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THE PULPIT.
AN ELOOUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. H. MARTIN, PH. D.
Subject: The Abundant Life.
Brooklyn, N. Y.—Sunday morning,
In the First Church of Christ (Disci¬
ples), the pastor, the Rev. Herbert
Martin, Ph. D., preached on “Religion
and Life.” The text was from John
10:10: “ I came that they may have
life, and may have it abundantly."
Dr. Martin said:
Christ came not to teach a theol¬
ogy primarily, if at all, hut to give
life, more life. He came to give life
to others rather than live a self-cen¬
tered life. I came that they may have
life. He came to give life here and
now. His emphasis was upon the
present life. He that hath the Son
hath life. Life in the future is a
corailary to present life. To have life
here and now is the only guarantee,
tho only possibility of future life.
The value and need of religion for
the present life are being emphasized
to-day as at no time since the early
Christian era. This identification of
religion and life tends to make re¬
ligion a normal phenomenon in hu¬
man experience. Religion has long
suffered because of its almost ex¬
clusive other-world emphasis. Its re¬
moval to the future as the proper
sphere of its activity, Its other-world
advantages caused men to regard It
ns an abstract, vague and unreal, and
to treat it as having little practical
benefit for the present. Under such
conditions religion would be disre¬
garded, or, If accepted, it would be In
nn almost altogether objective way as
a precautionary measure, and thus
never become a vital element in the
program of daily life. Tho normal
man is intensely Interested in the
present, and in the sweet, by-and-by
only as it is related to his present
interest. If religion is to cut any
real figure in this life it can do so only
as it links itself to and identifies itself
with his present interests. And this
religion is capable of doing, and Is
doing. The Master identified Himself
with the life of the people; In fact,
He came that Ho might give life to
the people.
The same hopeful sign is discovera¬
ble in the edflcatlonal world. Com¬
pare the curricula of the schools and
colleges of other days with those of
to-day and how ovidont is the differ¬
ence. Education as preparation for
living in the far future, even of the
present life, does not and never did
appeal to the normal mind unless the
appeal was effected through a liberal
application of physical force. Since
the days of Rousseau education as
mere preparation has gradually and
beautifully fallen into disrepute. Ed¬
ucators have discovered the practical¬
ly complete absorption of the child in
tho present. They have discovered,
furthermore, that even the young
child must live while being educated,
and that ns such it. must enjoy certain
rights. As a result of these discov¬
eries education is no longer a mere
formal process whose goal is utterly
remote from the present life inter¬
ests. Education aims to equip the
student for present living since he
must live while he is in process of
being educated. You cannot take a
hoy of fifteen years and educate him
for some position at thirty and ex¬
pect him to fill that position satisfac¬
torily if you wholly disregard the fact
that he lives and must live from
fifteen to thirty. Modern education
takes noto of this and seeks, while
looking toward the future, to qualify
the student in the largest way to live
the fullest life in the present days and
by so living will he be able to realize
those future expectations. In addi¬
tion to form, education gives content,
or better, to-day minds are formed
and fashioned by giving them a con¬
tent. Education and religion seek to
vitalize tho present and out of it to
make possible the future. Their aim
is one, inspired by the Master, to give
more life.
Jesus came with life for the peo¬
ple and brought it to the people. He
sought the people. He went out af¬
ter them instead of waiting for the
people to come to Him. His life was
one of faith in God and service to
and among men. He came to min¬
ister, and did minister. He tame to
give life and He gave it every day.
The life of men was being enriched
and ennobled Vo as He gave Himself,
His life them each day. The giv¬
ing of His life on the cross was, from
this point of view, the final act of
that life which was, par excellence,
the life-giving lifer Organized re¬
ligion is beginning to go out after
and to the people. Churches have
long since ceased to be built whose
entrances are guarded by Iron gates
and padlocks. “Strangers welcome,”
that condescending phrase, does not
appear so frequently on our church
signs. Religion has girded herself
for service. She is working in the
Young Men’s and Young Women’s
Christian Associations, and Is found
In settlement and slum work. Her
voice is heard in the factory noon-day
meetings, on the street corners, in
the theatres and in all the busy
haunts of men. Organized religion is
hearing the Master’s voice, is catch¬
ing His inspiration who said, “1 came
that they may have life.” So of edu¬
cation. It is being given to the peo¬
ple. It is no longer the peculiar
privilege of the few. The people are
being sought out and compelled to be
educated. Education is for the peo¬
ple and is being given to the people.
Education aims to give more fife
to the individual, and more life for
more individuals. It is true that
knowledge enlarges one's world and
contributes to his survival. His hori¬
zon is widened, his ideas and ideals
are enlarged, he discovers a deeper
meaning in things, life takes on other
and better aspects; in short, he pos¬
sesses a larger life. This larger life,
more life, Is becoming possible for
more Individuals. While this is true,
there remains yet much to be desired
in our public schools, high schools
and colleges. Let us remember that
in our system the higher the grade
the fewer the pupila; that out of one
hundred pupils who enter public
schools only twenty-five stay long
enough to read and write; that only
twenty out of one hundred stay longer
than the fifth grade; that less than
one out of one hundred who enter
our public schools graduate from the
high schools; that a small proportion
of high school graduates enter col¬
lege, and that a small percentage of
those who enter college remain until
graduation; all this in the face of
the fact that our system is graded
largely toward the university. If ed¬
ucation gives life it should give more
life to a greater number of indi¬
viduals. Jesus taught that the ninety
and nine that were safe within the
fold could not furnish an excuse for
the neglect of the one that was away.
With these things in mind should we
rest content with that system which
saves the one to the neglect of the
ninety and nine?
To produce snch a result, no one
cause is adequate. It has been fre¬
quently said, and with truth, that the
course of study does not have suf¬
ficient vital contact with the life and
interest of the pupil, and consequent¬
ly, because of its lack of interest for
him, fails to hold him. Rapid pro¬
gress, however, Is being made In our
own city toward the correction of
such undesirable conditions. Anoth¬
er cause, more deep-seated and more
serious, Is the growing commercial
spirit of the day. The dollar Is the
circle of life. Men sell the.r own
souls and put under tribute their
Children’s for dollars. There Is great
need for resolute struggle against
the allurements of dollars. Too many
altars are being bullded to the god of
gold; too many souls are being sacri¬
ficed upon these altars. It 1 b hard,
yes, well nigh Impossible, to trans¬
mute commercial ideals, dollars and
cents Into more abundant life.
Our course of study may well need
revision, may require a radical change
in content. But our greatest need is
larger and truer Ideals established
firmly in the hearts and minds of our
boys and girls. A greater emphasis
must be placed upon moral and Ideal
than upon material and commercial
values. The voice In defense of the
child’s inalienable rights, his heritage
of moral and religious ideals, should
ring deep into the hearts of parents.
Parents need to learn that the dollar
Is not the goal of life, that the child
Is more than the victim of a parent’s
base ideals; that he is more than a
money-making machine. They need
to learn that the child ha3 a self-hood
to he developed, a soul to be cultured,
and a destiny to be achieved. To
take a child out of school and compel
him to earn money is to deny him his
rights, is to degrade him. For
parents to do so 1 b Belfish, brutal, im¬
moral. 1 repeat that one of the great¬
est evils that threaten our nation i3
our too complete allegiance to com¬
mercial Ideals. Our mad rush for
gold makes us a nation of individuals
rather than a democracy. Christ
says, “No man llveth unto himself.”
In Now York it sometimes seems as
though every man reversed that prin¬
ciple. Individualism is a menace to
the life of the republic. There is, as
never before, a crying need for
parents and teachers to exalt moral
and spiritual values; a need to de¬
throne the god of gold and to re¬
enthrone the God of old; a need to
engrave upon the very physical and
spiritual fiber of the child’s nature
the exceeding, the incomparable
worth of moral character. Parents
themselves need to possess and prop¬
erly estimate these ideals and then to
instill them and give them first placo
in the hearts of their children. Such
ideals of truth and righteousness, im¬
plying as they do a profounder sense
of social obligation, will contribute in
tho highest degree to the enrichment
of human life, to a more abundant
life.
Mighty possibilities are resident in
the teacher's vocation because of tho
material with which he works. Eter¬
nal consequences follow therefrom.
The true teacher spends little time
waiting for pay day to come. His is
a worthier work than that of a mere
wage earner. He is a maker for
social betterment, not a mere hire¬
ling. As with the preacher, right¬
eousness is his concern; with God he
is a co-worker. That our teachers
might feel that they are called of God
and are doing God’s work, there was
a Man sent from God who was named
Teacher. He Himself says His mis¬
sion was to give a more abundant
life. That was His mission, that was
His religion, that was His life. The
religious aspect of the teacher’s work,
the religion of education, if you will,
is a subject worthy of more thought
than it has received.
While there is an imperative need
for teachers with ideals, we must not
forget that the ideals must be of pos¬
sible attainment. We need, then,
sane teachers, teachers balanced by
perspective. False ideals, ideals be¬
yond the realm of the possible, held
up before the young, defeat tho
teacher’s purpose. Hold up before a
boy an impossible ideal, making him
struggle toward its realization until
one day its utter absurdity dawns
upon him, and with what result? His
cherished idol falls and with it there
come tumbling down all his ideal con¬
structs. In this day when our college
presidents are little more than money
gatherers, when our school principals
are little more than clerical workers,
there is a positive need for teachers
with lofty ideals, but ideals within
the realm of possible achievement.
Impossible ideals made for lawless¬
ness rather than for righteousness
and the betterment of life.
We need, finally, to rediscover the
meaning of life, to learn that a man’s
life eousisteth not in the abundance
Everything to Build With.
We have recently purchased the Harris Manufacturing
Company’s lumber plant and stock and will devote our
exclusive attention to the builders supply busines in tho
future.
Our very complete stock includes
Brick, Lime, Sand, Cement, Fiber Wall Plaster, Paris
Plaster, Laths, Framing—rough or sized to order;
Weatherboarding—several grades; Sheeting. Shingles,
Prepared Rooting, Kiln Dried Flooring and Ceiling, the
kind that don’t crack open—several grades; Doors—
plain, and fancy glass front doors; Sash and Blinds—
in usual sizes; Window Cords, Weights and Pulleys;
Mantels, Columns, Balusters, Brackets, Mouldings,
Wainscoting, Corner and Plinth Blocks; Turned and
Sawed Work Made to Order; Door and Window
Frames; Sherwin-Williams Paint, Oils and Varnishes; |
Guaranteed Roof Paint.
IN FACT j
Everything to Build tilith
Bring us a list of the material that you want, or a plan of
the house you anticipate building, and let us convince you
that our prices are right.
Fort Valley Lumber Company.
of the things that he possesses. We
need to rediscover the fact of God,
and that in Him we live and move
and have our being. He is the source
of our life and to find Him is to find
fuller life. There is need to re-em¬
phasize the fact of Christ as the Re
vealer of the true life which is the
life of service. The life of the world
has received a new impulse in Him.
His faith and practice were that the
only way to find life is to give life.
Christ gave His life in deeds of loving
service oven unto death that the life
heritage of humanity might be en¬
riched. He thus emphasized in teach¬
ing and in life social obligation. For
Him every enriched life was an in¬
creased social asset. From Him wo
learn that the inheritance of life into
which we have come must be shared
with our fellows and passed on to
others enhanced in value by reason
of our participation. To give life is
to make life more abundant. ,
FEMININE NEWS NOTES.
Dr. V. A. Latyam, of Chicago, and
Miss Mary A. Booth, of Springfield,
Mass., are said to be the only expert
women photomicrographers in this
country.
The wife of the Prime Minister of
Bulgaria is the president of the Bul¬
garian Woman Suffrage Association,
which ha sa membership of about
3000 women.
Miss Vera Wentworth, a British
suffragist, was kept in Holloway jail
a day beyond her companions for
cutting “Vote For Women! » II on the
wall of her cell,
Miss Ross Becker has been ap¬
pointed a claim agent and United
States pension attorney in Missouri.
She has been known for years as one
of the most successful women in St.
Louis, being a notary public and an
insurance agent.
To overcome the objection on the
part of some women to high-heeled
shoes, because of their danger to
weak ankles, a Virginia woman has
devised a T-shaped piece of metal,
to be inserted in the heel of a shoe
and extending on either side of the
foot to support it.
Mrs. A. F. Goddard, of Abington,
Mass., has resigned her place as
church organist after a service of
forty-four years, said to be the
longest term of any woman in the
church history of New England. She
has been a successful director of
choruses and quartettes and has pro¬
duced several popular musical compo¬
sitions.
FAR EASTERN NOTES.
Japan is buying more American
iron and steel pipe each year.
Japanese business men entertained
merchants from the Pacific Coast at a
banquet in Tokio.
Egypt’s sugar cane crop this year
is only 400.000 tons, against 500,000
tons in 1907 and 700,000 tons <n
1906.
The sailors of the American fleet
at Amoy, China, contested in various
sports and the winners received
prizes.
Things are getting better in British
India. The number receiving -State
relief is now 639,000 instead of 1,-
375.000.
British Columbia’s mineral output
in 1907 was of the value of $25,882,-
560, an increase of $902,000 over
that of 1906.
Taotai Yun in an interview on the
Chinese-American alliance at Pekin
declared the idea had in it no menace
toward any nation.
India sends us many rugs. All the
pay the good weavers get for making
them is sixteen cents a day. Head
weavers get $15 a month.
The Chinese Government has or¬
dered the total abolition of the cuti
vation of the poppy in many prov
inces, beginning with the end of the
year.
Five Chinese pirates of a number
who murdered many passengers
struggling in the water in the recent
shipwreck near Tungan were sent to
Amoy to be beheaded.
Shanghai in 1907 imported more
electrical apparatus and materials,
railway materials, bicycles, typewrit¬
ers, graphophones and music boxes
than in any prior year.
W. H. HAFER,
DENTIST.
Fort Valley, Georgia
Office over First National Bank.
C. Z. McArthur,
Dentist
FORT VALLEY, GA.
Office over Slappey's Drug Store.
A. C. RILEY,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW,
WRIGHT BUILDING,
Fort Valley, Ga.
Practice in all the courts. Money
loaned. Titles abstracted.
fire $) Ofe Insurance
flL D. Skellie.
Office Phone No. 54.
FORT VALLEY, GA.
C. L. SHEPARD,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, J
Fort Valley, Ga.
Office Over First National Bank.
TONSORIAL ARTIST
For anything in the tonsorial lino
don’t fail to call on
WILLIAMS
Next Door to Post Office.
Experienced workmen and courteous at*
tention to all. Everything up-to-date.
PROMINENT PEOPLE.
Richard Croker decided to leave
Ireland for a visit to the United
States.
President C. W. Eliot, of Harvard,
resigned, and his resignation, to take
effect May 19, 1909, was accepted.
Howard Gould won the honors for
chrysanthemums at the first day of
the National Flower Show in Chicago.
Seth Low succeeds James R. Morse
In the presidency of the American
Asiatic Association, now eleven vears
old.
Dr. Sven Hedin. the Swedish ex¬
plorer, says that he has discovered
the true sources of the Bramaputra
and Indus.
DeLancey Nicoll, attorney', of New
York City, said that Howard Gould’s
income had been cut down $300,000
and was now only $400,000.
One of the best known mining men
in the country, Walter Fitch, has re¬
signed as superintendent of the Cal¬
umet and Hecla properties.
Duchess Alexandra Victoria of
Schleswig-Holstein was married in
Berlin to Prince August William of
Prussia, fourth son of the Emperor.
R. W. Gilder, of the Century, said
that the Kaiser article was not with¬
drawn because of anything in it likely
to cause international complications.
Kenyon Cox, the painter, is also
an accomplished writer. He is a son
of General Jacob D. Cox, Secretary of
the Interior in President Grant’s first
Cabinet.
Amid great ceremony the Czar of
I Bulgaria convened the National As
sembly for the first time since claim
! ing regal dignity, and was enthusias
tically cheered by the people,
Henry P. Davidson, vice-president
j of the First National Bank of New
i York, and Professor A. P. Andrews,
j | members Commission, of have the National returned Monetary from
j an
official trip to Europe.
Running water helps to run the
farm.
' UU> or
L E
I’VE CAUGHT NO FISH TO-DAY.
Oh, Bobby Bear and Bubhy Bear one day
For lines a-fishing they went; found bits of
for hooks pins some they bent. string—
some
They angled in the goldfish globe for nearly
half a day,
While Baby Bear just waited to see what
they would say.
After they’d fished a long, long time, said
Bobby Bear, “ I wish
You’d go away , dear Baby Boar—I fear
you’ll scare the fish.”
“Dey isn’t any fish," said Baby Bear, for,
I yesterday, af’aid you’d hurt ’em, I frowed
was so
’em all away! ” —St. Nicholas.
AMONG GIRLS.
“Does she know her to talk to? it
“No, only to talk about.”—Smart
Set.
£3
MISINTERPRETATION. $ 5
A
The Peddler—“Peach-es! ”
One of the Spinsters—“Flatterer! »
—Brooklyn Life.
ONE ON HUBBY.
n What is an able seaman, ma?”
a A man who can stand any number
of schooners.”—New York Press.
AN APOLOGY REQUIRED.
«I Young man, you rescued my wife
from the water. it
“I beg pardon, sir. I thought it
was your daughter.”— Judge.
».4;~
obstacles.
* * You would be a good dancer but
for two things.”
“What are they?"
i - Your feet.”—Baltimore American.
true both ways.
* i The die is cast! > i hissed the vil
lain.
Then, shaking their gold locks, the
chorus bounded on.
“It seems,” the critic murmured,
< < that the cast is dyed, too.”—New
York Press.
IN 1910.
Elevator Man—“Fiftieth story. Far
as we go!”
Uncle Hiram (getting out)—■
Gosh, Mandy, that conductor forgot
to collect our fares. Come along,
quick! We’re a dime in.”—Boston
Transcript.
$3
SEEKING INFORMATION.
11 Whither away?” asked the cam¬
paign manager.
“To join the society of psychic re¬
search,” answered the candidate, “to
see whether I have a ghost of a show. 11
—Washington Star.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
< c Mr. Scribble, how did you happen
to write this wonderful work, so pal¬
pitating with human heart interest?”
“Oh, my butcher was dunning me
very hard for something on account,
and my landlord wanted his rent.”— 1
Kansas City Journal.
THE ANXIOUS FATHER.
Emily (playing “house”) — “Now,.
I’ll be mamma and you’ll be papa, and
little Ben and Bessie will be our
babies.”
Willie (after a moment, anxiously)
-—“Ain’t it about time to whip the
children?”—Tit-Bits.
THE POOR MILKMAN AGAIN.
The milkman was boiling over
with indignation.
“And you mean to say my milk
don’t look right?” he snapped. “Why,
lady, this can of milk is a picture.”
“Ah, yes,” laughed the keen house¬
wife, “a fine water color.”—Chicago
News.
THE SAME THING.
i < You have advocated a great many
reforms.”
“Yes,” answered the statesman.
“Yet you are now silent. Are you
discouraged?”
“No; I’m not discouraged. But tho
audiences seem to be.”—Washington
Star.
CHANGING HIS ORDER.
• e Has your order been taken?” 1
asked one of the waiters.
“Yes,” said Mr, Welbroke, “fifteen
minutes ago. If it isn’t too late,
I’d like to change it.”
t * To change your order, sir?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind, I’ll change
to an entreaty.”—Chicago Tribune.
INVENTION.
“Now that we have an airship, It
the progressive man, “what will
the next important invention?”
“I don’t know,” answered the un
person, “unless it i 3
method of enabling the man
is running the ship to know ex¬
What it is going to do.”—Wash*
Star.