The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-05-24
ADDRESS TO YOUNG FOLKS.
Delivered by Hon. Kenneth Baker, Of
Greenwood, at Old Folks Day at
Prosperity Last Sunday
Morning.

The following is the excellent ad-
dcss delivered at Grace church, Pros
! perity, last Sunday by Mayor Ken
meth Baker, of Greenwood:
Members Of Grace church and Sun
day School: Friends and ocquaintan-
ces, when I was notified that T hal
been selected to address the young
people on this occasion, | was very
sensible Of the high honor YOU had
done me and while appreciating it to
the highest extent, on first thought.
I was inclined to say that 1 could
not accept, not because I did not
want to be with you, but because I
felt that I was not capa citatcd to do
the accession justic and as l stand
before you, among friends and famil-
lar faces, I feel it more so. But af-
ter more mature consideration, I felt
that perhaps this was all opportunity
to say something that might be of
benefit to some Of you who are just
starting on life's rough and rugged
road, realizing that it is not the op-
portunities we have, but the oppor-
tunities we grasp that are Of benefit
to us. l have been somewhat at a
loss as to just what line Of thought
would be best for an occasion Of this
kind, for so few things hold the at
tention Of the young people even for
short while unless it is about such
things as tend only to their special
joy and pleasure, without regard to
their more lasting and material good.
Youth, with its fulness Of life, very
joy of existing and future ambitions,
appeals to lis all and makes us love
/ it. Men of all ages have sought for
the spring of eternal youth and have
had a corresponding horror Of grow
ing old. But as we pass from early
'Nrth to more mature thoughts and
'"eds we sGon BERN to realize that
'''e Greater part of mankind usually
employ their first wears IN such a wa"
~ to make their last miserable. Use
your youth so that its past will be
a pleasure and comfort to You "n1
not 4 burden; use it as farmer Us
es the springtime, to SOW and to plant
for a long and happy life and finally
an eternal home. Did you ever think
why it was that of all animals, God
made man the most helpless the long
est? Because he made us to be train
ed and taught for an ultimate and
higher life and also endowed us with
immortal souls. The life of every
one of us is as closely under Divine
| ere as if we were the only ones of
"nr ki"h. Oh! thoughtless youth, if
You could only be taught to realize
what your life s mission is and how
to fit yourself for it, how much vast
ed time would be saved and how
much happier you would be. What
is the whole scheme Of life2 Is it
only to be born, to live and to die 2
From early childhood We train our
minds and bodies for the realization
| of some vague and indefinite trade
or calling in the future, out of which
we hope to realize worldly wealth and
honor, proceeding so thoughtless
and so unmindful of the plans of our
Divine Creator that we almost shud-
der at the arrogance Of it. Now one
of the thoughts that T wish to impress
upon you all today, is: that in all our
training, in all our thoughts and in
all our plans from earliest youth, up
to maturity, is that you snail ever re-
member that you were created for
Gods own glory and that you are a
part Of a great Divine plan and that
you must learn your place and how
best to fill it. Did you ever stop a
moment to think just how little you
really do know and just how few
things you really know how to doY In
this age of technical training and
specialization, men spend years in
learning just how to do things as they
should be done. Not long ago an
engine in large manufacturing es-
tablishment suddenly stopped without
any apparent cause and no one was
able to get it to move. Loss of mon
ey and time, disorganization of labor,
stared the owner in the face and
an expert was hurricdly sent for. In
few moments the wheels were NOV
ing again as usual. He was asked
for his bill. 1t was for $50.50. The
owners were surprised at so large an