Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-21

dVOW6Q iduU open SERVICE ~ gsoSoNS
Christ. At o'clock on Saturday
night while We were at the evening
meal the captain had called me 70
tell me of his visit to a gentleman IN
this city in whose spiritual welfare
We We're both interested ana TO ex-
press to me the. hope that at the next
communion day that gentleman would
confess Jesus Christ and unite with
the church in accordance with the
captains word to him. That was the
last word ever had from: him. A
word Of interest in the eternal well
fare of fellow man.
| The one text that stands out In my
! mind today is that found in the speech
OF Paul at Antioch, in the thirteenth
chapter Of Acts. and the thirty-sixth
| verse: For David, after he had IN
his own generation served the coun.
sci of God, fell asleep" If you Will
notice the margin Is different and
gives another emphasis than that or
! the text. "For David, after he had
served his own generation, by the
counsel OF God fell asleep" Taken
! together these two trAnslations OF the
text sum up the most and the best
that can be said for David, sweet
singer Of the Judean hills and king OF
| Israel First, In his own generation
he served the counsel of God. Sec
! ond, he served his own generation by
the counsel Of God. That makes the
fairly balanced life-a life given to
the service of God and to the service
OF men. And it may be fairly and
bravely said, that this distinguished
the life OF Samuel Houston Harper,
soldier, citizen and ruling elder In
the church of Jesus Christ.
His benevoIence Shown.
Let me give one little homely incl
dent Of his love for his fellow men.
At the mid.week social and prayer
service, in which he was most always
found, on Thanksgiving eve, he spoke
of the things for which he was CRATE
full; and then he said, but the main
thing is that we remember there are
those In our city who will find little
cause for gratitude tomorrow. They
will be without food and the neces-
sites of life. We must remember
them, and search them out and pro-
vide for them" And with his fellow
officers at the close Of that meeting
and that address they voted denntte
sum from their common treasury for
this cause. This was one OF his lat
est and kindest expressions of his
abiding love for. his fellow men,
It was only regard like this that
could have led man at 6S years OF
age to accept the tasks of public Of
fee which meant so little in its mon
etary value to him. At time when
he had the right to claim, respite
from the burdens of public service,
he accepted what many younger men
decline, the burdens and annoyances
CT public administrative work for
which many people forget to give their
need of appreciation and praise. Such
work means a readiness to endure
carping, criticism, the inconvenienc es
of meetings at evening hours, anxiety
and attention Of grave problems in gov
eminent and the difficulties and en-
barrassment of attempting to meet
heavy work out of a depleted treasury.
Day and night the hand of office was
heavy upon him. But when other
and younger men seek rest he accept
ed toll for the sake Of the public veal.
H. A Duty to Young Men.
OF his love for God l have already
spoken of his active effort to win men
to confess Jesus Christ as Lord by>j
his personal visitation and converse.
ton with them. But his support or
and service in this church for many
years, the frequency with which his
voicc has been heard on the public
platforms of our city life, and the
measure Of his benevolence to all our
public religious enterprises, are elo-
quent in their testimony of Samuel
Houston Harper's love for God. Let
me speak this further word. AS l
see these men, whose names are
distinguished amongst us for three
things First, their success in bust
ness life, second, for their public
spirited citizenship, and, finally, for
their faithfulness to the service and
work of Jesus Christ. AS see them
20 down in death, 1 can not put away
the question, Who is going to take
their place? 1t seems to me such
an event, such a bereavement as this
the loss of a good man and true, is
a challenge to the young men of our
city to throw themselves into the
breach There are some of you
younger men, that are making splen-
did promise in the vocations you have
chosen in the business world. But
there are other and imperial things
demanding your strength. There is
the city and there Is the church.
These men whom we delight to honor,
whose death we mourn, found their
place in them and served the counsel
OF God and the generation in which
they lived. And l say to you, young
men, will you rise up with equal 10y
atty and fidelity to these high trusts
and stand in the breach? 49,