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N every national crisis of our country
when the call has gone forth for volun
teers, that call has been most loyally
responded to. Thousands upon thou
sands of the bravest men that the world has
ever known have, without hesitation, turned
their backs upon mothers, wives, children,
sweethearts, occupations, and everything that
they held dear at home, and with hearts throb
bing with the purest patriotism, have gone to
the front to fight and to die if necessary for
the land they loved so well! They have fought
and suffered and died without regret. This
country has never been lacking in the bravery
and patriotism of its soldiery. Should a for
eign foe land upon our shores today, there
are hundreds of thousands of “minute men”
standing ready to go at the shortest notice
to fight for home and native land.
0 patriotism, thou art the most beautiful
flower of American soil! We praise thee, we
honor thee, we love thee! Thou art equal to the
most stupendous task that may be set before
thee!
Listen, my countrymen, listen! A foreign
foe has landed upon our shores and even now
we are entirely surrounded by the enemy.
Stop ! Listen! Do you not hear the wailing cry
of mothers whose hearts are broken; the bitter,
bitter sigh of wives whose fond hopes of hap
piness have been crushed; the piercing shrieks
of poorly-clad, half-starved little children
pleading for redress; and the awful groan of a
lost and debauched manhood, struggling and
gasping for its very life? “What is it?” you
ask. It is the most cruel stampede of the
enemy, in the form of the American liquor
traffic, riding rough shod over our hearts, cle
stroyingthe bodies, and damning the souls of
out people. 0 men of America, you who should
be called the “bravest of the brave,” where
is your patriotism now? Is it “clean gone
forever?” Have you been cowed by the enemy?
Do you tremble at his strength? Will you
continue to sit idly by and tamely aquiesce
FIFTY YEARS A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER.
QUITMAN BAPTIST CHURCH CELEBRATES SEMI-CENTINIAL OF JUDGE JOHN G. McCALL AS A TEACHER IN THE BIBLE
, , SCHOOL—A RECORD OF UNUSUAL INSPIRATION.
HO was it that said 1 ‘The Sunday
School is a good place for women and
children?”
g
True —but only half true. Let him
add —“Yes, and for the growing of stalwart,
Christian manhood as well.” Quitman Georgia
can furnish a lu'minous example of the full
statement. Fifty years ago a young limb of
the law hung out his shingle in Quitman, but
he did not make the fatal mistake that many
young lawyers do —trying to curry favor with
the world by fighting a bit shy of church ac
tivity. Young John G. McCall ran up his flag
and let everybody know where he stood as a
Christian man. Taking charge of the Bible
class in the Baptist Sunday School the young
THE GOLDEN AGE FOR WEEK OF FEB, 5, 1914
A CALL TO ARMS
WILSON T. JABOE, PASTOR CHASE M. E. CHURCH, CHASE, MARYLAND.
in this terrible onslaught of human misery?
God forbid!
My comrades, there comes to us today “A
call to arms,” and this time the call comes
not from the head of any earthly government,
but from the Lord of Hosts. He issues the
call for volunteers to enlist in the service for
the purpose of fighting this common enemy
of man. Think not that there will be enough
without you; every man and every woman
is needed; nor think that it wiill be an easy
victory—it will be the hardest fight that
American soldiers ever waged! Said Congress
man Wm. H. Murray, of Oklahoma, to the
writer the other day:“ Some of you people do
not realize it, but you have got a hard and
long fight before you.” The enemy will con
test every inch of ground, and they will fight
to the last ditch. All the powers of darkness
and even hell itself, are engaged against us.
My Brethren, and I address especially my
colleagues in the ministry, heretofore we have
been only playing at the job. We have preach
ed an occasional sermon on the subject, and
we have made an occasional reference to it in
our general work, but this will not suffice. So
long as we continue to go on “at this poor
dying rate, ’’just so long will the enemy con
tinue to fling defiance in our faces, and mock
at our cowardice. What, then, shall we do?
We must cease to handle the liquor traffic
with gloved hands; we must get out of our
coats and roll up our sleeves and go at it as
though we meant business; we must arise in
the strength of our manhood, with the deter
mination that the traffic must go, and fight
with all our might while God lends us life!
Ah, yes, I know it is easier not to do this. It
is unpleasant to receive the knocks, to be
wounded, and to be beaten back again and
again. When we are forced to beat a tem
porary retreat we are tempted to discourage
ment. It would seem preferable to the flesh to
rest on our oars awhile. But we must not
rest until the war is over! Rev. Dr. George
Young, of Kentucky, when he arose to speak
man poured his thought, love and life into his
work, and through all these fifty years he has
never allowed any sort of social plans to make
him sidestep his Bible Class.
Now, in life’s fair evening, standing on a
high pedestal of honor in thought and the af
fections of the community, while his brethren
over the state have honored him with the high
position of President of the Board of Trus
tees of Mercer University. Judge McCall still
insists that he is young enough and vigorous
enough to serve in the ranks of the workers
of God.
It was eminently fitting that the church of
which Judge McCall has been so long a faith
ful member should celebrate his semi-centenial
as a Bible teacher. The exercises occurred on
the morning of Sunday, January 19th, with a
at the National Convention of the Anti-Saloon
League at Columbus, Ohio, touched every heart
present and brought the tears very nefhr the
surface. His tottering step, drooping form
and wrinkled face told us more plainly than
he could tell us in words, that his day’s work
was almost done. Said he: “I wish this war
were over! I’m very tired and I’d like to go
home and rest, but mother’s heart was broken
by rum! I must fight on till God calls me
home. ’ ’
My brethren, here is one who has enlisted
for life! I stand subject to the command of
my Captain in this war. Where he sends me
I will go. Will you join me in the ranks to
fight to the finish? Our slogan is nation-wide
prohibition of the liquor traffc. The victory
shall be ours because God and right are on
our side.
THE REACTION.
The New Year is far enough advanced now
for YOUR “purse to have reacted from the
Christmas eliminating” operation, but ours
can’t react until you and a good many others
send in your renewal or new subscription.
Every $1.50 added to our subscription list
makes “just that much more” ammunition
with which to fight the flourishing evils that
satan continues to plant all about us. Your
Saviour and mine never needed the use of the
money he has loaned you in the work of
reacting humanity for His glory and their sal
vation, more than He needs it now. The minds
of the people MUST be educated AWAY from
the carelessness —the tango and its “sister
hood,” the locker club and its associates, the
bar-room and its patrons, the looseness every
where which forgets God and fills the coffers
of sin possessed men to the hurt and hindrance
of the kingdom of God.
Nothing creates public sentiment more than
the papers one reads.
What kind are you supporting?
Your subscription will help. SIO.OO for one
share of stock, which gives you one subscrip
tion as a dividend the first year, will help
more. 100 SHARES would help that much
more.
It is the Master’s cause, not ours, we are
asking you to become partners in.
Managing Editor.
splendid program of music and brief addresses
as follows:
Address: “The Sunday-school as a Factor
in a Live Church,” by Wm. H. Hitechew.
“A Brief History of the Quitman Baptist
Church,” Charles T. Tillman.
Address: Dr. J. G. McCall’s L ife and Work
in the Sunday-school, in the Church, and in
the Denomination, by Wm. T. Gaulden.
The Calling of the Names of the Former
Pastors and Reading One-minute Letters from
all Former Pastors now Living, by W. T.
Gaulden.
The inspiring exercises were concluded with
a thrilling response by Dr. J. A. Wynne, the
pastor. Quitman is richer because of such a
day, and all who read the story will hear a
new call to church duty and to God.
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