The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-06-10

/ NT~N-~-~~-
financial editor on the issues involved
All were surprised to find that on tn
day before the election there was no
one word in the editorial department OF
that subject, but a long article on. tn
subject, What America Needs Most. ;
He said: What America needs most i
not larger merchant marine; not large
harvest; not more railroads and stock
and bonds, but old-fashion piety tina
honors God. that deals fairly with fel
lowmen and takes time in the midst o
harvest to attend the prayer-meetin!
and to worship Deity
1t is as difficult to define the wore
character as to define civilization, faitl
or religion. 1t may be said that char
acter is what God knows us to be, o.
what we know ourselves to be, or you
can combine both of these; but the only
way in which an accurate conception Of
the word character can be had is by q
concrete example. A life built upon
the foundation of the truth of God,
squared, plummed and leveled by
righteousness and crowned by purity
and faithfulness-this and this alone is
true character.
That character is supreme may be
seen by the qualities which enter into
it, 1t is of divine origin. How can we
account for the glory of Christs char
acter on any other ground except it be
from God? You can account for the
beauty of the great st. Paul's Church
at London because there was the church
Of st. Peter at Rome in existence before
it, st. Peters was but the application
of well-known architectural plans which
had long since been recognized and
used. You can trace with unerring
certainty the origin of the arch and
column, the turret and dome from the
palmy days of Grecan civilization. But
how can you account for the lofty prin-
ciples in the life of Jesus? Where did
he find his models? Who taught him
the glorious art of living? Did Greek
sage, Chaldean philosopher, Egyptian
merchant, prince or Hebrew prophet?
Like Melchizedek, he was without be-
ginning of days or end of time There
were none before him and none after
him who could teach him how to live.
Again time does not efface the glory
of character. Solomons wisdom and
works was the wondor of his day, but
cruel time has wiped out to large de-
gree his glory. His fame is a memory.
The beauty of his temple has long since
been covered with the dust of oblivion;
the ruthless heel of time has broken his
sceptre, and has ground to dust his
golden crown. Solomon is but a secu-
lar shadow Enoch still lives and walks
with God and leads others to a new life.
Abraham, though dead, still lives and
speaks deathless message. Elijah
thunders forth the commands Of Jeho-
vah against a hard-hearted and unbe-
lieving world.
The temple of Solomon has been
blotted out, the Colosseum a heap of
ruins. All things material may be lost
in the wreck of the world But God
like character will live when time is
old Horace Greeley declared Fame
is vapor prosperity an accident.
Riches takes wings. Those who cheer
to-day, curse tomorrow. Only one
thing endures the changes of time that
is, character.
The supremacy of character is found
in the way it meets the tests. When the
ancient artist drew a picture of a good
man he drew around his head the aureole
as sign of the spirit with him and the
atmosphere he carried with him. The
story is told of those days when seces-
sion was hotly debated in Congress