The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-13

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develop the material resources of their
country. rebuild their institutions, relate
themselves anew to the national life. aud
to regain their prestige In Federal coun-
| sells. To inspire Southern men with con-
| fldens. in their ability to do the tasks
set them. to quicken the public conscience,
| to assert a right Judgment upon all great
| issues. to evoke national patriotism these
suggest themselves to you. Sympathy is
| the cure for sectlonalism as well as Sec
| tarianisin.
Educational Factor.
..In education the South presents an in
| teresting study. Three distinct processes
are going forward First, the education
| OF the poor whites. skulking In mountain
\ recesses: second, the education OF the ne
| groes: and. third, the democratizing of
| tho educational ideals and methods of the
| former aristocratic or fuedal class While
these three forces appear separate. they
| all really spring from the one generating
| impulse OF democracy, which Is just now
| becoming ascendant IN the Southland.
Some people are favorable to one of these
educational purposes and hostile to an
| other. In my humble opinion. they are all
| three necessary and must prevail.
| 1.-THE reasons for this conclusion need
! not be given here. Suffice 1t to say
that for economic development. racial
We must rely upon the school. where the
| triple influences of thrift. intelligence
and virtue meet. The school is the cpl
tome of the Souths problem For the So
come. not by might. nor by power. but by
| the spirit of love. justice, humanity and
| progress. Accordingly. the educational re-
| vival In the South has breathed deep re-
| ligious spirit. rich in human interest and
| sustained by n lofty faith In the efficacy
| OF truth. freedom and Righteousness to ac-
complisli results impossible to ordinary
material agencies. To say that tho nrin-
istry has made large contribution to the
/ progress of education in the South would
he to understate the great services which,
| they have rendered to this cause. In their
| frank insstence upon the right of every
child to fair chance in life. In their In
citement of community effort to secure
this advantage in the school. and in the
encouragement upon every hand which
they have given to these constructive
forces, the preachers OF the South have
written one OF the noblest chnpters In the
history of Christian enterprise.
intellectual Factor.
Tho advances in historical and scien-
tific studies necessitate a reference to the
preachers attitude toward these qucs-
tons which have a general, though d.
rect, bearing upon ones fitness for tho
| Southern field In such matters a minis
ter's attitude is largely determined by the
his various activities. What, according to
Jesus. is correct graduation of the rela-
tive worth of the preachers manifold du-
| ties? There is, OF course. much room for
difference in answering this question. but
| may hesltatingly suggest the following
| classification:
"D Tho pursuit OF truth.
"tg The eXertion of personal influence
I perceive that virtue has gone forth from
| me- The preacher Is to be conscience to
| a communicaty.
"t3) Deeds of mercy, such as visitation
of the sick, sorrowful, and Imprisoned.
80 The organization of what we ord-
narly mean by church work. partly finan-
cial. partly social, and partly ecclesiastic
| The ministry of truth, the ministry OF
personality, the ministry of mercy, and
| the ministry of work. Tho greatest of
these is the pursuit of truth. This de-
soul. 1T Is the glory of man that he can
not live by bread alone Jesus charted
the entire course of the Christian Church,
when he said, Ye shall know the truth.
and the truth shall make You free And
by truth. he must have meant something
:! vital, something potent in human experi-
ence, and not tradition. The truth OF yes
terday is the tradition OF to-day OF the
mamma they gathered every man accord
ine TO his eating. And Moses said unto
item. Let no. man leave of 1t till the
morning. Notwithstanding thew hardened
not INTO Moses; but some of them left of
1t I'LL the mor,ing. ana II bred worms
and became foul
Progress Conservative.
In this TRANSITIONAL time as regards
evolutionary science and historical re-
| search the preacher for tho present South
| Will hold by this sane maxim: There Is
nothing so conservatives as progress
How comes it that England is the only
| country in Europe that has not known u
revolution within the past century? 1t,
| is because the English. guided by sound
| political instinct, anticipated revelation by
reform. The world appears flxity. In
truth. 1t is nuidlty. BY such an attitude
of mind open, hospItablc, sympathetic,
| conservative. and, above all, sane, the
| preacher can mould IN the wisest way tho
progressive thought of the South, relating
|! 1t vtally to world movements and keeping
1t true to the fundamental principles Of
Tho gospel OF Jesus Christ,
IN 4 word. tho situation In the South,
as understand 1t. Is most attractive
one for the preacher, because the work is
such us to appeal to the strongest aud
| nobest powers in his personality, Every
| true preacher Is a prophet, man who Is
the product of n crisis, who was horn to
| meet an emergency. who dlscerns
the divine reality in the present,
| keep up the recollection of It In the past.
| In the South the preacher will be. as al
ways, the forerunner of higher social
order inspiring with courage the dis
our people 10 spiritual erds In tho subtle
processes OF Southern life you are to-day
Revolving a larger conception of humanfty;
70. yon nre advancing from the s,,neri,
oritv Of tho Saxnn to the brotherhood OF
man; from snctionalism to naflonalisnr,
| frnn natlonallsm to {, sense OF inters,a-
| lion Justice. which embraces the claims of
the weak as we'll as the strong the world
around. You are lending our peoule to
see that perhans their highest euloslnm
thereafter Will be- when n FOLK once dis
pissed shall instincttvely eXcnim, THY
gentleness hath made mo great"