Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-10-14
GYPSY SMITH TO MAsoNs

Masons from. all sections of York;
county and from counties adjoining
heard the special sermon for Masons
which Gypsy Smith, noted evangelist
who is now conducting meeting in
Rock Hill preached at the big tent in
Rock Hill last Tuesday evening. In
addition to several score members of
the Masonic fraternity the audience
included hundreds of interested men
and women who came to hear the
special message of the great preacher.
The subject of Smiths sermon was
Jacob the Trickster," and in his dis
course he showed how the wiley Jacob
used all sorts of methods to accom-
plish his purposes even as do un-
scrupulous people in this day and
time. Evangelist Smith said in part:
want us to look at the story OF
Jacob and to consider his life in four
special aspects, each of which is IN
dicated by and taken from the story
Of his life.
First-Is he not rightly named
Jacob the Trickster?" Secondhand
the man greatly increased" Third
"And Jacob was sorely afraid and dis
tressed." and Lastly-"As a prince
thou hast power with God and man."
First Of all let me say that God was
not q party to some of the acts or
this great drama. "Oh," but you say,
'it's all in the Biblc?" Its very true
but that does not give it Bible sane
tor. The Bible is a faithful mirror
as we'll as a truthful message. It
shows us a good many things or
mans life that we may install them,
and it shows us the bad things that
I T1f
notice how Jacob, comes on the stage
of history to represent the ancient
and modern fraternity of triCksters.
Jacob began by the attempt to make
an unlawful purchase. There are some
things that no man has any right TO
buy or to put on the market for sale.
No man has any right to buy his
brothers honor. No man has any
right to buy his sisters virtue. No
man has any right to buy his en-
ployer's conscience, and no man has
any right to buy his servants liberty.
These are some of the inalienable
birthrights which no man has any
right to buy or sell, and If you get to-
day to the bottom of all social unrest
and misery you will find that 1t is the
result of unprincipled men and wo-
men, buying and selling what God has
forbidden. At this stage Sf his career
he represents the faithful prototype
of all unprincipled lawyers. He got
his brother in a tight place and made
him swear. ] have often imagined
could see Esau getting up that
morning to go out hunting, and after
he had left the house Jacob gets up
and goes out into the vegetable gar
den to gather the vegetables for the
celebrated pottage. It takes skill to
catch n rabbit. but it takes more skill,
far more, to catch n man. Esau was
n cunning hunter Of animals, but Ja
cob knew how TO catch Il man.
I wonder if you are here tonight
who took an unfair advantage Of your
brother? You saw him in n tight
place with his back against the wall,
and with his creditors at bay. You
knew he had to have cash, and you
took advantage of him and put across
n rotten deal. Go home tonight and
write down your name on the pages
of history, trickster, the man who
stole his brothers honor.
] wonder if you are here tonight who
saw the widow and children following
the casket of their faithful protector
to the cemetery? You said to yourself
'HVel, | have held a mortgage on that
property for years and she'll never be
2 De t. meet the interest, I'll forclose.'
DID you? Well then, write it down on
the pages of history, tonight your own
name. a trickster. man who stole
his brothers birthright.
! wonder If you are here tonight
who took advantage of Il beautiful,