The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-09-25

nm '"''ol lS the ability. and the
"~liiISheSs 10 serve. \ man may have
an ideal. but il that ideal is never
Transformed into the actual. II never
ftLS much helps its author. or en-
IIches the world. but when one has =
!"Ii"et IdeaI. a lofty ideal. Il sublime
i4Sai ana then ~p-oduce- that ideal
INTO the actual. 50 that ne brings the
d@e"I ana tn" actual together. aad h.
MS n creates into his ideal his
b'dlIE shape as il We're. then his ideal
ives ana moves, and cTerts influence
ana power ana Is felt here. and there
ana }onder. When Michael Angelo
saw the angel in the marble. he saw
ms iGeaI, and he felt the power Of his
VISION, 80 when that ideal was called
from or out Of the marble. when that
angel stood forth in material form.
perfect IN outline. perfect in cxprc~-
SION, perfect ia every particular. then
the world felt the power Of that mans
life, and his genius flied the world.
When Fulton saw the kettle and he
steam ne had his ideal and his vision.
but When he harncssed that steam he
began To TeVolutionizc the industrial
world. ana the whole world aS il Were
began to throb with the life of this
man and his genius, and his vision
became II power i'm all the earth.
And when Daniel had seen with the
prophets eye. with the Seer'S vision
the unsubstantiaIity Of all material
things, and felt the power Of Cod and
allied himself to the iVine and felt
the ouch Of the divine upon him. and
the divine power and faith began to
express themselves through his brain,
through his faith, through his life ana
personality. then the world began to
feel the power Of his mans life.
SO it is. beloved. the man of vision.
and the man with the ability ana the
willingness to be a crVant, that is the
truly great man, and thus give US y
standard by which we may test cor
rcCtly the man of every generation.
and the individuals in every commun-
ity. These are unerring tests, and
wherever o can find one who can
meet these tests there you nave truly
u great man. Now when we come to
measure the life and spirit and work
of our departed brother by this stand
ard, how excellent he stands before US,
how prominent. Oh, when we come to
Happily these tests how great is the life
THAT he lived among men. Does any
one present who knew Charles ID. Me
Ivcr have the slightest doubt his
imOrning that he had the power Of
vision. None. None. Years ago he
saw with the prophets eye. Years ago
he diSccrncd with the masters spirit.
Years 3 he penetrated into the
depths of things. oh, he had a vision
Of life, and since he had that vision
he has had but one but one
ambition, but one aim. What was it,
He passed through his State. the state
that he loved better than life itself,
he loved every foot of its soil, he felt
the greatest interest in every enter
prise that looked to the uplifting of
man and as he came in touch with the
life of the State, he saw as with the
eyes of a prophet the great need of
North Carolina. He saw its rich val
legs and it's mountains, and it's great
business enterprises and its growing
towns and cities, and he saw that her
real need was popular education, and
the solution Of all the problems of edu-
cation, and all the industrial problems
of the State, and the problems that
partake of the progress of the church,
all rested upon the solution of one
problem, and that was to put into
every home the highest type of Wo-
man. That was it. 1t came to him as
a vision and he saw that if in every
county in this State and in every com
munity and in every home you could
put the highest type of Ona the
wife, the mother, educated, cultured
and refined. that then North Carolina
could take her place in the very front
rank of States, and the whole nation
would feel her influence. 1t came to
him as q vision from God, anC he
started, forward to perform this
HercuIean task. Since then he has
had but one ambition. but one pur-
pose, but one aim. He had no time
to make money, no time to fill pubhc
offices, no time to enjoy pleasure, no
time to receive hOnOrS such as come
to men Of wealth and influence. But
like his Lord. having been given this
high ambition, he set about to work
at his task. And | remember a year
or two ago, when | said to him one
day Are you not undertaking toe
much >" and he replied very much in
the spirit of St. Paul, though not in
his language. but he said, 1T isn't the
number of years hat Il man lives in
the world but what he does" And he
went forth to finish the work which
God had given him to do. He had the
power of vision. and the Willingness
and the ability to serve.
We are accustomed to point to the
State FORMAL and industrial College
as his great Why beloved,
that is lust one feature of his great
work. He has uplifted the people Of
North Carolina. He mas breathed into
our daughters rev life, and a new
spirit and three thousand girls who
have gone out from the State Normal
have simply gone out with his touch
upon them. and his inspiration in
them. and the 100000 children with
W nom tlItf ~ -
received to some extent the great love
and the great power that was in him.
His work was not confined to North
Carolina. AS the years went on the
power of the mans work was felt to
slch an extent that the adjoining
States abroad, the Northern as We'll as
the southern States. began to call for
his services. and his great power, his
high ideal. was felt throughout our
whole Southland. and to some eX-
tent through our nation. Truly ne
a man with q vision. and a mar
who delighted in its service, with q
wonderful ability to serve:
There is another thought. n | must
close without its mention. \ life
of great usefulness has been cut Shor
in a few brief years. When our dear
Saviour was in this world, trying to
impress men with his teachings Of
immortality, and had the world for
his school. he taught for only a
few wears. and was called away to
~ @--;.- = -~,.