The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-12-08
DAVID'S FOUR RESERVES
Sermon Requested by the American
Legion, Beginning Of Educa.
ton Week.


ing on Education" In response to q
call from the American Legion at the
beginning Of Education Week, took for
his subject the five smooth stones
which David put in his bag when he
went to meet Goliath.
why five? said the speaker "He
needed only one-because he was NOT
a fanatic. He was liable to miss the
first time and he took as many as
could be used in the time he had, II
necessary"
Il see In these four extra stones the
wisdom of David, and want to use
them this morning as type of the
reserves with which every wise young
man should face life. David had first
healthy, agile body. Then he had
trained hand, skilled to sling a stone.
There was in it all also his own fine
personality-what we call nowadays
initiative. But greatest Of all was his
faith in God. Many reader sees here
only bold young fellow winning by
his dash and nerve. Another will see
only a miracle In 1t. / see both. 1t
took God and the man both to do the
thing that day. You will find that God
always uses real man to do his mir
acles for him, and He works through
him. He was youth with good eyes
and good nerves, and trained muscles.
He ran and threw himself into his
sling, and God used him because he
was sound and capable and relied on
Him. David was the only man in the
hest that saw the real issue. 1t was
God who was being defied and David
was confident that He would give sue
cess to one who had His honor at
heart.
Il see in this story a picture of the
American army going forth to fight
the enemy of the world. There was
never cleaner four million Of men
put in the field, nor one more intelli-
gent in the mass, or better trained. 1t
was because of their fine edge and
high ideals that they required so
much entertainment to keep up their
morale. 1t was the most mechanical
OF wars There was more fighting by
machinery, but there was never finer
display of individual valor and initia
tive. Whiitlesey and Alvin York and
Woodfill are only types Of thousands
who showed the splendid American
spirit of individual daring and re-
source. 1t was an army too which
believed in God. What was the feeling
OF the Justice of our ccuse' EXCEPT
the consciousness of the presence and
purpose of God on the scene to give
triumph TO the right? There was the
feeling in the army and in all our
hearts that the very cause of God and
freedom were at stake as they were
when David went forth to Stay the
champion of the devil.
Nov, I say again, see in all this
4 tyne of the American people aroused
and trained and educated so that 1t
shall be the invincible champion of
God and liberty
I'VE need as the old Latin phrased
1t: sound minds in sound bodies.
Everywhere the public health is be-
ing looked after as never before and
the subject of education is to the
front as the supreme national interest.
Our colleges are overcrowded. It Is
being realized that every man is hand
icapped who does not have the best
preparation he can get. Many young
fellow has been saying: Why do /
need to know this or that?' Well, he
does not know what he is going to
need in the tremendous rivalries and
strains Of modern business He should
learn all he can of useful Wedge
while he can. He needs sound body
and clear, trained mind.
How shall | speak of that indefin-
able thing called personality, which
is so effective in life? How shall we
educate for that? The fact is that
many Of the greatest souls. Shake
speare. Burns, Lincoln. had little
school education. But they read deep
ly. the few great books they had.
Their souls were fortified and train
ed like David's, out in the open, look
ing at the stars, or following the
sheep, or drumming on his harp.
That deep meditation on life which
comes with solitude and poetry, and
the reading of history and training the
hand to do something and study OF
people, all this is desperately hard
to get in our modern life. We are too
busy to get the best education.
"shakespeare's very first independ-
ent drama, and the only one whose
plot he invented, has this for its very
theme - life is greater than books.
ut is matter of profound wonder
that with all our great educational
system so much ignorance slips
through and graduates. We are in
danger Of turning our great schools
into factories getting certain con-
ventional something out of them but
REFRESHING individuality and the DIFF
ferences in people which at last make
their chief charm and power.
what do we need with English in
IT OPERA HOUSE