The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-18
MEASURED
BY ONES ASPIRATION
esting Sermon In Third Christian
Church.


WHO Shall Ascend?" was the
theme from which the Rev Gerald
Culberson talked in Third Christian
Church. The sermon was one of the
most interesting preached by the min
lister since he became pastor of the
church. and a large congregation
heard him.
He took as his text the third verse
Of the twenty-fourth Psalm: who
shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord ." etc. He said In part:
las the strain of anxiety was in
the author of this text. so Is our best
thinking today not without its strain
of anxiety as 10 the fitness of men for
life's high demands and offices
Man is aspiring. And the progress
of his ways is measured to the de-
gree of his aspiration. Our relative
fitness for sacred trusts in life Is ever
a burning issue. We vie with each
other to profess and project ourselves
to prominence and power, until the
heart must sicken. as the world
seethes, and, thrown back upon itself,
wonders If il Is not all n figlnent and
a vanity. That. after all, there is no
fitness in us That there is so much
processing TO so little doing; so much
aiming TO so little dexterity In strfk
ing. that a snare and a delusion II
must surely be-
Here it is that Our text proves
wisdom to US, and counsel and
strength.
In the first place our great weak
ness lies in the materialism of our
scheme Our judgments are banal.
our pursuits temporizing. Too much
Of the 'Gradgrind' philosophy Is In our
order OF things Says Gradgrind
Facts are the only things wanted IN
life. Plant nothing else; root out afl
else Some people hold that there Is
wisdom Of the head. and there Is
a wisdom OF the heart have not sup
posed So But / mistrust myself now
lit may be--and if l have neglected
that other kind of wisdom, we'll
louisiana he leaves off overpower-
ed by his emotions
Beware of the 'Grandgrind' phil
osophy. 1t will break down at the
hour OF trial, and leave him who has
built his life upon 1t bereft indeed,
Facts Are Stubborn Things.
Facts are stubborn things. but
there are two kind Of facts-or we as
sumo Senatorial and spiritual. and
the greater of these Is spiritual.
Life. for instance. is first process
Of thinking. AS a man thinketh, so
is he
What the mind sees becomes the
real objective. Hence how necessary
there he no materialistic observation.
Let the hands be clean, unencumbered
with filth and action be unhampered
and unhectored by outward circum-
stance. Is this impossible always?
Not II the mind can be free. The
child in the sums hearing or read
ing, or may be in pure fancy roams
elf-land with fairies and princes. The
lad In the cabin enters the tournament
with King Arthur and fits through
forest and valley with the Leather
Stockings. Thoughts are fixed at will
and such Is the order of The Psalmist' S
reasoning He that hath clean hands
and a pure heart In mentioning
clean hands first there may be strong
hint OF our modern social science
Hygiene. eugenics. social settlement
etc. Certainly low-living. an environ
ment which peeves body and nerves
Will distort and discolor conception.
The eyesight will hardly become soul
sight until it Is diverted from grosser
domains long enough to contemplate
and aspire to the hill of the Lord.
"'Can man be a Christian and
do my line of work. il the question
one commonly hears among men. That
depends exactly upon what relation
you assume and sustain to your work.
II you are forever servile to it. you
cannot be a Christian. II you are
master YOU can. Too many must con-
tinue TO touch. handle and taste the
unclean thing. when the law OF the
and Sonship is Come ye
out and be ye separate. II is the
thing Of appetite or lust or inordinaee
iy- hl-y
q man and his great sacred duty.
Sight Was Bad.
Some years ago a party OF city fell
lows were going out to a famous SOUR
rel woods for a hunt, There was
among them big patroln1an who was
famed as rife shot. For a while
he handled his rife in keeping with
his record for steady arm and deadly
aim. But presently coming upon
still house and imbibing too freely in
the low wines. he could bring down
no game. though he shot as regularly
as ever His associates. tibing him
SO freely. he finally blurted out: Boys
It's no wonder 7 can't hit IA squirrel
for the sight on my rife looks as big
as my old hat
How are great purposes too often
hleared by the contraventiou of en-
ticing by-plays. Noble ends eclipsed
In the shadow of some vain bird OF
passa ge: distinguished careers blight
ed by latent fires of spleen and
envy,
The biographer of the late Marcus
A. Hanna, in telling the story of his
mighty career and achievements must
admit his many entanglements in the
political connivance and corruption
which debauched the bodies of city
ana State officers. and which, no
doubt. reached national proportions in
It's shifting reproach. So what should
have been of wisdom and honor to
himself and good to men Is stained
ard narrowed because his hands were
thus bound.
NO hand engaged IN plot and
should be raised for