The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1918-03-07
SIS Heard the Story of
Jack Savage This
Morning.
HIGH SCHOOL AND
BOY SCOUTS THERE
Evangelist Made Wonderful Talk
and Held the Vast Audience
Spell Bound.

was one OF the greatest OF It's KIND
ever held in the town. There were
575 men and boys heard talk they
will remember the rest Of their days.
The boys of the high school and the
Boy Scouts came in body, and the
building was filled to capacity.
Interest was intense and during
the closing minutes of the talk there
was hush on the great audience of
men that was impressive.
Prof. Wickland sang, "My Son Give
Me Thy Heart" in a very impressive
manner, after which Mr.. Rayburn
talked on "a Deadly Heart Disease"
"There are a lot of profitable
things in the world" said Mr.. Ray
burn, "but to be profitable they must
be appropriated" The Gospel is the
most profitable thing in the world +;
Gods word is neutrality-suspicious.
for law, for history, for percept, for
warning. When the fire bell rings it
is not because the firemen are mad at
you. 1t is to warn you of danger
God warns you against hardening of
heart as a great danger"
The evangelist spoke Of the disease
known as hardening of the arteries
and compared its effect on the physic-
al life to hardening of the heart on
the spiritual life, and read several
passages Of scripture wherein were
contained warnings against it.
"There are several things that pro-
duce hardening of the heart as there
are several things which produce
hardening of the arteries" said Mr..
Rayburn. SIT does not profit some
fellows to hear the Gospel; they are
indifferent; they have chance after
chance and ignore it each time-this
produces hardness of heart" Mr.
Rayburn said that this was the rea-
son that it was easier to reach young
men than it was old; that each time
a man turned down the invitation he
is getting farther away; harder to
reach, until his ears become closed
to the Gospel.
"Fickelness is one cause of hard
ening Of the heart" said Mr.. Ray
burn. "Men think they will be Chris
tians then change their mind; sick
ness or death visits them and they
resolve to become Christians, then
when it is over they back out; every
time they change their mind they are
getting farther and farther away"
"Pride is another cause" said the
evangelist. "Fellows say Pm as good
as many men in the church." This is
another cause of hardening of the
heart"
"Open rebellion is another cause;
the Bible speaks plainly on the sub
ject; defiance of the natural laws of
God causes death Of the body; def
.ance of the Scriptural laws causes
hardening Of the heart and causes the
soul to perish"
"God holds you responsible for
how you treat the Gospel" said Mr..
.Rayburn."
He made an earnest plea that men
would not harden their hearts; that
they would accept the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Then he related the tragic story of
Jack Savage. This was one of the
strongest arguments ever made that
men harden not their hearts: We
cannot tell the story as did Mr.. Ray
burn, but will give synopsis as best
we can.
Jack Savage was the ex-sheriff of
Shelby county, Iowa, man about 60
years old; he had two daughters and
son. AS boy, the son ran away
from home and became bum; he
travelled all over the country, riding
the rods and freight cars; he drifted
into wickedness, drinking, gambling,
,carousing, indulging in every vice i'm
aginable. His father owned fine
farm and offered him everything he
made from it if he would stay on it
ten years and at the end of this peri
.od to give him a deed to it, but he
turned the offer down. When about
35 years old he returned home for a
stay. Mr.. Rayburn was holding