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JUDGE NICHOLSON TO MOUNTAIN YOUTH
Great Christian Lawyer Gives Wholesome Message to Cherokee Boys and Girls on “Life’s Journey and its Equipment’*
NE of the inspiring features of
the commencement of the Ball
Ground (Ga.) School was the
richly eloquent address of Judge
D. B. Nicholson, of Rochelle, Ga.
Rev. Emmet Stephens, the wide
awake, consecrated principal, had
fallen in love with D. B. Nichol
son, Jr., the brilliant young Presi-
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dent of the North Georgia Baptist College at
Morgan, and knew his lawyer-father must
know how to “deliver the goods” to mountain
youth. He sent for Judge Nicholson, and
those bright Cherokee boys and girls “got
the goods.” The editor of The Golden Age,
who delivered two addresses to generous
crowds on Sunday, heard so many good
things about the Saturday speech of Judge
Nicholson that an urgent request was given
for the outline. And it is here given, not in
the flowing, glowing .fullness with which it
came from the speaker to the delighted au
dience, but just the pivotal, suggestive
points. And we respectfully “suggest” to
many other talkers to young people that
they give Judge Nicholson “credit” and am
plify for the good of youth everywhere:
I esteem it a high privilege as well a
rare pleasure to address an audience like tliis
on this commencement occasion. I am al
ways happy to visit this far-famed “land of
the sky” with its towering mountains and
laughing waters; its radiant sunshine and its
liquid moonshine.
Prof. Stephens has my cordial thanks for
the many kind things he said in introducing
me; but in a court of justice they would all
be ruled out as “hear-say testimony;”
Before I begin the discussion of my theme
I must take a drink of water. It may seem
paradoxical to talk about running a wind-mill
by water, but mine requires it. I must drink
it even at the risk which caused the tramp to
refuse it. He said he was afraid it would
make his iron constitution rust. But some of
you mountaineers are supposed to incur a
greater risk even than this—that of burn
ing out your copper bottoms with boiled corn
juice.
The course of a human life through this
world has been aptly called a journey. All
human beings who ever lived and are living
today have been and are travelers on this
journey. It is a journey all must take. We
travel here and there over the earth at our
convenience or inclination in pursuit of busi
ness or pleasure. Not so of life’s journey.
It is forced upon us.
It is a long journey, leading from the cra
dle to the grave. With the average person
it covers now, they tell us, the period of
about thirty-five years; with many it is
much longer, and a few lives cover the span
of a century. So it may be called to all of
us a long journey.
It is a continuous journey. There are no
stop-overs—no side trips—no stations of
rest. To each of us it is perpetual motion
from the beginning to the end. It is an on
ward journey, no laps; no loops; no turning
back. Like the brooklet tumbling down the
mountain side goes on to the placid river
and then into the great ocean, so life’s stream
goes ever onward till it enters the vast ocean
of eternity.
It is a Serious Journey: Along the way
each must accomplish his achievements and
work out his destiny. The Romans said ev
ery man is the architect of his own fortune;
we may add, or his misfortune. He makes it,
under God, along life’s serious journey.
It is a hazardous and perilous journey.
Along the way are the snares of temptation
and the pitfalls of sin; and along its winding
way we encounter life’s conflicts and strug
gles. If you are a doctor your brother wants
your patients; if you are a lawyer your
The Golden Age for June 22,1911.
neighbor wants your clients; if you are a
merchant your competition wants your cus
tomers—whatever your occupation your ri
val seeks to put you out of business, and if
you are not wary he will do it.
It is a monotonous journey: Life has a
long list of over-and-over agains—the same
duties to be performed every day. Called
upon to write a composition on “Marriage
Customs Among the Greeks” the small boy
wrote this: “Among the Greeks it was the
custom for a man to marry only one wife;
and they called it monotony.”
Yet it is a varied journey. We are privi
leged to have different experiences which
break this monotony. If we are sorrowful
today we may be joyous tomorrow. If the
clouds of dejection and despondency are low
ering about us today, the bright sunshine of
happiness may shine upon us tomorrow.
But with all its variety it is a lonely jour
ney. The way is thronged, but each traveler
is alone; he must carry his own burdens and
perform his tasks alone. We live among
men, but not with men. The soul is linked
to God; not to man, and God must give the
supreme companionship.
It is a single journey: We go over the race
course once. Our regrets over past mis
takes, our repinings over lost opportunities
are in vain. We cannot correct those mis
takes; we cannot reclaim those opportuni
ties. So it behooves us to be conscientious
ly careful as we go along.
It is a hidden journey: Humanly speak
ing we walk in the dark. A heavy veil hangs
between us and the future at every step. If
life’s pathway were open to us, and we could
see down that path to the end we would
shrink and falter and many of us would re
fuse to go forward. To llustrate: We may
be far down the journey. We plan a period
of recreation and rest by visiting our loved
ones here and there. In the midst of this
program a message comes “your child is sick;
come to her.” She lingers—the pride of your
heart, the apple of your eye—she gets bet
ter; she relapses; she suffers the pangs of a
thousand deaths and her sweet spirit goes
back to God, leaving you to struggle on with
your plans thwarted, your spirit well nigh
crushed, your hopes rudely shattered. Ver
ily “man proposes; God disposes.” It is a
hidden journey. But withal, it is a hopeful
journey: “Hope springs eternal in the hu
man breast.” Up today; down tomorrow.
Prosperous today; bankrupt tomorrow. Well
today; sick tomorrow. One grief after an
other. One defeat after another, with now
and then a victory; one fall after another.
Then a rally and a renewed effort. That is
life, and hope is its perpetual incentive. It
is a successful journey if the traveler is well
equipped and makes good use of his equip
ment ; otherwise it is a dismal failure.
This equipment is two-fold; primary from
within; and secondary, from without. The
primary equipment consists of a worthy,
steadfast, earnest purpose coupled with a
lofty ideal. Then there must be added en
ergy, persistence—the determination to win
—all crowned with faith in God and faith in
one’s self to do what one undertakes. No
man can do what he believes he cannot do.
The pupil who “can’t do this sum” will get a
low mark; the farmer that “can’t make this
crop” will reap a small harvest; the mer
chant that “can’t sell these goods” will like
ly go into bankruptcy. Let your purpose be
above mere money making. As the world
practices it, too often money making is mon
ey taking. Earn all the money you can; you
will need it. But when you start out money
making you are treading on dangerous
ground. The Supreme Court of the United
States has lately declared that the trust
magnates have piled up their unrighteous
millions by methods of fraud and wrong do
ing. And now those hitherto respectable
grafters must go down to their graves in dis
honor, if they do not spend their last days
in the penitentiary where most of them be
long. Let your purpose be to serve God and
your fellowmen in your day and generation
in whatever calling you mav follow. For the
true life is a life of service, and God and man
kind are entitled to the best service of which
you are capable.
The secondary equipment for life’s jour
ney is what we call education. Education is
not mere knowledge of what is in books.
Facts alone are of little value. The brain
may be packed so full of them that there is
no room for anything else. You may know
history, philosophy, the classics, mathemat
ics, psychology—the whole range of “book
learning” and not be educated in any useful
sense. Getting an education is training the
hand to do, the head to think, the heart to
differentiate between right and wrong. The
three organized sources of this training are
the home, the school and the church. This
is called by many the age of child rule. The
boys and girls seem to have the bit in their
teeth and are running away with parental
government. Unless a boy is controlled at
home the teacher has a hard time with him.
Some think the school does its part better
than the home, better even than the church.
If so it is, perhaps, because so many young
people who are required to attend school are
not required to attend church, and do not
do so. Let each do its part in this great
work of making men and women—the home,
the school the church. The world needs men
and women—not mere “ladies” and “gentle
men.” Georgia needs them in her rapid de
velopment in new farms, new factories, new
mines and new quarries. By the late census
returns Georgia is shown to be the fourth
State in annual value of crop nrouucts. This
is a great showing. She must keep it up and
climb higher. This is the work of the men
and women she so much needs. These little
boys and girls before me are the material out
of which men and women are made. Boys,
girls, do not be satisfied to make anything
less than a man or a woman out of yourself.
That is what you are in the world for. If you
fail you would better have never been born.
Parents, trains your children at home;
keep them in the best schools within your
reach, and keep them in touch with the
church of God. This is your solemn duty.
Failure will ruin your children and break
your own hesfrts.
My young friends, I came to Ball Ground
to talk to you because Prof. Stephens invited
me. If I have said anything worth while,
anything that will help you to make a suc
cessful traveler along life’s journey, I am
happy.
Do your very best to “make good” and
may life’s journey end for us all at the foot
of the throne of Him who liveth and reign
eth forever.
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