The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-06-03

there are perils lin the dark. The
road winds down and around deel
between the mountains of God-ah
whittier!
Or maybe life seems like stream
yourself in a frail bark and yor
would row against the current
whittier you willed-or maybe there
are some of you that dream of drift
ing, drifting; but beware there are
whirling rapids, giant boulders thai
threaten, and there comes up from
below the roar of the cataract Mer
will shout out from shore "Catarac,
below!" l pray you heed their cry
ere it is too late. Some of you may
even peer ahead to where the river
| with the boom of pillows on the
eternal shore.
1 Or maybe life seems to some Of
you like the dashing sea with waves
that beat upon the rocks, storms
| brewing and dark clouds with
shapes and sounds that thrill with
fear-though that is not the spirit
of youth. Your troubled soul cries
| out like Tennyson:
Break, break, break
On your cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
! would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
O we'll for the fisherman's boy
AS he shouts with his sister at play;
O we'll for the sailor lad
AS he sings in his boat on the bay.
The stately ships HE on
To their haven under the hill;
But Oh, for the touch of vanished
hand,
And the sound of voice that is still!
Break, break, break
At the foot of your crags, 0 Sea;
But the tender grace of a day that is
Will never return to me.
But let, us not seek to draw the
curtain of the future too closely. We
must hasten on Your eyes range
fimpatiently on and you cry but
what is the vital issue! What is the
lcrux of life! What is your chief con-
Germ for the coming years."
I answer, From henceforth your
paramount concern is character"
Up to this time you have had teach
ers and curriculum to follow, with
text books; henceforth you proceed
alone, you guide your own life. Your
great concern is character. Let us
study for a few minutes the ele-
ments of character in one of the
worlds heroic grea.; one who was
Prince of Egypt, Scholar, Diplomat,
Statesman, Law-giver, Judge,
Prophet, Friend of God-the only
man God ever spoke to, face to face,
as man speaks to his friend. This
man was Moses. A scholar learned
in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
the rudiments of which the worlds
greatest scholars can fathom today;
a diplomat commissioned with such
task as staggers our imagination;
"a statesman beside whom Gladstone
and Bismarck, the iron chancellor,
are children; a laW-giver so great
that the laws of Iowa are based on
him as well as all civilization
Judge, prophet, friend of God win
ming by force of character.
Read the sublime record Heb. IL:
24-27: "By faith Moses, when he
was full grown, refused to be called
the son of Pharoah's daughter;
choosing rather to suffer affection
with the people of God, than to en-
Joy the pleasures of sin for sea-
SON." esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater than the treasures in
Egypt; for he had respect unto the
recompense of the reward. BY faith
he forsook Egypt, not fearing the
wrath of the king; for he endured
as seeing Him who is invisible"
There it is; the biography of
great man with the elements of char
acter clearly stated. Note three
great words, refusing Choosing"
enduring" 1t was these qualities
which made Moses great; which
must be present to make any man
great.
Notice Moses refusing; refusing
honor, social place, wealth, fame.
what manner of man is this you
say. II thought these were the
things to be striven for, the achieve
ments of greatness. But Moses re-
fused. There it is that first great es-
sential of haracter-refusal, self
denial, remuneration. / wonder how
many of you have read George Ell
liott's "Romola." 1t is the great
drama of remuneration. The hero
1lCuiA1o AClO1C u1OuAu DCSduSC Div
found the power in refusal, renunci-
alton. There is no great character
in American history in whom this
quality is not paramount. Take Geo.
the hero of every
school boy. When the glory of the
revolution rested on him men came
to him and wished to make him
king. With what adherence he re-
jected the plea and became. by the
power of his refusal the Father of
his country, and to all mankind the
Father of Liberty. Take as an ex-
ample Henry Clay who would rather
be right than be president. Or Rob't
E. Lee, the hero of the south. AtiI
he might have broken
up his army into guerilla bands and
waged bitter warfare for years but
be refused to suffer more bloodshed
in a lost cause and magnificently
What character in
that refusal!
Lee came out of that conflict
with nothing but his sword and his |
horse, penniless and without means |
Of livelihood: The Louisiana Lottery
wrote him Offering him $4,000 al