The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-21
BISHOP HENDRIX
D|SCUSSESL|F
christian Colleges Are Seed
Corn of World"
LIFE is RESPONSE
Well known Minister breaches on
"Christian Education" at High
lands Methodist Church-Must
Live for the Future

Building Christian colleges Is plant
ing the seed corn of the world de-
clared Bishop L. r. Hendrix of Kansas
City, Mo-, at the Highlands Methodist
church yesterday morning in his sermon
on "Christian Education" Bishop Hem
dirk made a strong plea for aid for col
leges and outlined what Christian edu-
cation had done for the world.
He was introduced by the Rev. l.. c.
Branscomb, presiding elder of the Biz
mingham district, who spoke briefly of
the campaign now in progress for Bir-
mingham college.
Bishop Hendrix took as his text the
latter part of John 1910, which reads
as follows: II am come that they might
have life and that they might have 1t
more abundantly.' Bishop Hendrix spoke
in part as follows:
at is interesting to note how often
Jonn repeats the word life. 1t occurs in
his writing no less than so times. In
ether passages Christ was termed the
Prince of Life.
| "Life Is Response"
| "Christ did not mean length of llfe.
| Life is measured by breadth. not length.
It was not to prolong life but to make
| 1t broader that he came into the world.
To give 1t fullness. What is life? Men
have given it scientific definition, but
! il is cold Life is response. There Is
stone under the tree. 1t exists but
has no life. 1t does not respond to any
| thing The tree under which the stone
lies has life. 1t responds to nature, to
the sun, and to other things. The bird
that sits in that tree and pours forth
sweet carol has life. 1t has higher
life than the tree, because 1t responds
to more things.
by and by traveller rests under that
tree. lie is affected by the song of the
bird. Perhaps he recalls the music of
scme human songster, some master. His
memory is busy. He is affected by the
voices of antiquity. So he is the highest
type of life for he responds to more
things and to higher things. The meas
ure of any man or of life is the scope
of things to which he or 1t responds. And
| Christ sets no limit. The mission OF
| Christ is like that of the sun. He comes
to stir in man every capability.
christianity must be measured by what
IL
Christ and other religions side by side
and see what they have accomplished for
humanity. The mission of Christianity
| is education.
Past, Present and Future
There are three great influences on
| the life of man. The happenings OF
the past the present, and the dominion
of the future. A nation that worships
the past-that is China. The epicurean
says. let us live while we live. Let
US get the most out of life. This is de-
terioration for any deterioration of mo-
tives means a deterioration of life.
1.-The end of life is to make the next
generation better. To pass the torcn
OF knowledge. TLis is what makes west
ern civilization the dominant races of
the world. Man as yet has only begun
| to walk. He has not put on his seven
| league boots. He is child of the fll-
| ture Mans mission is to master. to
| learn from the sun and from plants and
| from God.
| "It is a significant fact that all the
! miracles Christ performed were to pro-
| long life. He never raised an old per-
son. Three people he raised from the
| dead and all were young. All his mir
aces were performed to make life longer
or arrest want.
Commerce came In with religion.
! Christianity made people better acuuaint-
| ed with each other, With Christianity
| better laws were made. life became more
scored. Do you know that the average
! life of a man i'm India is but 80 years,
while In Sweden and Norway it Is 55?
In Norway and Sweden the average is
| growing but this is not true of India.
| 1T is the same in the intellectual life.
| Heather people know nothing OF other
lands. They are but children. At a
council meeting recently of the men who
/ hold the destinies of the Chinese repub-
| lie in their hands there was but one
that had ever been out of his native
| lard.
Christianity Enriches
"Christlanity tends to enrich Nlife. 1t
r1ultiplies sources of Information. Before
| T. came trade was coastwise only. Men
were afraid of the ocean. 1t was a great
| terror until men discovered steam. The
hlmblest man In Birmingham draws from
| the world for his food. on his table
| are articles that come from all over tho
globe. Christianity made this possible-
ut is the mission of Christianity to
transmit to the next generation the wis
| dom garnered in this. And colleges ara
| the instruments of the transmission OF
power. No commonwealth is stronger
than its colleges.
+. II was much affected at a pathetic in
teryiew | had with the late president of
| Mexico. AIadero told of his longing to
| reform his people but, he said only about
20 per cent of them could read and write.
| He had SO little TO work with.
| christianity means education and my
| heart swells with joy when l see COM
| munities founding Christian colleges. The
J building of Christian colleges is plant
ing the seed corn Of the world"