The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-06-26
THE WEEKS SERMON
By Chaplin Smith, Gadsden E.

III. | knew a young man some |
years ago who, while working in a |
large wooden mill, saw a brutal |
machine repairer lie a sweet, noble |
young girl out Of her only means of |
support for herself and an aged |
mother. He told the foreman, who |
was not a machinist, that the girl
was incompetent, when the fact of
the matter was that the brute lied
against the girl because she would
not listen to his vulgar conversation.
The young man friend of mine, who
was a sort of assistant foreman,
plead with his superior to save the
girl from being discharged, but with
out avail. The girl was discharged
for incompetency, which made the
J young assistant so indignant that he
said to the foreman, who, by the way,
| held his position through a certain
/ influential pull, "When / hold a SINH
lar position to yours, I'll know who
is to blame in such cases-a vulgar,
lying, ibertine, or a pure, honest
girl who needs her work"
That young man got busy during
his spare moments. He went into
the machine shop and practiced on
discarded machines, read everything
he could get his hands on that would
give him any insight into the many
different machines, the construction,
etc. He became quite useful in the
repair department, was often asked
/ to adjust the different machines
when they became out of order. The
people who laughed at him for using
his spare time in trying to learn such
a hard and trying work began to re-
spect him and to ask him for as
sistance. Two years passed. One
day the young man was going about
his regular duties in the mill when
a gentleman from a southern manu-
featuring city called to see him and
offered him position that paid con-
siderably more salary than that held
by the foreman who had laughed
when the young man said that he
would know who lied if he ever held
such a position, etc. The earnest
young man became a successful
superintendent of large and impor-
tant mills, while his scoffers became
failures.
So, a lesson we draw from any
earnest life is that a laudable effort
: will be rewarded, and that the pre-
pared man is usually the man that
is called to places Of trust and re-
sponsibility.
And the call to higher places OF
> trust and responsibility usually come
right in the midst of our common
duties and the daily grind.
III. Some time in the experience
of every person God appears anc
makes some special appeal. The cal
o may not be to lead a great people
S from a state of slavery to lane
|. flowing with milk and honey; but the
n call is always to higher and noblel
experiences.
T The man or woman who puts him
d self or herself into right relation
= with God-who will turn aside for
y season and listen to the voice o
a reason and love, viii surely hear tina
h voice saying: "The ground on whicl
a thou standeth is holy ground"
-e The individual that catches thi
n truth will receive a blessing and
( satisfaction that will be full and com
'e plete.
r How much better and stronger an
a more useful would we be if we coul
only remember, in our every expert
e ence, that the very position that we
m His children, hold, is holy grounC
If How careful we would be IN man
st things.
is Saul of Tarsus caught the trutl
IF From the day on which he met tn
Lord on the Damascus road with 10
,e he endured"
he William Carey, the humble shoe
n maker, realized that his shoe sho
lie was the holy ground of preparatio
at for a great work. He became tn
e. great missionary and the learne
re doctor of letters.
err John Wesley, after his years {
err preparation, similar to that of Nose
p finally became the great founder {
Methodism.
es We might speak of Judson, Gale
ly to that great missionary worl
IL Moody, the humble shoe clerk; Sal
as Jones, the careless lawyer; Generi
IS, Booth, Mrs. Livimore, Francis Wi
no lard. These all had special exper
exec, but God appeared to the
nd through the common affairs Of ever
ch day grind and the things with whic
lie they were most familiar
ell Conclusion: In the awful strugg
vn of the European war God is attrac
ee ing the attention of the nations.
ed It may be after many years
m earnest toll and faithfuhess that Il
wi call to some place of trust and r,
a sponsibility will come to YOU. m