The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-02-21
4 Ak PULPIT.
A sC!ol 1RLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
Or. n. M6EE WATERS.
Subject: JOY i'm Work.

Waters. pastor of the Tompkins Ave
nue. Congregational Church, Sunday
preached on How Young Man
MAY Find Joy in His Work" He
said in the course of his sermon:
The story Of labor is a checkered
one. II is only in our highest civiliza-
tion that work is coming 10 its own.
In his savage state man is the lazy
animal. Indeed, IL is not natural
for any animal TO work, save as IL
is driven 10 IL by the whip of neces-
sity. This is the view of work we
find embodied in the old Genesis
story, where labor is set down as a
punishment for Adams sin, where
he is told. as he is driven from the
Garden, Thou shalt eat thy bread
by the sweat of thy brow" This is
not only a very uninspired part of
the Bible; but this sentiment certifies
that il Is "A very old part.
How labor was despised received
It's most signal illustration from the
life of Christ. You remember how
over the multitudes who heard Him.
He cast a spell. All the people said
that no man spake as He spake. The
loftiest spirits pressed about Him and
asked Him If He were the Messiah.
Yet they scarcely could believe for
JOY. And what was the basis OF their
doubt? Their skepticism was all in
that question of theirs, lis not this
the carpenters SON. How could
workman be the r,cl Saviour? They
marveled at His wisdom. They con-
fessed that lie spoke with authority.
They followed Him as sheep follow
a shepherd. But He was a carpen-
ter, and so the high and mighty set
i'm Il TO- 3 l,,
cause their eyes were holden that
they mistook the dignity of toll for
disgrace.
In some parts of the world that is
still true. But increasingly the world
is coming 10 honor the toiler,
whether he works in a profession or
trade, and is correspondence COM
ing to despise the idler, whether he
be rich or poor. How much the
United States has done with its
democracy TO bring this about, and
with its great men. almost all of
them coming from the cabin and the
plOw, We may never know. Certain
ii is that New England was the first
country since the land of the ancient
Jews in which it was counted respec-
table to earn ones living.
Little do we think, or have taken
time to find out, how much our work
contributes to our happiness.
Work is great character builder.
! suppose most of us work in order
to eat. I suppose If we were gener-
ally asked, we would say that the
first requirement we made OF our
labor was that it should clothe us,
and feed us. and house us. That is
the first requirement and the lowest.
4
ment a man makes Of his work,
whether he knows il or not. is that
il shall make a man of him. Your
work must bring you bread. hut no
less it must bring YOU culture. Some
how or other we are always plying
the boy who is born poor. or the
young man who fails at college. II
is hardship and sometimes a pity.
There Is one man, however, more un-
fortunate than that Young man. and
that is the young fellow who Is born
i'm a silken nest and goes through col
lege in an automobile. There is
nothing wrong about a silken nest,
and there is nothing bad about an
automobile, except its trail. But you
cannot raise an eagle in eiderdown.
and it requires far more OF man
10 amount 10 ANYTHING in college who
goes through il in an automobile
instead of walking. We are so made
that we must have struggle The
reason why rich mems sons rarely
amount to anything, is because they
never develop heir muscles. There
is no teacher like work. It must
bring him bread. but no less il must
bring him culture. The Man with
the Hoe"-he needs not so much pity
hncnc hardcn1a ". Dat.i6
n shepherd; Jesus was a carpenter.
Benjamin Franklin knew no college
he was a printers devil; Robert
Burns know no leisure-he was q
plowman; Abraham Lincoln wore no
soft rhiment; but these are our stars
of the first magnitude. Even col
leges can give culture only through
work. and there are some things col
leges cannot teach. Literature and
history and the liberal arts are at
last the ornaments OF life; even read
ing and writing and the rule Of three
are all named the "conyeniences Of
life
But these are fundamentals-ir-
dustry. thrift. courage, honesty.
truth. faith, hope, love. These are
the threads which. woven together.
make the eternal life Of man. II YOU
have forgotten these, though YOU
have gained the whole world. you
have lost your own soul" and these
NAV be had for the receiving in every
work and calling opCn TO men. when
you stand before task. look for 9
teacher. If it offer thee not wisdom.
desp,se its wage If thy calling
yield thee not culture for mind and
heart. il is bur coffin for thv better
nature. Demand OF your life work
that IL shall make n man out OF YOU.
Work is a great influence givcr.
And here We come upon another
blunder. n is not the kind Of work
you do that gives you influence so
much That is what the world
thinks. It is the way you do &c..
Quality counts for more than kind.
II Is true. OF course. that there are
some vocations that in themselves
damn the worker. All labor that
makes merchandise out OF mems
vices is Of that sort. II is true also