The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-12
WAITE INSPIRES AUDIENCE OF BOYS Fight Shy, Aim High, Draw
 Nigh" His Theme ALLUDES TO SPORTS  Speech Was Couched in Terms of the Track and Diamond to Inspire
 the Youngsters to Their
 Best Efforts
ALLUDES TO SPORTS


 board of experts conducting the pres ward Movement. spoke to an auditorium
 filled with boys yesterday afternoon from the pulpit of the First Presby- terian church. The talk, embracing snappy advice presented in terms of the sprinting track and baseball dia- mond, was well timed and the points made were received with outbursts of approval from the rows and rows of boys seated before him.
 The members of the Burr Blackburn class of the First Presbyterian Sun day school acted as ushers for the oc- casion and many we'll known boy lead the audience. There were gray haired boys intently listening beside small boys with tousled hair, who are just learning the art of marble shooting. Boys of every description, from the knickerboclSe age to the grandfather stage, filled the pews and heard the message of flight shy, aim high and draw nigh" as the real secrets of suo- cess in lifes race for character struc- ture.
 A reading selection from the First
 Corinthians opened MT. Waite's earnest ly voiced address to the "boys." and
 he continued in part:
 There are three broad principles
 that hold good not only for the cin-
 der track but also for Jesus and life.
 These I will give to you as the best
 secrets of right living that I know.
 "The first is fight shy because you
 know that if you want to obtain speed in your running you must fight shy of certain harmful things in diet and habits
 "So fl is in your race for character building. I am not going to name a list of things that you should avoid
 because no matter how large and com
 plete enumeration I would give out you would say that it is all for the other fellow. So you can each make your
 own list of danger signals for there are some things some sprnters don't have to cut out, but anything that keeps you from doing your level best should be omitted on your individual list. An other thing, don't look around to see
 how the other fellow is progressing in
 the race, for whlegyou are doing that
 he will fly past you before you know
 it. Then you must kill the smaller
 sns when they are young because if you don't they will grow up to be large ones that will overswamp you
 with their evil tendencies and strangle your good impulses.
 "The second great principle In the race is to aim high. You never did hear of a star third baseman who would have
 been content to carry the bats, did you? Don't be satisfied with the little effort You can't put your aim on too high a
 plane and don't take the human around
 you for your standard. Take Jesus
 Christ, the Captain and Coach of all
 races, for your ideal in striving. Then,
 boys, be careful how you win. Let's don't
 put up with the attitude of win anyhow,
 somehow, or it doesn't matter how but
 run so that if you come ahead you can
 look any man in the face without blush
 ing for any fouling or underhanded play on your running mate. I want every
 one of you boys to read Robert Brown
 ings 'Donald,' for 1t is one of the most gripping poems for boys that l have ever read.
 ''I believe that more young fellows fail on the third great principle of the race than on any other. It is draw nigh, meaning 10 come closer to your Maker and your goal set high. After you have learned that you must fight shy and set your aim high you must work to draw nigh to 1t for if you procrastinate or postpone, you will never do 1t. Many times a boy realizes that he could accom- plish his ideal if he would paysthe price but which is 8 high ones indeed, in many cases. But he who gives most gets most. so when you have your desired aim, put self to withstand temptations of all kinds More failures in ife's race are caused by the boy putting off his start towards his high aim from day to day and end ing by never doing it. Quicken your speed for an emulation of Jesus Christ by publicly declaring yourself for Him, by offering yourself for a Christian serv- ice at home or in the foreign field or by becoming victorious over the daily ten ptations that beset you.
 "Take a step forward by having a definite aim in your mind to overcome anything that may hinder your running in lifes race and mako your aim to overcome this
 With the hymn, Onward, Christian Soldiers" the meeting came to close within one hour of the opening at 8