt, at
least, to master the laws of their
operation. There are powers all
about us more potent than material
forces-to these we must give at
tention. One of the settled things
is that the greatest forces are not
material or physical but mental, in
deed there is nothing great in the
world but man, And nothing great in
man but mind" We so often speak
of the power of steam but the mere
mention Of the subject causes some to
smile, yet there is but little force in
steam as we see it rising out of the
kettle. 1t takes the human mind and
the human hand TO contriye devices
with which TO direct and control that
we may realize its advantages, indeed
its advantages, the same is true with
electricity Many centuries ago God
spoke to his servant Job and said
Job canst thou harness the light
ming" The ratrioch Of Uz answered
in the negative, many centuries pass
before a Franklin comes ON the stage
Of action TO lasso the wild fire. Later
ii is for n Morse 10 harness il and
then an Edison who drives in on all
sorts of crrands around the world.
Think of the achievements in the
world of agriculture and horticulture.
When God created the apple it was
but a gnarrly, sour distasteful thing
to say the least; man appears with his
pruning hook and grating tax
and makes possible the lucious Pip
pins, Baldwins and Northern Spies
The forces that controls nature are
not matter but mind.
Archimedes said: 81 have a lever
with which | could move the world if
only ! had fucrum upon which to
place it Does it sound egotistical
for us to say in these last days that
we have discovered that experience
and conservatism of age is the full
crum upon which the lever OF youth
fui enthusiasm of vigor may be placed
to move the world 1t has been we'll
said that every achievement crys-,
talized in the civilization of the pres
ent represents the dynamics of youth
full aggression of a generation ago.
and the balance and steadiness given
by the maturity and experience of
age Youth is the period of greatest
activity of the most intense zeal and
enthusiasm, to be sure it may not be
the time of most mature thought or
or ripest Judgment, it has not years OF
experience neither is it tested by use,
other things, however, character it,
1t is seldom conservative, but one
thing is most certain it has life-it
makes things move. 1t is seldom
cautious but it has determination, true
if does not keep cool, it generates
heat. it never looks back but it turns
its eagle eyes toward the future. 1t
never clngs to probabilities, but seizes
the possible things at hand and SO
brings the impossible to pass
There is no wisdom in the plan OF
God which is more infallble than that
which places those two influences,
youth and age, side by side to act and
react upon the moral elements about
il. \ great writer of the last century
has well said That like the centri-
fugal phenenoma OF gravitation tend
ing to fly from the center and the
centrcpetal to bring it back. 1t is
no discrcdit to those whose honored
maturity has placed i'll the hold to
ballast the ship or stationed them at
the wheel TO steer this old world
does not need less ballast but more
sail"
Listen young men and women to
the sainted words of the apostle
John, may this message come to the
young men and women of his col
lcge as an inspiration, like David he
could have we'll said II have been
young, but now am old, he has passed
with his eyes open through all the
stages OF. manly development, and
now has reached ripe old age and cx-
pericnce, yet he is no less interested
in the young. he can see the strength
and vigor of youth, we sec him as he
takes his pen and in the silence which
is of such character that he can hear
his heart beat he writes some of the
choicest portaions of the word of
God, to the young people who are
about him, he has one thought evil
IDENTIFY in mind, viz, that he may en-
list this young life for service. Let
me quote from one of his epistlcs:
r.uslouexl nm p.w~