Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-07-14
THE BASEBALL OF LIFE
REV. GATES DELIVERS FIRST OF
SERIES OF SERMONS.
Epitome of 1.-THE Man at the Bat" as
Related at the Evangelical
Church Last Sunday.


being entitled "The Man at the Bat. "
There is crying need in the world
today for men. Manly, independent,
fearless fellows who are afraid of
nothing but to do wrong. There are
too many of these men who lean and
laze around dependent upon some
prop; and too indolent to exercise
themselves for aught. In this coun-
try of ours every man has an oppor-
tunity of rising. The old gag that all
or every man has an opportunity to
be president has worn out of course,
but every young man with iron in his
blood and enough of it to put fire in
his eye can get somewhere and be a
recognized power or authority in his
line.
We are learning too, to measure ev-
cry man by his ability to make good.
Can he "come across?" Does he
have the "punch?" He may not be
"Home Run Baker," but he can
lace out single in the pinch and pull
the game out of the hole. That is the
thing that counts now. On the other
hand he must find his place and fill it
in order to exercise that ability. Too
many young men think they ought to
be the clean up man in the batting or
der when they are fit only for bat
tenders. There is too much. automo-
bile riding on wheelbarrow salaries
for the good of the race. The thing
that every young man who would sue
ceed must first settle, is not how much
am | worth? where can / make the
most money, but for what am |. best
fitted?
The best ball players are those who
play because they love the game.
They lust naturally revel in the bus
mess and are always working to per-
feet themselves in the fine points of
the game. Many fail because they
think what other men can do they
under the same circumstances can al
so accomplish. Not so. For while
one man may pitch or catch or bat
another can-saw wood. And wood
saving develops another class or set
of muscles than ball playing. So
young man because one man is emil
nent as a physician, lawyer or preach
er it does not necessarily follow that
all men could be so. Find your place,
man, and fill it. That s the dope.
Now in the base ball game Of life
there are, technically, five ways of get
ting from the bat to first. Really
there are but four, as two are classed
nearly the same. A man may take his
base on four balls-wait her out they
say All right, but it is dangerous
business. Some men walk back to the
bench defeated and hitless because
they wait too long. Eddie Collins
tells of how he had three and none
with Gregg pitching, and the next
three groved and cut either side the
pan. The man who goes down on
four balls is the man who works a
pull, waits for someone to lift. 1t is
dangerously near defeat oftentimes.
Then dead ball gets man. He
limps along to first. This is alright
too, but rather severe on the anatomy.
We see these men everywhere; the
sympathy dodgers. With one it is
Environment, " another "Heredity,"
another this or that-sympathy and
they hope to get along. Laziness is
the label they should wear though
sometimes the printer mixes the let
ters wrongly.
Then a man goes down on an error
by the fielder or a muffed third strike.
Sometimes it is a felder's choice;
these two different cases are really
one. 1t is all taking advantage of the
other mans mistake or disadvantage.
Perfectly legitimate in baseball l ad- J
nit, but poor tactics in life. In the
baseball game of life this fellow would
run on foul if he could get away with
it. Some fellows think themselves
shrewd. eat the other fellow to it,
that's all. Oh, no my friend, you are
not shrewd. You are mean, that is
all.
And then the last and best; hit.
This is always appreciated most by
the fans and always gets man start
ed right. 1t is safest to. Now young
man which will you do? 1t is up to
you. Will you wait on a pull, Sym
pathy. the man s misfortune or go on
your own merit? The last is best, but
listen. If you do this last you will
have to work and to do efficient work
means self mastery. Self mastery is
power and honor and strength.
But my friend there is no man mas
ter of himself except he first be mas
tered of Jesus Christ. Christ. mas
terry is Self mastery. And these are
of God.
God is the great president and man.
ager in this base ball game of life.
To get in good with him is not to try
some other way of making life go but
to hit. In this sense the best way to
make a hit for God is to accept Jesus
Christ as your personal saviour. Will /
you sign with him tonight2
if wisely used in a constructive way
would insure the future of the fruit