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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.] Your Merdiftnt for 0R. MOFFETT’S Little Book ol Valuable Information, FREE. g .©toil ►3" m «B £ a- SJh. §« hm 252s S te® s~'"“ TO MC* * s : • s. . hJ * . • o *^3 AIDS DIGESTION, REGULATES THE BOWELS, CURES CHOLERA-INFANTUM, and MAKES TEETHING EASY DR. MOFFETT'S FEMALE MEDICINE Gives Rosy Cheeks, Strength, health and Happ mes TO WOMAN. PREPARED ONLY BY . D., St. Loins,Me. TEETBLINA’S the beat—we all know that. 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