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COMMENCEMENT—CHAUTAUQUA EDITION.
VOLUME X.
GAINESVILLE, GA„ SATURDAY, JUNE 4. 1898
NUMBER
COMMENCEMENT SERMON
of
Rev. A. A. Marshall at the Georgia Fe
male Seminary.
powerful Discourse Upon “The Conservative Influence of the
^ A Large Audience ^lears and Enjoys the Sermon.—
Fine Program of Music was Rendered.
Coininoicrment Sunday at the Geor-
• p e in;if<* Seminary and Conservatory
Music is always a great clay.
Sunday
for at t
icg servic
jnditorium was
jjcit.v
■ e:
•es t he
of
of
Last
; ,s no exception to the rule,
anointed hour for the morn-
large and magnificent
filled to its utmost ca-
wivh home people and visitors
, t;0 had assembled to witness and en-
' the services prepared for the day.
I pmilhe stage sat the ministers of
the g.-s-pei. members of the Hoard
Trustees, the associate presidents
the institution, the graduating class,
and those who were to tal& part in the
rendition of the music. Magnificent
ferns and flowers decorated the stage,
the appearance of which was strikingly
beautiful. The members of the faculty
occupied the boxes on either side and,
together with the large assembly of
people, listened attentively to the
services.
The organ prelude by Prof. Charles
J. Wallace, that eminent musician who
fias won renown in the music world by
bis charming compositions, was very
hne. A chorus, “As pants the heart,
by the Senior class, was beautifully
endered. after which Rev. J. A. Wynn
ivoked divine blessings. The congre-
fiion then joined in singing “Corona-
bn,•’ and then followed the reading of
be scriptures by Rev. A, A. Marshall,
f Atlanta, who had been selected to
reach the commencement sermon.
There is a Green Hill far Away," a
vocal quartette by Misses Wheeler and
Haynes and Messrs. -Van Hoose and
Pearce, was feelingly sung, and then
Rev. Mr. Marshall delivered the com
mencement sermon which was pro
nounced one of the best ever heard in
Gainesville. He dwelt eloquently Upon
each point in his text, and powerfully
expounded the word as viewed by him
in the scriptures. His text is found in
Genesis 18th. chapter, 26th. and 32d.
verses: “And the Lord said, If I find in
Sodom fifty righteous within the city,
then I will spare all the place for their
sakes; “And he said, I will not destroy
it for ten’s sake." Leviticus 16th chap
ter, and Sth verse: “And five of you
shall chase an hnudred, and an hun
dred of you shall put ten thousand to
%ht." “The Conseryative Influence
ohbe Few,” was the subject of his ser-
moa as preached from the text, and it
was beautiful throughout.
“To all human controversy there
must be an end,” said Mr. Marshall in
beginning his discourse. “If human
minds were so constit uted as inherently
to be able to perceive the right, and
human volition so morally accentuated
as to choose the right, then to settle
differences and arbitrate misunder
standings would be a small matter.
But neither of these suppositions is
true. Men cannot see the right and
will not do the right. It is therefore
necessary to choose some other stand
ard than that of absolute right to settle
differences*among men. Whatever the
standard chosen, it is well to remember
’hat it is an arbitrary one. By arbi
trary. I mean that in itself it is no guar
antee of absolute right.
One of these standards is the will of
the ruling sovereign. Hence we have
the maxim of the common la w of Eng
land, “The King can do no wrong.”
Tnat is, as the king is the ultimate
authoritj 7 to which appeal can be made
—his decision is final—and if final,
nght. In republics the last appeal is
1° the will of the majority. The ma
jority must rule—to their will every
thing must bow—their voice expressed
lD the ballot is the end—hence by a
s °rt of legal fiction, is right. This fact
rise to the maxim in republican
voice of the people was
^ le v °ke of God. But this latter
ts as false as the former, for the
may do wrong, and the voice of
j e people is not the voice of God.
‘Oth are arbitrary and fallible stand-
* w °uld not ask that either of
es e standards be changed. They are
e Best that sinful man can devise—
as all controversy m a sense must
it is better that appeal be made to
fallible standard rather than to no
?ave
^°me, that the
standard at all—for a wrong ending to
litigation and controversy is better than
no ending, and an appeal to the will of
a sovereign or to the arbitrament of the
people by majorities is better than an
appeal to brute force which is the only
alternative left. The unanimity with
which the law-makers of nations in all-
age* have agreed upon the one or the
other of the standards mentioned, grew
cult of the fact—not that either was a
guarantee of right, but that one or the
other was necessary—no other course
being possible or at least reasonable.
So far as I am aware, no one has sug
gested the will of minorities as the
standard of appeal. True in the aris
tocracy of Athens there was a squint
ing at it, for under the aristocracy the
state was in a sense ruled by the few,
but the decision of all questions even
then was left to the will of the major
ity of those voting. So that there the
will of the majority was the ultimate
court of appeal. I repeat, I would not
if I could change the standards fixed
by the old law-givers, and made almost
sacred by their use through centuries.
’ But I do desire to speafc: in behalf
of minorities and to stress the fact
that to the conservative influence of
the few we are greatly indebted both
in matter of law and religion. The
first thing that I would seek to
impress upon your minds is tlie fact
that mere numbers afford no guarantee
whatsoever of right”; and to help you
remember the fact I recall a quaint old
couplet.
“Numbers are no sign that men in the
right are found,
For few were saved in Noah’s ark, while
many millions di owned.”
1 believe I state a truth of easy re
ception when I say that minorities are
as apt as majorities to be right. At
any rate, no one can deny that the
opinion of the minority often does exert
a very marked and beneficial influence
upon the majority, causing them to
modify their views, and keeping them
from running into dangerous excesses.
I might produce many proofs from po
litical and religious history of our
country. So that for much of good in
our social, legal, and religious systems,
we are indebted, not so much to any
accurate or unerring j udgment of ma
jorities as to the conservative influence
of wise minorities. Indeed all great
movements political, moral and social
originate not in the mind of the
masses but in the minds of the few.
Bismark said: One third of the German
students spend their time in dissipation,
one third died, but the remainder fash
ion the J ;stinies of the empire. Such
must have been the idea of Jehovah
when speaking with Abraham about
the destruction of Sodom, he agreed if
there should be fifty righteous merlin
Sodom the city should not be destroyed
and finally agreeing if so small a num
ber as ten righteous men should be
found he would not destroy the city—
the idea being that if there were in
that great and wicked city as many as
fifty or even ten righteous men—either
that the city would not have lapsed in-
such fearful wickedness, such unspeak
able depredation—as to demand its de
struction, or else that the presence of
fifty or even ten righteous men would
exert such an elevating and ennobling
influence as to furnish reasonable hop3
of a reformation even in Sodom. In
either event the passage suggests the
conservative influence possible in so
small a number as ten, or fifty, as
either to prevent wickedness or to re
strain and counteract it. The same
doctrine of the conservative and con
trolling influence of minorities, is
taught in the passage of scripture in
which God assures his people if they
keep his commandments he will bring
it about that they shall be superior to
their enemies so that “Five of you shall
chase an hundred and an hundred of
you shall put ten thousand to flight.”
Various causes render possible the
influence of the few. 1st: It is a sad
fact suggested in scripture and con
firmed oy our own experiences that
only a small part of mankind really
think for themselves. It was Jefferson,
I believe, who said, “Nine men are
born with saddles on their backs and
the tenth man rides the other nine,”
implying the idea that only one in ten
really does his own thinking, and act
ing, while the nine continue in a sort
of mental as well as physical vassalage
to the tenth man. The majority of
men get their opinions from some one
else. Indeed one can fancy a similarity
between the great world of men and a
frog-pond. When the pater-familias
of the pond breaks forth in gutteral ut
terance, every little frog in the pond
will mount a tussock and shout, "Me
tool Me too!” Herein lies tlie real dif
ference between a great man and a
demagogue—the former thinks;reasons
for himself, and becomes a leader of
the people—the latter keeps a closed
mouth, “saws wood and says nothing"
until he has observed the weather-vane
of popular opinion or prejudice, and
follows the blind rush of the masses.
The statesman thinks and leads—the
trickster observes and follows. The
statesman is a man of convictions, and
has the courage of his convictions; the
shyster veers with every breeze or else
has no opinion at all. It is as true of re
ligious affairs as of matters political,
that but-few people really think. The
lack of thought was the charge that Je
hovah brought against Israel—“The ox
knoweth his owner and the ass his mas
ter's crib, but Israel doth not know,
my people doth not consider.”
We are accustomed to boast of the
grandeur of man and in our brighter
moods think of him as a collossal figure
proudly treading the earth as tho’ his
head did touch the stars. But what a
commentary upon his pretended great
ness when Jehovah charged him with
having less thought and considerati on
than the ox that knoweth his owner
and the ass that knoweth his master's
crib. The lack of thought upon the
part of the masses easily explain* the
cause of so much trouble in the politi
cal world. Designing men take advant
age of the people and mislead them by
false promises or deceive them with
false hope. Ohl that the people would
think; then the demagogue would lose
his patronage and the career of the
shyster would come to an end. The
same lack of thought on the part of
the many explains the real difficulty
in all church and religious work. If
Christians and church members would
only think, they would realize the need
of work and money for all departments
of Christian effort. The financial
question in the church is made difficult
of solution not because of the poverty
of the church nor yet on account of the
stinginess of church members,—the
real difficulty is, Christians # do not
think.
Oh! if Christians could only fully
realize how on account of sin homes
and hearts are made desolate, and how
souls are sinking into the abyss of un-
uterable woe. I know we would bestir
ourselves, and give not only of our
means, but our lives also to the work
of rescuing the perishing. But alas!
“Israel doth not know; my people doth
not consider.” The unwillingness of
Christian people to think operates in
another way to the-injury of Christian
ity in that they thereby lose their love
and appreciation for the more serious
discussion of the great doctrinal ques
tions that underly ourChristian system.
They say “away with your doctrine—
away with your theology—when these
are the very bones and sinews of Christ
ian manhood, and without them the
Christian becomes a boneless mass
of shapeless flesh.
Oh! were it not for the influence of
the faithful few—were it not for the
love and loyalty of a heart here and
there, the fires would burn out on the
altar, and the light of life and truth
would go out, leaving the world in dark- i
ness, in anarchy, in death.
The second cause that increases the
conservative influence of the few grows
out of our universal depravity. Sin
both as a principle and as a factor in
determining character and influence is
ever present with us. The great mass
of humanity yield to the suggestions of
sin rather than strive to resist them,
and sin weakens and emasculates, while
“a troubled conscience makes cowards j
of us all. ” *
A man panoplied in the right, with a
conscience void of offence toward God
and; man, becomes a hero—a leader,
whose words and presence carries an
irresistible influence. Of such men it is
true that five of them will chase an
hundred, and an hundre dof them will j
J.G. Hynds Mfg. Co.
/ SPECIAL SALE OF
Ladies’ Shirt Waists.
There is nothing but high-class Garments
here. The celebrated “Stanley” Wahrt, made by
V- Henry Rothschild, is known to almost every
lady in the land. We think it as much our duty
to price our goods fairly as to be fair in quality
and reliable dealings. We are not speculating—
price is a matter of computation from fixed facts.
That is why you can get such Garments as these
at such prices. You would gladly pay more in
many cases if you were asked to do so.
50 CENTS '
Gets choice of a large assortment of colorings in
regular DOLLAR quality, made of fine Organdies
and Lawns.
75 CENTS
Gets choice of a handsomer line of the $1.25
quality made of fine madras and organdie.
If you will examine them you will appre
ciate them.
SPECIAL SALE OF
Men's Shirts, Collars and Cuffs.
When the season has just begun and buying
is at its height, it may seem unwise to lower
prices. Now, if ever, is the time for profit.
We, however, prefer to maintain our motto,
“Quick Sales,” and in order to close out quickly
the remainder of our exceedingly heavy early pur
chase of Shirts, we offer
AT 50 CENTS
About 50 dozen Negligee attached Collars and
Cuffs; large assortment colors; fine Percales,
worth $1.00 everywhere.
About 50 dozen soft bosom, white neck and
cuff band, handsomest line of patterns in the
State, and not to be had anywhere for less than $1.
DON’T FORGET
We handle exclusively the celebrated Eugene
Peyser’s Cuffs, 4-ply all linen, 20c; Collars, 4-ply
all linen 10c.
J. G. Hynds Manufacturing Co.,
Retail Department, corner building, Main and Broad Streets,
Gainesville
Georgia
put ten thousand to flight. I believe I
utter no extravagant statement when I
say that all great movements and all
moral revolutions owe their beginning
and their success to the efforts of a few
and often to the determined energy of
only a single individual. Perhaps the
effort may cost the individual his life.
But what cares a determined man in
the consecrated cause of right. As an
illustration, there comes to us the story
of an obscure monk through whose
heroism, resulting in his death, the
bloody sports of the gladiatorial arena
in Rome were closed forever. The
gladiatorial arena, as the story goes,
had been closed for years, but in honor
of a returning conqueror the cruel
sport was to be revived. It was a hol
iday in Rome—the din of trade and
commerce had given place to the cheers
and shouts of the people in honor of a
conquering hero. On! on! toward the
amphitheatre the crowds are moving—
today they are to see again the contests
of the arena and glut their eyes on
human blood. In tlie midst of the con
tests when cruel expectation was raised
to its highest pitch, a pale faced monk
rushes into the arena and parting the
combatants appealed to the emperor in
the name of God to end the cruel con
tests. The crowd shouts “Put him out,
strike him down.*’ The sword of a
gladiator felled him to the earth—the
contest went on. But tlie impression
and influence of that heroic man whose
blood had stained the arena, as he ap
pealed to emperor and populace in the
name of right and of God to end the
brutal show, was never effaced, and
the gladiatorial arena was never open
ed again.
So far we have discus3B(i the subject
in its secular and moral aspects only—
let us now raise it to a higher plane and
consider the conservative influence of
the church of God, constituting as it
does but a small minority of the great
population of the world. The influence
of the Christian religion wrought
through its comparatively small num
ber of adherents, is far too great and
comprehensive, to admit of any • accu
rate or precise expression. We may
however arrive at a fair estimate of it
from a consideration of the following
[continued on fourth page.]
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