Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-23
DO NOT DEF|LE
YOURSELVES
REV. LINCOLN MCCONNELL ASKED
FOR BRAINS AND BACKBONE
At MEETING SUNDAY.
OVER 700 MEN. THERE

First and Second Floors Of Grand
Opera House Were Packed-Min-
| lister Held His Audience in
" Close Attention.
Maintain your character and honor
and thus save yourself from defile-
ment If you must sacrifice wealth,
prominence, position influence and
Everything that you cannot obtain
|honorably and at the expense of your
character, was the advice given in elo-
uuent language and with a forceful-
ness that held over 700 men in close
attention for almost two hours, by
Rev. Lincoln Mcconnell at the Grand
opera house Sunday afternoon. 1t
was a strong plea for the maintaining
! of character at any cost Mr. McCon-
nell got down to bed rock and IN plain
language gave the young men as well
as the old standard of morality and
honor that, if followed, will not lead
them to the defilement Of themselves
under any circumstances. The revival
list declared that man only needs
brains to choose the right and the
backbone to follow the right no mat
ter how great the temptation to
swerve to the path of so-called ad-
!vancement, when it meant the loss or
character. He placed the character
of Daniel, the Israelite, before his
! auditors and urged that all men follow
him and become Daniels of the world
today. Mr.. Mcconnell, by his power
of illustration, wildly pictured those
vices of young men of today that soon
er or later destroy character, and all
that is upright and honorable in any
4 man. He asked that young men use
their brains and then back them up
by their backbone, saying Brains and
backbone" govern a mans character.
Preceding the lecture of Mr.. McCon-
nell excellent music was furnished by
the Y. M c. A. male chorus, Mr.. and
Mrs. Scholfeld and J. Edwin McCon-
nell, the son of the lecturer, Of At
lantic, Iowa. The chorus acquitted
itself to the keen enjoyment of the
audience and the songs by Mr.. and
Mrs. Scholfeld and Mr.. Mcconnell
We're loudly applauded.
The Character of Daniel.
Mr.; Mcconnell opened his lecture
on character by strong picture OF
the brain and backbone Of Daniel,
when tempted to cast away right for
wrong that he might become promi-
rent in the city Of Babylon. He
told Of how the ruler of that great
city sought brains among all his sub
jects that they might be sent to his
school and become his advisers. Dan
lei was summoned for the test and
found himself between two fires.
HE was taken into brilliant ban
quet hall where the feast Of kings was
awaiting him. But he refused to eat
Of the victuals on the table, even it
they did came from kings kitchen,
and men would do all in their power
to be accorded the privilege and honor
to be placed on this threshold Of
greatness. Daniel would not eat some
of the foods on this table because he
did not believe it right. He was up
against two things. If he accepted the
food and the subsequent favor Of the
king he was selling himself for some
thing within reach through the defile-
ment of his character. If he refused he
was rejecting what seemed to be a
great future but he retained his
character and honor. He had the
brains to choose the right and the
backbone to stick to it no matter what
the consequences. Daniel chung to the
right and came to the top honorably
and with character unstained.
World on Hunt for Brains.
''The world. is on dead hunt for
brains, my friends, now, just as this
king was in olden times. What are
brains? Brains of quality manifest
themselves in the usual affairs OF
life. The finest evidence that man
has brains is by what he does. The
size Of a mans hat doesn't necessarily
Indicate the size of his brain. The
evidence of brains is the clearness of
! the understanding. Daniel said that
he would rather be right than get money
knowing that he was wrong Would
YOU? Young men are up against this
Would you rather have money than
character and respect? Don't sacri-
flee your manhood for money. There
are honorable ways to get 1t and ways
that are just as easy as those OF dis.
honor. Only they do not appeal to a
man to be as easy. Character Is
worth more to a man than all the
money in the world.
| 'I know man who was respected
among his fellow citizens, Influential
and a man among men. He turned to
the thought that he could make money
by raining saloon. Make money!
Make money! That was what he
| thought of. He realized that he was
engaging in dishonorable business
and that he would lose friends and
standing, but he could make money.
He started his saloon. The first thing
he knew two lodge officials came to
him and asked him to withdraw from
the lodges. He grumbled and called
them bunch of parsons and preach
ers. He lost every friend that was
worth while. and not only that. but
it was not long before he lost his sa-
! loon and the money that he had made.
There he was without money and with