The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-01-26
GOOD AND GREAT.

We recently came in possession of
a copy of an address delivered before
the law class of the University of
South Carolina by the Hon. Eugene
B. Gary, Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court. We sincerely regret
that its length precludes its publica-
ton in full in The South Carolina
Odd Fellow, for it is a gem of rarest
ray. But we reproduce enough of
it to show that a man can be good as
we'll as great, as Judge Gary proves
himself to be both when he says:
Neither God nor nature ever in
tended that the heart and mind
should be deprived of contentment,
ease and peace, or, if so deprived,
that men and women might not re-
store themselves to a natural state
by ceasing to disobey these laws.
If we would obey the Ten Com
mandments and love God with all our
heart, soul and mind, and our neigh
Dor as ourself, there would be no
necessity for any other moral law as
a basis for the development of char
acter, for God has told US that even
upon the last two hang all the laws.
Love of God and of u fellow
man enables us TO resist those sup
posed pleasures that tempt us to do
wrong. Such love gives US power
to realize that it is not necessary
for us to rely solely upon physical
pleasures for our happiness, and
that, after all, only spiritual or men,
tai enjoyment is lasting. 1t is a
mistake to suppose that a person can
not he moral and at the same time
enjoy life's pleasures, wen to q
greater extent than those who rely
upon pleasures that r solely de-
pendent upon physical enjoyment.
"Desire ever hath a flying foot"
A person is not in a proper state to
enjoy life on earth until he becomes
a Christian and obeys the moral
CODE. Those who disregard the
moral laws generally suffer in
health and impair their capacity
for the enjoyment of ever physical
pastimes. The love of God and
fellow mar tends to prevent ex-
cesses of all kinds. I venture the
assertion that no one is happy who
does not devote a part of his or her
life to the cause of their fellow
man. We may sometimes admire
the genius of a man like Napoleon
or a woman like Cleopatra, but we
do not love those who do not minis
ter to the uplifting of mankind.
If the time permitted l could pro-
duce numerous illustrations to show
that this is true.
No doubt there are those in this
class who will soon be called upon
to discharge responsible trusts
and to fill some of the highest
offices in the gift of the people. In
order to be esteemed a man of
honor it will be necessary for you
to decide whether you will follow
the code prescribed by the world
for the conduct of a gentleman OF
the code which the Bible gives us
for the guidance of a Christian
gentleman. The principal canon of
the worldly code is that under nc
circumstances should q gentleman
violate the laws of hospitality or
friendship. The finest of this type
of gentleman is pictured by Field
ing in Tom Jones, the greatest
novel ever written. Its fascination,
in a large measure, is due to the
fact that it portrays more clearly
than any other book the marked
difference between the gentleman
of the world and the Christian gen.
tleman. The Christian gentleman
is guided by the code found in the
Bible, which contains a far larger
number of the elements of morality.
AS between the two types there can
be no doubt that the code of the
Christian gentleman tends to make
him a more desirable citizen.
1 hope that all Of you will select
that which l regard as the higher
code; but if any of you should not,
then that you will at least observe
those tenets that are against the