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Again, have we followed Jesus in taking up our cross? Not his cross. He never commanded any man to take up his cross. Think of the many, many people who go to St. Peter’s every year to get a peep at a part of the cross of Christ, who would make it into watch charms and the like, and wear them on their person, and yet how blind they are to the real cross. The real cross is not in St. Peter’s, it is not in Notre Dame, not in St. Mark’s. Oh, the wooden cross may be there, but the real cross of Christ is right in our very hearts! The cross was made in the garden of Eden when man’s will crossed God’s will, and taken up when Jesus Christ in the Garden of Geth semane said: 4 4 Thy will be done.” Have we taken up our cross? It may be family prayer; it may be personal work; it may be going to prayer meeting, to Sunday school, giving money, or giving self. God knows, and we know. Have we taken it up ? THE CROSS OF FORGIVENESS. Lastly, I want to ask the question: Have we fol io wd Jesus in the spirit of forgiveness? He forgave. He did it at the time when the agony of the world’s millions rested upon his heart; when he was think ing big thoughts, and working’ out their redemp tion; when he was bearing the sins of all the world, from Adam to the end of time. Even under the pressure of such a responsibility Christ could turn aside and forgive his enemies. Have we done it? Oh, I know it is hard sometimes for us to do it, but we are not making excuses for hardness. The Word of God today should guide us, as the Fath er’s will guided Jesus. We have been making claims of discipleship, and all the time Jesus has been saying to us: 44 1 f any man will be my dis ciple. let him take up his cross and follow me.” Do what I have done. Are we doing it? It is said many years ago, some citizens of Spain lived in the city of Morocco, who were taken pris oners by the Morocco government, and put in jail. There they remained for a long time, until the Spanish government offered the Morocco govern ment. all sorts of ransoms for the freedom of these prisoners, but to no avail. Finally, the Morocco people conceived a plan whereby these prisoners might receive their freedom. Their prejudice was very intense against Spain, and they said: 44 1 f you will give us the son of the king, and let us keep him for ten years in prison, we will liber ate every one of your prisoners.” The youngest son of the Spanish king heard of this proposition, and being filled with the spirit of humanity, went to his father, and asked him for his liberty for ten years. The father asked why he desired this. His reply was that he might liberate the Spanish prisoners in Morocco. The request was granted, and he was placed in the Morocco prison. During his confinement, their cruel treatment resulted in the complete breaking down of 'his health and his mind, and when he was turned out of the prison he was a physical wreck. You would think every one of those pris oners would fall at the feet of the unfortunate man, and crown him with a crown of laurels for his noble sacrifice. Some of them did, but the majority did not. The story goes that on one occasion he was laughed at by the vry people he had freed. And yet many of us are guilty of worse ingrati tude than that. Go back to the time when we -were in prison; in a worse prison than that, presided over by Satan; in the prison of moral death. Christ, the Son of the King, by the consent of the Father, came to this earth and imprisoned himself. He did more than that, he "was nailed to the cross, and bled himself to death that his blood might buy our liberty. Then he comes back to us after our liberty has been granted, after we have been saved, and given a title to heaven, and says: 44 1 want you t odo this,” and w r e say 44 N0.” Then to justify ourselves, we begin to complain against his work. I sometimes wonder if Jesus would not be better pleased to have us walk up to him and spit in his face, than to refuse to do the things he has told us to do? Oh, for obedience! It is the one need of the hour. The Golden Age for December 20, 1906. <Hpyal Raleigh and the Old North State. 44 1 t matters little about the head—if only the heart be right.” That was the way the courtier statesman for whom Raleigh was named felt about it when he was wantonly led to the block, amid the tragedies of Ohl England and something of that spirit seems to rule today in the royal Raleigh of our New World. They believe in having the heart right—and they teach you by example. An un expected telegram from Pastor J. C. Massee of the Tabernacle Church in Raleigh. If strength or lack of strength would allow one meeting in a city during the fall months Raleigh and the Tabernacle called to me with peculiar force, for I had never been there before. The truth is I was rather anx ious to see these 44 folks” because Dr. L. G. Brough ton, who bgan his now famous career among them, had said: 4 4 Will, you ought to go to the Tabernacle in Ra leigh—you and that crowd will just suit each oth er. You are two of a kind.” And sweeping away all hesitancy that naturally stays my pen after this charge of kinship, I must be allowed to say that for common sense and con secrated activity I have never seen in all my life a more glorious band of workers in the vineyard of the Lord. Just think of twelve hundred in Sun day school in a city of twenty-five thousand popu lation! That is the handiwork under God of Need ham B. Broughton, an uncle of the famous Atlan ta preacher, and a born general in leading boys and girls, men and women. The present pastor, Jasper C. Massee, is a native of Georgia and one of the most stalwart sons she ever sent forth to bless the world. Tall, commanding, with a great head on his shoulders and a greater heart in his bosom, he has made a marvelous impression not on ly on Raleigh, but the whole State of North Caro lina, during his pastorate of three years, and if the Tabernacle people can have their way, it looks at the present writing that he will be their leader un til the judgment day. The hungry multitudes flock to hear him—the largest in the city and per haps in the State—and his working beehive is in a constant state of revival. From Sunday to Sun day—only eight brief days—-did our meeting con tinue. but there were conversions or accessions at every service. And then after attending the State Convention at Greensboro, it was my joy to go back and spend another 'Sunday which proved a blessed reaping day. The B. U. W. It was a daily delight to speak at the chapel ex ercises of the Baptist University for Women. Here three hundred and fifty of North Carolina’s fairest daughters are being trained under the presidency of Dr. R. T. Vann who, without arms or hands, is carrying in his heart and arms of love this great cargo of present joy and future promise for the saving glory of the Old North State. The institu tion is only about six years old, but is one of the best equipped colleges for women in the South. The Wake Forest Boys. But the funniest, 44 biggest” time that any mor tal ever had was given your humble servant at the Wake Forest celebration over their victory in de bate with Mercer University. President W. L. Poteat, who is a mental colossus and a spiritual benediction, called me up over the long distance phone and invited me to run up to their celebration on the return of the Wake Forest champions. Messrs. F. F. Brown, of Asheville, and W. H. Weatherspoon, of Durham. It was a sort of 44 skerry” thing to do, for I know that I would be the only Mercer man on the hill—and I had never been to Wake Forest before. I got there after the triumphal march was over and just as the speaking began. And the way those Tar Heel Ter ribles did pick on the bones of one lonesome Mer cer man was a 44 sin and a shame.” But I just de termined that all of the picking should not be on See Our Announcement on Page 15 one side, and when it came my time, I did my level best to submit a 4 4 few feeble, scattering re marks.” The fellowship and good humor of the occasion made me feel like I had had a shower bath in August and that ride to the train in the chariot of victory wrapped in Wake Forest colors, was the most spectacular event for the Georgia visitor, his niece, Miss O’Neill Lindsey, and her fair Raleigh friend, Miss Elmer Pace, that these three individ uals ever took part in. The 44 Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” was not a circumstance. The wonder is that after my effort to attend to the Wake Forest fellows as I did, they should have invited me back to lecture, and then in the face of a steady downpour of rain gave me what they called a record breaking crowd. But anyway, I will al ways thank President Poteat for inviting me up to my own funeral. Os course it is generally un derstood since Wake Forest defeated the hitherto undefeated Mercer in debate this grat North Car olina school grows a sort of prehistoric race as big as mountains and as tall as trees. But after breathing the atmosphere they grow in I do not wonder at their platform prowess. President Winston, of the A. and M. College, the boys and professors, gave me a delightful welcome The Greenskoro Convention and the State Normal. Rightly told the story of the Baptist State Con vention in the progressive city of Greensboro would make a volume of inspiration. In this short com pass I cannot even touch the high places. Hon. W. N. Jones, a Christian lawyer, was the genial and able president. Many speeches of lofty cali bre were made, but no one will feel left out if I declare that there were two that loom in memory above the others—the speech of J. W. Bailey on State Missions, and William L. Poteat on Wake Forest and Christian education. J. W. Bailey is not mrely a 44 coming young man,” he has already come. His speech was an electrifying master piece of the fundamentals of Christianity and the duty of North Carolina Baptists to be true to their heritage of giving the saving truths of the Bible to their State and the world. Wake Forest night was the climax of the Con vention, and after President’s Poteat’s masterly speech, he launched the movement to raise one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the endow men of Wake Forest College. Bailey took the of fering and the crowd stayed in good humor, loyalty and consecration until more than thirty thousand dollars was pledged. It was a noticeable fact that among the most liberal givers were the Greens boro people, although they have just completed a beautiful new church edifice under the leadership of the eloquent Henry W. Battle as pastor. The Footprints of Mclver. We felt like we were walking on historic ground when we accepted an invitation from the State Nomral School for the Convention to attend an informal reception. The name of the late lament ed Charles Duncan Mclver was on every lip and flowers were blooming in his footprints everywhere. After inspecting the superb grounds and buildings, the young ladies served light refreshments in the spacious dining hall capable of seating seven or eight hundred girls. The aft dr dinner speeches were made by President Jones of the Convention, President Poteat, Hon. J. C. Scarborough, and a certain editor from Georgia. Col. Scarborough and the Georgia man had a little tilt “just for fun” on woman’s voting and I couldn’t help quoting on him those words that Josh Billings would call “phunny”: If she’s the coming woman, Then I’m the going man! Never afraid of college girls since Wesleyan’s fair daughters gathered around my rolling chair in Macon long ago. I had a sort of 44 g00d-bye re ception” with a lovely bouquet of Normal girls and came away glad and grateful in heart that I had thus had the privilege of touching the lives of the crown jewels of Charles Duncan Mclver. William D. Upshaw. 7