Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-15
Sunday Morning Talk
Human Derelicts.

A derelict. from the nautical point OF
View. Is the dismantled and water soaked
residuum OF a wrecked or abandoned ship
what was once fair vessel sailing proudly
over the waves, carrying a valuable cargo.
flying her flag at the masthead. is now
nothing but a rotten hulk tossed hither and
thither by the restless ocean. These dere-
licts are not only in themselves grim and
forbiddins objects. but they constitute a
menace to the shipping Industry. and cap
tains dread them more than they do Fee
beres
On the ocean of human life one encoun-
ters at rare intervals men and even women
whom II is not unfair to characterize as
oerel1cts Every mission worker and al
most every pastor and policeman knows at
least few. They frequent the cheap lodR-
Ing houses of the great cities That bum
there was once gentleman with fine
nome In the avenue. That elderly man
with threadbare clothes. asleep on the
bench. actually served a term in Congress
That dissolute fellow Keeling up the street
was once an author of considerable repute
And So as we ascertained the Inside his
Tory OF these derelicts, We might go on to
specify In each case the nature OF their
fall and the contrast between their pres
ent and their former estate. Just what
caused the collapse, we cannot always tell.
l am not so sure that 1t can invariably be
said Rum did IT. Other baneful infiu-
ences may have had their part In the
catastrophe. At any rate somewhere and
somehow they began to sink In the mirs
and there they are today and there they
are likely to stay. unless-unless a hand Is
reached down to pull them up.
Our first emotion when we meet a human
derelict ought to be one of profound pity.
To have been a decent and respectable citi-
zen, to have been the pride and pillar of a
happy home to have gone about a man
among men. and now to be a castaway. TO
have men say. We'll. there's a screw loose
oh IL.
more"-ah! this is the tragedy OF human
life. and who witnesses It can hardly
help being stirred with intense COM
passion.
come a deep sense of thankfuness for hav-
ing escaped ourselves such a fate. John
Newton. who came to be one OF the god
Hest men England ever produced, said
once when he a criminal being led
forth to execution: There goes John New
ton but by the grace of God" Instead Of
chershing disdain and scorn for the man
who has made shipwreck of his life We
should be devoutly grateful that we have
been kent from such fate. and at the
same time should realize the fact that
the minute any man gives over OF relaxes
the struggle for character he. too, is on
the downward path.
But this human wreckage is not exactly
like the floating derelicts of the sea The
only thing that can be done with them IS.
If possible to destroy them utterly. in the
interests OF greater safety for other YES
sells. So the United States government &C.
casionally sends out men expressly to find
and sink these dangerous fiOaters But the
human derelict deserves far different treat
ment He is still savable. 1t IL hard to
save him and restore him to anything like
his former dignity. bur 1t has been done.
Jerry MacA ulev and Col Hadley did It in
New York city for many years. and their
successors in the missions which they con-
Quoted are doing 1t today. Col. Clarke did
It for years in Chicago. Melville Trotter Is
doing II with marked success in Grand
Rapids Mich. 1t takes almost infinite pa
thence and pains and faith to restore these
submerged souls. but given enough tender
ness and persistence and manv man or
whom his friends have despaired and who
has lost all resnect for himself may he
put on his feet once more.
And should these lines by any possibility
fall under the eyes OF any man who knows
that hn Is a dernllct. let him not w7it for
the helring hand. but at once right about
face and keep straight ahead. remembering
that no one need DESPAIR who has really
set his face toward the home where he
belongs And when he was vet afar Off
his father him and was moved with
comma ssion and ran and fell on his neck
and kissed him much" THE PARSON.