Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-02-27
THE PULPIT.
ecHoLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. N. MCGEE WATERS.
Subject: Joy in Work.

grooklyn, N. Yin his series of
,.rn,ons on 1.-The Choice of a Pro-
ssssion.' the Rev. DR.. N. McGee
Waters, pastor of the Tompkins Ave
rue Congregational Church, Sunday
reached on How a Young Man
NAV Find Joy in His Work" He
ssid in the course of his sermon:
The story of labor is checkercd
one It is only in our highest civiliza-
ton that work is coming to it's own.
IN his savage state man is the lazy
animal. Indeed, it is not natural
or any animal to work, save as it
ls driven to it by the whip of neces-
stv, This is the view of work we
find embodied in the old Genesis
story, where labor is set down as a
nunishment 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 very uninspired part of
the Bible; but this sentiment certifies
| that it is a very old part.
How labor was despised received
its 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, SIS not this
tie carpenters SOM" How could
workman be the real Saviour? They
marveled at His wisdom. They con-
fessed that He spoke with authority.
They followed Him as. sheep follow
shepherd. But He was a carpen-
ter, and So the high and mighty set
Him down for fraud. 1t was be-
cause their eyes were holden that
they misstcok the dignity of toll for
a Q.s51rc.cce.
: In some parts Of the world that is
still true. But increasingly the world
is coming to honor the toiler,
whether he works in a profession or
trade, and is corresponding COM
ing to despise the idler, whether he
be rich CT poor. How much the
United States has done with it's
democracy to bring this about, and
E!t1 its great ncn, almost all Of
them coming from the cabin and the
plov, we may never k-c--. Certain
1t Is that New England v...3 the first
country since the land of the ancient
tsl;s - winch :! rs counted ~respec-
81 ce.-I t-.e S living.
Little do we think, or have taken
lme TO find out, how much our work
contributes to our happiness. ~.
work is a great character builder.
suppose most Of us work in order
eat. 1 suppose if we were gener-
44l!!y asked, we would say that the
lss llss r2quireM 2nt we made of our
s'gl was that it should clothe us,
ana feed us, ard house Us. That is
:aE 1rst require 21nent and the lowest.
y,t9e second and greatest require
Lss. man makes of his work
HEether he knows it OR not, is that
! snail make man of him. Your
nlS:k must bring you bread, but nc
,sSS 1t must bring you culture. Some.
now nov or other We are alyE. avs pitying
~ Goy who is born poor, or the
;;cung man who fails at college. Il
NJ, ~ a hardship ard sometimes pity
sNefe is one man, however, more un
MtSitunate than that young man, an(
fsal is the young fellow who is bor1
~ ~. silken nest and goes through col
,ss5 N an automobile. There i
notnlng wrong about a silken nest
m Snu there is nothing bad about al
i+c D,,f
saInot raise an eagle in eiderdown
ta anu 1t requires far more of NAL
~ u. amount to anything in college VIII
ssuSs through it in an automobil
ttLhste2o th2o OF walking. We are so mad
soos vac. we must have struggle. TIL
JASON why rich mems sons rarel
nmouAt nan to anything, is because the
,h''er develop their muscles. Their
h. no teacher like work. 1t mus
bb,ins bail MN bread, but no less it mus
tt u,lng MIN culture. "The Man Wit
MO ME- noe he needs not so much pit.
Uses was a herdsman; David wa
posu.epherd; Jesus was carpenter
hn!dmln Franklin knew no co1leg
pnne was printers devil; Robel
Nus n,a knew no leisure-he was
snft %Aan; Abraham Lincoln wore n
ti' ~, :, ,falment; but these are our stal
IL lanln sne first magnitude. Even CO
wes eeS can give culture only throua
'N' and there are some things CO
hsts hisstss cannot teach. Literature ar
]toIy ]aSt ~! and the liberal arts are
jnr we ornaments of life; even rea
Arc Gnu oi writing and the rule of thr'
ufo " al named the "conveniences
dratuC puC these are fundamentals
trnthHs thrift, courage, honest
tho :, ialth, hope, love. These a
mah threads which. woven togethe
baToe She eternal life of man. If y,
have forgotten these, though "
havo ,sained the whole world, y
NAV lost lost your own SOUL" and the
oe mad for the receiving in eve