The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-02-23

! good cause, but in a great cause. ]
mean by that. a cause larger than our
' Individual lives, whose successful Is
I sue will be realized in the distant fu-
ture and through the efforts Of othera
besides ourselves. It would not be a
bad thing by n means if every man
were to ask himself this question:
Are all the things in which I am in
| terested going to be achieved COM
pletely while I am alive? The signif.
canoe of that question rests Dor this
fundamental fact, that a mans great
ness depends upon his ability to rise
above his selfshness and see things
in the large and then with broader
vision and nobler motive work for the
good of humanity. What a host of
great tasks stand waiting to be done!
What magnificent opportunities stand
as a challenge to our power Of
! achievement! We dream of the Cru
saders of the twelfth century. while
the twentieth century offers us cru
sades far more thrilling and worth in
finitely more to the public good! Here
is the field of modern industrialism
with it's questions Of ownership, wage
and working conditions; here is the
field of government with its problems
of international peace, political hon
esty and public service; here Is the
| work of education with its noble in
fluence reaching round the world and
raising all classes of people; here Is
the ministry of medicine concerned
not only with the healing, but with
tho nrauontioo af dicooco and mood
less suffering, and here Is the Chris
tian Church whose prophets and
priests are to lead the world into a
more rational and fervent conception
Of the Fatherhood Of God and the
Brotherhood of Man.
It matters little to the world what
profession the average man enters.
whether he become a man Of business.
a doctor, a minister or lawyer. But
it matters everything whether he be a
man of faith, a man who believes in a
great cause, who makes his contribu-
ton to it, and knows that in the end
it will succeed.
So far I have been directing your
thoughts forward. I have been en-
phasizing the possibilities of your
wv luluIS Will IUS uSSllO IHdI SNCly
man might determine to consecrate
his strength to a worthy task. Let us
each make the venture. have faith in
our fellow-man, trust to cooperation.
undertake some great cause, and, il
it be right and therefore finally vic
torious. our lives will gain the great
er perfection! Now, however, I call
your attention to another ASPECT Of
our theme-the look backward. Here
is the thought: Those who have pre-
coded us and have had faith in US and
what we shall do cannot become per-
feet apart from us! They have done
all that they could, but they have
been compelled to intrust to u
hands the completion Of their tasks.
If we succeed they are perfected, II
we fail their lives are incomplete.
Apart from us they shall not become
perfect.
l know a noble father whose name
is known and honored across this
| country. He has two sons. One OF
them is as fine and manly a fellow as
you would ever want to meet. He has
chosen a noble profession, works hard
in 1t, and each additional success
| brings Joy and delight to his parents.
The other son entered the service Of
our Government, rose to a position OF
trust and honor, was discovered to
have betrayed his trust and embezzled
the funds intrusted to his charge, and
to-day he is serving his sentence as a
convict in one Of our prisons. What
shame, what disappointment. what
bitter sorrow has it not brought to his
noble father and to his loving moth
er! Their lips are sealed from speak.
ing his. name, their eyes have long
ago been wept dry. and they have
learned again how to bravely smile.
But forever there is a sorrow in their
hearts and a disappointment in their
lives. Never, never. will their lives
be completely perfect because the one
who held that perfection in his power
proved false to their faith.