Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-09-28
PRESIDENTS ANNUAL ADDRESS
OF The MT. Olive Baptist S. S. Teachers Institute
Read June 1917 At Mt. Moriah Baptist Church,
Cairo Illinois,


Cairo, Illinois.
Dear Co-workcrs
greet you in the Masters name because there is
no name so glorious rs His name-none SO lasting.
tute met with Bro. j. w. Corneal presiding.
Twelve months have passed. Now the great question
is Has any good been accomplished for the Masters
cause? Have we done What we could, as body of
christian workers in the district Of Illinois, to make the
world better? I fear have thought too largely of
self and not enough has been done for the Masters
In the work Of perfectng the highest quality
of the nation country occupies the unique position
of seeking the true solution of this great difficulty,
the complete triumph of the spiritual through the
straight and narrow way of religious freedom. The
people themselves to be the makers Of their own
destiny The priests of righteousness seeking the
breast plate of pure purpose to know what is the
highest truth and what the best of gaining it
are.
Imagination has brought perpexties in it's wake.
1t has brought to shore of all nationaites,
creeds and ideals thinking this is land OF absolute
freedom. They al act too often if liberty meant
license, and being free they bound by any
CAIN OF morality and right upon conscience con-
duct, the higher life of the nation instead Of being
promoted is hindered. What do is usually step
ping stone-a foundation for future effort. There are
people who spend all their time in getting ready to work
and who never have time to begin. They give too
much energy to the tool But this class is small The
common disposition to-day is to shirk hardships and all
showy results. Yet most Of the acts Of lines
in their outcome Of great Importance either to
selves, to the community to posterity. By their
fruit ye shall know them, you will remember,
taken from old book-the Bible, and its truth has
often been proved. All through life we have learned
that there poisonous influences all about US, and it
is necessary that we examine closely not only what
eat but the books we read and the company we
keep that the fruit by which we are Judged may be
something more than leaves In lives are con-
stantly bearing fruit Perhaps not aware Of it
but every word and every act is seed which will
spring up and bear fruit and whether it be good or bad
depends upon ourselves. We may not be building
structure by of which expect to make our
names famous but we all building the invisible
frame work Of character May the material of which it
is composed be the BEST and may it be he'd together
by the nails of pure motive Often, however, instead
of efforts being crowned with success meet
with failure but failure well successes,
should be steps by which rise to greater usefulness
Now, rise only place difficulties under
feet We cannot hope to grasp all there is in life in
few years If person were lost on some desoate and
unknown shore or broad plain, how welcome would be
the sight of a footprint which might suggest some
trail to civilization But if the footprint be discovered
that of some wild beast of an Indian moccasin
he might conclude that he was in uncivized
try. So when travelling on the broad shores
Of fe discouraged, the sight of footprint left
the sand gives us new courage and hope. We will
deavor to follow nearly those whose work in life
has been good example to There are few foot
prints however, that alarm much as the print of
Indian moccasn-those people whose lives have
been blotted with some great crime We nstinctively
turn in another direction and sigh at the thought of
following them. We constantly advancing from
the darkness into the light of truth and knowledge
All great teachers have been inspired with great
belief and in this the path of knowledge wild
ems time advances. When a person abandons the
footprints of others who accepted as authority
and independently start in direction, though he
may be eagerly searching for truth he is more likely
to receive the rdicue of the public than it's sympathy
Our lives will be just what ourselves make them
and even though we may not become great in the usual
sense of the word, still, as Longfelow says we may
all make our lives and perhaps work sublime and
deeds may make ones life better and more cheer
full
Eve think not those of Old
Were better than now
OF more ingenious brow
We heed not those who pine for force
ghost of time to raise
AS il they thus could check the course