Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-09
COMPARES RELIGION
TO MARATHON RACE
REV. BURDETTE TEACHES I'M
PRESSIVE LESSON
Advises Hearer to Run His Own Con.
test, and in Forceful Language
Tells Runner Not to Do
So Uncertainty

AS usual a large congregation as
sembled at the Temple Baptist church
and listened to the impressive dis
course given by the Rev. Robert j.
Burdette, pastor. The speaker was i'll
good voice and at times his utterances.
dramatically delivered, were given in
irnpassioned tones. Mr.. Burdette Sc
lected for his topic "An Old Time Mar
athon Runner" taking for his texts I
Corinthians 9:24-26; SO run that ye
may obtain" Il therefore so
run as not uncertainty
He said in part: you've got to do
your own running. Nobody else can
run for you.
"Boy, you can go to hell in the face
of your mothers prayers if you Will.
Girl, you can dance down the prim-
rose way to the everlasting bonfire In
spite of your fathers clinging arms and
your brothers loving strength. Man,
your Christian wife can't carry you
into heaven. Woman, the gates Of
heaven stand open night and day,
wider than the gates of perditton, but
your Christian husband can't carry
you through with him If you will to
run the other way
Skinner, Jesus Christ loves you so
he gladly died for you but almighty
savior that he is he can't save you
unless you come to him to be saved.
Last summer in the great Stadium
at London $4,000 spectators sat watch
ing the finish of the great Marathon
race. ringing cheer went up as the
first runner staggered uncertainty
through the gates. The weary figure
turned bewilderedly this way and that
and finally started around the course
in the wrong direction.
"Over- officlous wardens of the
games, in violation of plain rules of
their own enactment, which positively
forbade their stepping upon the track,
ran to him and set him right. He
reeled a little way along the track and
tainted.
again the unsportsmanliAe officials
ran on the track, revived the exhaust
ed runner, set him on his feet and
started him again. A little farther
and he collapsed again, clean out Of
the race, though within sight of the
goal.
And once more the directors, for
getting fair play and honorable sport
in their prejudices, ran to him, admin
istered restoratives, lifted him to his
feet and fairly carried him across the
tape.
"And this time with all haste, for,
10, another runner appears in the gate
Hayes, the American. He has run
with honest pace more than a score
of miles and he is running yet. He
has run his own race. He has not
allowed other runners to pace him, to
run him out of his own gait Ignoring
his competitors and their systems,
their form and condition, he has run
his own way, caring for no one else,
seeing no one else; looking only to the
finish of the race.
zone by one along all the miles of
strain and weariness he has trailed
every other runner without being di-
verted from his running by them. This
one with greyhound lightness he ran
past easily. That one with bulldog
persfstency he trotted past. The In
dian he crowded into the tgnominious
luxury of an automobile. The German
he showed aside into the comfort of q
roadside tavern. The Greek he laid
out in the ditch. The Australian he
paced as he led him along among the
'stayers' He kept his own gait, know
ing what he could do and knowing how
to do 1t.
"And here he comes, running still,
breathing deep and long, with mouth
shut and lungs open. HIS head is as
clear as his pumping heart is strong.
He knows his right hand from his left.
He takes the Stadium course as a man
starts down the hall of his own home.
He sees the prejudlced officials of the
track games carrying his competitor
across the tape. He hears the mighty
shouts that falsely hail Dorando victor.
He pays no attention to all this grand
stand play. He is running the race.
He runs on-no man touches him; his
waving arms clear the track Of the
mob of Dorando's helpers; he runs
through the broken tape.
"The crowd shouts 'Second!' He
pays no heed. The king and the queen
of England favor Dorando. The vast
majority of the crowd favor the Ital-
ian. The English press shout and
plead and argue for Dorando, with
sneers for Hayes. All the shouting
majority demand that Dorando be de-
clared victor And the American
walks up to England's rulers, to the
editors of the games, to the nobility
of England's best, reaches out his
hands and takes the prize-the prize
of the victor-his prize
"The king of England couldn't keep
1t from him. The English parliament
couldn't withhold it. The British
army couldn't take it away from him,
because he had won it-won it fairly
won 1t by good running-and all the
world knew it.
my boy, if you so run that you
may obtain if you run, not as uncer-
tainly,' steadfastly honestly, persis-
tently, all the powers of the world and
sin and hell can't keep the crown from
your soul. And if you don't run your
own race, God the almighty can't pull
you through. so run that you may
obtain"