The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-10
Large Attendance a the tilppodrome
Yesterday ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Meeting Held at conore-
satlonal Church.
THE TEST OF "A MAN
Meetings to Close This Evening at
the Trinity N. e. Church, Sub
Iect "That Boy and
Booze"

A large crowd Of men gathered at
the Hipodrome yesterday afternoon to
hear G. r. Drum deliver an ADDRESS
on "The Test of a Man" Taking as
ais text the temptation OF Jesus IN
tile wilderness, he said that this was
q perfectly natural scene. Jesus was
hungry as all men are, and he came
seeking power as all men do. and had
in him the instinct OF worship as all
men have. These are perfectly natur-
al desires, and there Is no sin or wrong
in any Of them. Temptation does not
come through the possession OF these
things. but in the means which we
take to get them, And it is here that
the test Of man comes. We see men
everywhere hungering for these things
and men come to the parting OF the
ways when they are seeking them.
Some men go down, and some move
up These natural desires prove the
making or the ruin Of man and all
depends upon whether they can stand
the real tests that come to them. Hun
ger becomes greed and the desire for
power becomes tyranny. The thoughts
and rights Of others have to be con-
sidered or disregarded, and 1t Is here
that we prove ourselves.
In school, we are taught that there
are three kingdoms, the mineral, veg
etable, and the animal. To these re-
Iligion adds fourth in the presence
lof which all others must be judged.
There is an ascent till we reach the
summit. The vegetable takes up the
mineral, and the animal takes up the
vegetable into higher realm. There
we stop till we come to man. What
lis the difference between the tree and
| the dog? The tree has no desires
which 1t can express. The dog chooses
many ways Of expressing his emo
ftions. These things men and dogs
lin common. 1t may be that animals
even think. Some show signs of pos
sessing that faculty. But we do not
tell dog our secrets expecting him
to understand them. We do not say
to dog that he is to seek to rise to
La higher plane because we know that
The cannot do it. But to men we
make appeals that we do not make
i tc animals, and we expect them to re
Espond. Now to the animal we must
add the spiritual, and ii is here that
man stands supreme and alone. The
true test of a man comes out in the
uses he makes of this wonderful spirit
Iual nature that God has given to him
What is he doing to make himself
more and more spiritual? What is he
doing to make the spiritual life real
4 That is the supreme test. He may
develop it and make It the controlling
influence and power in his life and
so live the true life, or he may de
base it and sink to level even lower
than the brutes whom he despises.
Some men are drunkards. NJ
Edrunkard can do anything to elevate
his nature. He is breaking 1t and de
stroying 1t. Some men smoke Gig
Iarettes and drink whiskey Dogs nev
er do that, and the moment a mar
: does, he has failed to meet the test
1t comes to his appetite and say
| take me. II he turns away and say.
TO all kinds OF temptations which ART
spiritually destructive, loud mo,
he passes the test But II not, he ha,
failed, he is not man, save as to hi
animal nature.
Failing men and men who canno
meet the test successfully are dan
gerous to society. Most Of the dan
gers which bring so much havoc an,
cause SO much grief would not com
into existence If 1t were not for tn
failure OF men to meet the test. Thinl
of the great steel trust. Working it
men twelve hours day seven days
week and at intervals all through tn
! twenty-four. What causes 1t? TIL
hunger for dividends. Look at tn
little mounds in the cemetery cause
by insufficient food and the squali
homes and wretched places wher
: men sleep. they cannot be Gale
; homes, and think of the tremendou
waste of life and sorrow caused b
this greed for dividends. The diree
tors are not meeting the test Of mar
hood They have gone down befor
them. All through society this is true
Where men do not meet the ties
ideals are lowered. Dangerous cond
tions are created Accidents harper
!, Murders are done, and there is ger
! eral destruction Of the fabric of sc
. ciety. The only safeguard is in tn
j spiritual faith which saves. If W
I have this. we shall have the tru
I strength and be able successfully t
meet the test.