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The Henry County Weekly
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of McDonough and Henry County.
VOL. XLIV.
THE RIGHT EMPHASIS
By REV. H. S. SMITH
Life’s values are gained through
personal initiative. In the growth
of the lion’s whelp from weakness
to the strength of the king of the
forest, in the development of the
rose from the tiny cutting to the
graceful stem and the beauty and
fragrance of the flower, in the
growth of the* oak with sturdy
trunk and wide-spreading branch
es from the little acorn, there is
an irresistible push that is never
found in human attainment. The
weather vnin turns from the cold
north to the sunny south, driven
by the force of the wind. But
there is no irresistible force that
turns man from evil to good, from
sin to righteousness. There is a
mighty power that operates in
God’s Spirit, but man must yield
and surrender to it.
There is only one way to the
greater life. Set your face like
flint in that direction. “Set your
affections on things above.” The
man who never resolves or deter
mines will know no freedom,
reach no height, walk on no table
lands, attain no ideals, and feel no
exaltation of heroism or thrill of
victory.
“One ship drives east, another west with
the self-same winds that blow;
It’s the set of the sail, and not the Kale
that determines the way you go.”
Life brings the same opportuni
ties for soul greatness to millions
of people. It’s the kind of things
you emphasize, the character of
the opportunities seized that de
termine what life shall be.
Paul says in 1 Cor. 2. 2: “For
I determined not to know any
thing among you, save Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified.” Paul
passes by human philosophy, gives
scant notice to science, cares little
for eloquence, disregards morality
except as it is rooted in religion.
He blots everything out of the
picture that would detract from
the face'of the crucified Christ.
No wonder that this genius was
the greatest spiritual force that
the world ever saw except his
Master.
Life’s Value and Influence De
pend on the Right Emphasis.
Emphasis of the great themes
makes your great music, your
great literature, your great orato
ry, your great preaching. Mozart
\sas a great musician, but your
chap&l organ could not give ex
pressiun to his great genius like
tne magnificent pipe ogran. You
can spend your days in wrong or
insufficient emphasis. Your life
will be a failure. Put the em
phasis on the lower things of the
flesh and material existence, men
tal and moral, if not physical, dis
aster awaits you.
The different emphasis we give
to the things that we all do also
counts. One student works for
the honors of the class, the other
for the love of the truth. How
different! One man runs his bus
iness in the service of self, anoth
er for the glory of God. One
man makes money to hoard or to
spend on self, another to use in
the service of men. One person
teaches for the meagre salary or
as a stepping stone to something
else, another regards the school
room as a great opportunity for
moulding souls. One man prac
tices law for a livelihood, another
regards the law as one of God’s
greatest instruments for the pro
tection of life, liberty and proper
ty. One recites the creeds and
believes the doctrines in a formal
way, another with spiritual ap
prehension and understanding.
How we have failed in Empha
sis! We have talked about the
simple life; but we haye emphasiz
ed wealth, comfort, luxury and
show. We must keep up with
the Jones’s. We have toiled for,
struggled over and worried about
material things. We have been
in the grip of the temporal order.
Oh, we have felt an emotional
glow in church at the mention of
love, service and sacrifice, but
these principles have not been
operative in life. We have not
had the pearl of great price on
exhibition, we have not manifest
ed the finer qualities of the supe
rior life to the world. The things
that we have valued and empha
sized are being swept away by the
overflowing courage, and the end
is not yet. Surely idealism shall
emerge and emphasis be given to
the things that are permanent.
There are a few things of abid
ing value that I want us to deter
mine to emphasize in 1918. These
I things have come down to us
through the ages, they have been
tested by fire and blood, they
lie at the foundation of all indivi
dual and national greatness, they
haye given strength and comfort
in the hours that tried men’s
souls, and have never failed when
all else perished.
Let us give more emphasis to
the Bible. “Oh, but that’s an old
book.” Yes, it has witnessed the
birth, life and death of millions of
the best soldiers. Yet some or
you sit up for two and three hours
to read the latest book who
haven’t read one book of the Bi
ble at one sitting in a year. “There
is no other book,” said Sir Walter
Scott, As the ocean tills the mil
lions of bays and inlets that indent
its coast, so the life currents of
this book fill the millions of in
spiring books that are in our li
braries. It is God’s revelation to
man. It possesses untold depth
and infinite power. It saves men
from sin, comforts them in the
hour of sorrow and despair, and
guides in the hour of perplexity.
President Wilson says \hat he
could not see his way in this dark
hour but for its counsel and teach
ings. Read and stud} this book
more and you will be different
men and women.
Let us give more emphasis to
the Sabbath. Ther eare signs of
a decreasing valuation of the Sab
bath as a day of rest and worship.
Men argue “necessary labor” and
“necessary pleasure to justify buy
ing and selling and Sabbath dese
cration. Greed and selfishness
are back of all of it. Disastrous
results will follow its removal.
France tried it and in the Reign
of Terror the Seine ran red with
the blood of innocents. Voltaire,
the French infidel, said that there
was no hope of destroying Christi
anity until you destroyed the Sab
bath. Webster was right when
McDonough, Georgia. Friday. January 25, 1918
To the Ladies of the Red
Cross.
Our Instructions in Surgical
Dressings has been postponed for
two weeks, or further notice. In
that time we expect to have Miss
Ruth Harris, an official instructor,
to teach a class, of not more than
twenty. The sessions will be held
in the afternoons, and from two
to two and one-half hours, and
will extend over a period of seven
to ten days.
All who desire to take these In
structions please give me your
name. There is no expense to
the students, or practically none.
Mrs. B. B. Carmichael.
Smallpox.
A few cases of smallpox have
developed in McDonough recent
ly. It is of a very mild type, how
ever, and no danger of spreading
apprehended, proper quarantine
having been established, with all
other necessary precautions.
All patients have about recov
ered and conditions satisfactory
for complete abatement, without
any epidemic.
he said that the republic would
not endure one century longer
than the American Sunday. It is
the day when children are taught
the laws of God on which any
permanent civilization is built.
Let us emphasize the Christian
Home. Home is the center of
everything, the streams that
i flow out of the home are sweet
or bitter, so will your moral, so
cial and political life be. “Home
authority and home example set
tle everything.” We have spared
the rod and the oak shingle at the
expense of the child. We need
the godly life and the family altar
to influence our children for right
eousness.
Let us giye a greater emphasis
to the church of Jesus Christ
There is a danger that we lose
sight of the church in these times.
With our Red Cross and Y. M. C
A. drives we are prone to forget
the church. Without your church
you would have neither of these
great institutions. Y.,ur Y. M. C.
A. represents th j protestant
churches. The church is the
mother of all til it is worth while
in civilization. She is the mother
of schools, colleges, universities,
hospitals, modern surgery, state
institutions for the unfortunate,
the deaf, dumb, blind, feeble
minded, insane. If the church
perishes all will go with it into
the abyss. Let us stand by it,
give to it liberally and attend its
services. As the weeks and
months and perhaps years drag
out their weary lengths you will
need its messages and inspiration.
All I have emphasized is involv
ed in what I now mention. Let
us give more thought to Jesus
Christ. Represent the things
mentioned by concentric circles,
here is the circle that contains
them all. You would have no
Bible, but for the Christ in it.
Your Sabbath would have no sig
nificance without a revealed God
to worship. Home is his creation.
The church was founded by Him.
We want to think more of Christ
and Him crucified, for He is the
greatest fact and force in the uni
verse.
Life’s value and meaning and
influence will depend on the em
phasis you giv£ to Christ and His
teachings.
McDonough Suspends
All Business Monday
In compliance with the Food
Administration order, business of
all kinds was entirely suspended
and the first workless Monday
duly observed in McDonough.
Merchants and others met in
the office of the Farmers and Mer
chants Bank at 10 o’clock last Fri
day morning and unanimously
agreed to comply strictly with the
spirit and letter of the patriotic
movement.
Mr. E. M. Copeland was made
chairman and Mr. J. M. Carmi
chael secretary of the meeting,
and a most harmonious result fol
lowed, and McDonough is to be
School Column*
Another school week has past.
It is gone forever with its oppor
tunities and responsibilities.
With the cold, rainy weather as
hindrance, we may not have ac
complished as much as we had
planned to do, however, if we
have made an honest effort we
have not failed. *
The reports are very encourag
ing from the schools as a whole.
Only one teacher has had to quit
on account of sickness.
Let’s look on the bright side of
life. Keep on smiling. When we
smile the world smiles with us.
I am getting anxious to see boys
and girls now. I want to play
ball once more. When the roads
get good I’m going to see some
body sure. But I never had a let
ter this week. Maybe it is be
cause I’m married. 1 used to get
lots of letters when. I was single.
Well, I’ll continue to expect some.
With the best of wishes for
health and happines to all, both
teachers and pupils, I am,
Your friend,
T. J. Horton.
McDonough high school.
By THORNTON FARRAR.
In spite of the bad, rainy weath
er, we are having school, on ac
count of having lost so much
time.
The attendance is about 50 per
cent on the worst days, and many
of these pupils have to come from
the country.
We are running on the one ses
sion plan and will continue this
until spring opens.
We have several new' pupils in
the grades.
On account of the cold weather,
the news is almost frozen up.
9
CARD OF THANKS.
We wish to thank our many
friends for their loving kindness
and sympathy during the sickness
and death of our dear wife and
mother. May God’s richest bless
ings rest and abide with them all
is our prayer.
T. B. Massey,
W. W. Massey,
Mrs, Parks McCullough.
FOR RENT.
New four room cottage, close
in. T. PATILLO.
commended for cheerfully accept
ing and entering into the situa
tion.
A report of the meeting was
sent to the Atlanta papers, re
qesting their co-operation, togeth
er with the sister towns around
us, in carrying out all provions of
the new law.
It was a novel experience with
all, the first of a period of ten
weeks closing Mondays, and is
another forcible impression of the
gravity of the times upon which
our country has entered.
For what follows, may all be
prepared.
LOCUST GROVE LOCALS.
This Monday holiday is going to
prove a great blessing to the home
surroundings and town gardens.
There was much done the few
rainless hours last Monday.
Mr. Joel Price of Atlanta spent
the week end with his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. A. 11. Price.
Miss Lura Simpson spent Sun
day in McDonough.
Mr. C. B. Plexico spent the
week-end with relatives in Atlan
ta.
Mr. Daniel Rosser has gone
home' after a visit to relatives
here.
Mr. Zelma Cathy, of Camp
Wheeler, spent a few days with
his aunt, Mrs. J. B. Smith.
Mrs. Henry Colvin and daught
er, Miss Ophelia Colvin, have
moved to town.
Misses Josie and Clifford Wil
liams have returned from a visit
to their uncle, Mr. Wilson Duffey.
Mr. Bagerly, a former student
of L. 1., has moved his family here
and again entered school.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Smith
have returned from a visit to the
Gate City.
The workers for the Red Cress
are urged to turn in the work as
rapidly as possible, also all left
over thread, so all the garments
required may be finished at an
early date.
Red Cross.
100 hosDital garments and 25
sweaters are being shipped from
the Henry County Chapter this
week, to the Supply Depot in At
lanta for distribution.
In November we were called oa
tor 50 Christmas packages, which
we supplied.
Also, the eighth grade, Mrs. 0.
E. Ham, teacher, voluntarily fur
nished 25 nice towels for the
“boys in France,” all of which has
been acknowledged by receipt.
The work has been greatly de
layed by inclement weather, but
am hoping we can do more now
soon.
Our thanks are due all who
have assisted in the work.
Mrs. B. B. Carmichael.
Notice.
One-horse farm for rent, 3 miles
east of McDonough, near Bethany
church and Union Graded school
J. M. HAYS,
797 Marietta st., Atlanta, Ga.
$1.50 A YEAR
