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THE NORTH GEORGIAN
(SUCCESSOR TO THE NORTH
GEORGIA BAPTIBT.)
Entered t the postofflce at Cum
Bins, Ga., as second class matter.
Make a noise like a? 5 0111, con
tends the Boston Post, and the world
will give you a smiling face.
A New York judge has sent a
chauffeur to jail for killing a man.
If this sort of thing keeps on, laments
the Rochester Post-Express, automo
bilists will soon have no rights the
public is bound to respect.
Seeking the unattainable, mourns
the New Yovk Presß, is for a man to
try to find a corner in the house for
some undisturbed reading without it
having to be dusted ten minutes after
be begins.
Prophesies the Chicago Inter-
Ocean: "We shall have a great and
comprehensive waterway system when
we reach the point of resolution to go
on with the enterprise, and thus make
It, in the broad sense, a non-partisan
national work.’
Referring to the American fleet the
Troy Times says: What a record
these splendid vessels and their offi
cers and men will have made in their
42, miles of travel! Not a serious
accident yet, good feeling among the
nations stimulated and proper respect
for Uncle Sam increased.
In this fast age we Bhould be care
ful to condense all our writings—-let
ters, briefs, wills, manuscripts of
plays, prose, poetry, etc. Only 10 per
cent of the stuff that we write these
days is read, Insists the New York
Press. And white paper is going high
er. Why waste it, and why waste
time? An old style fellow, now in his
eighties, wrote a six-page letter to a
friend and had the courtesy to add
this postscript: "Excuse me for mak
ing this letter so long, but I really
have not the time to make it shorter.”
Almost every state legislature,
north and south, east and west, has
had a scheme of highway improve
ment before it this year; the most
ambitious schemes of waterway and
highway improvement are those of
the Empire state, boasts the New
York Mail. Railroad managers have
abandoned their old attitude of indif
ference or tacit opposition to inland
waterways and improved highways,
and are agitating in the agricultural
ctatos in behalf of scientific road
making. The use of slag, of molasses
refuse and of various tar preparations
as a road foundation or binder is be
ing tested here and in other lands,
and today an international congress
will meet in Paris, with 24 countries
represented, to discuss means for the
preservation of the highway. The rap
id spread of automobile traffic has
made such a conference urgent, for
the plain lesson of this traffic is that
our roads must be made much better
or they will get much worse.
The public schools receive from
time to time more or less criticism,
which is doubtless on occasions de
served, but, contends the Boston
Transcript, is quite as frequently be
stowed because they are public insti
tutions and therefore considered fair
game by those who help to support
them. But President Eliot’s tribute to
them at the reunion of the English
high graduates last night is testimony
on as high authority as the country
affords, not only that they do good
work but among the secondary schools
the best work. Of course there are
exceptions to all rules, but his report
ed statement that "the boys who do
the best work at college come from
the public schools,” seems to be un
equivocal. Next in order he rates the
endowed schools, and last the private
schools, and this, he declares, "is a
very encouraging result for democ;a
cy.” He has formed this opinion in
college examination tests not only at
entrance but subsequently, and more
convincing testimony it would be im
possible to obtain. It is the duty of
the public schools to keep striving for
improvement, but it is gratifying to
learn that they already stand in the
forefront of our educational system.
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
P.EV. W. T BEST.
Theme: Well Doing.
Text: "If thou doest well, shalt
thou not be accepted? and if thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”
—Gen., 4:7.
The farmer and the shephed both
brought an offering unto the Lord.
We look at Cain’s offering and we
Bay, the Lord will c jrtainly bless
Cain. What a costly offering he is
presenting and how much hard work
it must have taken to get It ready.
Early and late has he worked through
the long summer days. In the sweat
of his face he has plowed, and har
rowed, and sown, and cultivated, and
now Providence has blessed him with
a bountiful harvest. Look at the
choice vegetables and the delicious
fruits that go to make up his offer
ing! Surely the blessing Is his.
Abel selected a lamb from his flock
without spot or blemish; he cuts its
throat; see the blood gush out! How
cruel! God will certainly reject Abel,
But God had respect unto Abel and
his offering, but unto Cain and his
offering he had not respect; Why?
Had he not worked hard and faith
fully? Hadn’t he acknowledged di
vine Providence? Yes, all this is
true, but his heart was not right. His
offering was one of self-righteousness
and good works. Abel came In God’s
way, not by works, not by self-right
eousness, but by the blood. “Without
the shedding of blood there is no re
mission of sin,” for “it is the blood
that maketh an atonement for the
soul.” God taught our first parents
this great lesson when He slew the
animals to get coats of skin to clothe
them. Abel had faith in God, and
coming in God’s way, he believed
God would receive him. so God testi
fied to his gifts that he was right
eous.
When Cain saw that Abel wrie ac
cepted he was wroth, and his coun
tenance fell. “And the Lord said
unto Cain, Why art thou wroth; and
why is thy countenance fallen? If
thou doest well, shalt thou not be
accepted? and if thou doest not well,
sin lieth at the door.” What a warn
ing this! As if the Lord had said.
“Cain I am no respector of persons;
If you do right I will bless you just as
willingly as I did Abel; but if you
don’t do right, why, then, sin like a
wild beast of prey is crouched at
your heart's door, and is only wait
ing for a good opportunity to leap
upon you.” Instead of heeding God’s
warning, Cain watched for an oppor
tunity, and as soon as it presented
Itself, he rose up against his brother
and slew him. “And wherefore slew
he him, because his own works were
evil and his brother’s righteous.”
Here are two young men both en
gaged In good occupations and with
equal privileges. One made a suc
cess of life, the other a failure. Up
to the time of our text, if we look at
Cain from the standpoint of this
world, we would say he had done
well; but It was he that did it. God’s
word says, “by the works of the law
shall no flesh be justified.” “Salva
tion is not of works, lest any man
should boast.” Cain lived long
enough to make a mark in the world;
but Instead of making a mark in the
world, God had to put a mark on
him lest the world should kill him.
Even to this day he is despised as the
first murderer. Abel’s life was short
compared with that of Cain, yet It
was long enough to be successful;
and he is honored more to-day than
ever before. Jesus Christ said,
"Blessed are the meek; blessed are
the pure in heart; blessed are, blessed
are.” Here we are distinctly told that
It is not what a man has, not yet
what he does, that obtains for him
God’s blessings; but what he is. Sol
omon said, “Keep thy heart with all
diligence for out of It are the issues
of life.” Well-doing is dependent on
well-being.
I. The first step in well-doing is
to give one's heart to God.
If a man does not do well in this
respect what is the result? He may
have ever so good an opinion of him
self, all his ways may be clean in his
own eyes, he may think he is better
than anybody else; but God says his
heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked above all things, his throat is
an open sepulchre, the poison of asps
is under his lips, his mouth full of
cursing, his feet swift to shed inno
cent blood, destruction and misery
are in his ways, no fear of God be
fore his eyes. How can he escape the
damnation of hell?
What worse error is there than to
suppose a man can do well with a
wrong heart? We make an awful
mistake if we suppose that religion is
simply for the church and Sunday
school. The farmer needs it to run
his farm. The merchant to run his
store. It is needed by every individ
ual that expects to make a success of
life.
But remember that when a man’s
heart is right with God he is just in
a position to do well; the doing is
still before him. Salvation is in three
parts, an act. a work, a state. A man
repents of his sins, accepts Christ by
faith and salvation is to him an act
of God's free grace whereby he is
saved. But how many there are that
suppose that this is all. there Is to
salvation. The fact that a man was
saved five years ago is no proof that
he is saved to-day, or that he will be
finally saved. From the day of a
man’s conversion until the day of his
death salvation is a work and he
must “work it out,” or be forever
lost. After death salvation is a state.
11. The second step in well-doing
Is to take the Bible as one’s guide.
It is doubtful whether there would
be such a country in the world as the
United States of America, were it not
for the longings of Christopher Col
umbus to spread the knowledge of
this book. To it we owe the Immor
talization of the Mayflower and the
sublimity of Plymouth Rock. The
command rolled from bow to stern
on the grand old Puritan vessel.
“Pull down that sail, let not an oar
touch the water, this is the Sabbath
Day!” When the Pilgrim Fathers
landed at Newburyport, they put
down the old Bible and said, “We are
going tc build a nation on this Book.”
It supported George Washington, the
father of this country, and purchased
for us our freedom. It made Daniel
Webster the Biblical Concordance of
the United States Senate and Patrick
Henry and James Otis, like unto the
Hebrew prophets, and now if you
wish to understand one of the great
est events in our history, look at this
picture. It is that of a Kentucky
youth, his arms are tired after chop
ping all day, yet he sits up till the
midnight hour, and as the snow-wet
logs crackle on the hearth and blaze
up the chimney, he reads from this
grand old Book, the Book, that in
after years made him a leader, whose
administration subdued a rebellion of
eight million people, and the emanci
pator whose pen struck the shackles
from the limbs of four million slaves,
neither in this country nor elsewnere
in the world shall ever dies the mem
ory of Abraham Lincoln.
I heard Rev. John Mavity say one
time that in his younger years he
used to preach that if a man had a
right heart every thing else he did
would be right; but, said he, “of late
years, I have concluded that a mgn
needs not only a right heart but a
right head.” There is some truth in
this statement. Isaiah tell3 us, we
must “learn to do well.” Paul says.
“Study to show thyself approved of
God.”
While I would say to every young
man and woman, you ought to have
the very best education possible, I
would also say, let the Bible be to
you the Book of Books. Nearly all
the great men of the past owe their
greatness to this Book. It is almost
impossible to name any rule by which
men have succeeded in life that has
not its foundation in the Bible. The
Book of Proverbs is especially full of
such rules.
John Quincy Adams made the Bible
his constant companion. Amos Law
rence, the millionaire merchant of
Boston, had inscribed on his pocket
book, the text, “What shall it profit
a man if he gain the whole world and
lose his own soul?” No wonder he
gave thousands of dollars to the cause
of Christ.
But what about the men who reject
the Bible? Why, sin lieth at their
door. The superstitious life of Byron,
or the dying words of Voltaire will
prove this statement.
111. The third btep in well-doing
Is to be honest.
Your Book, the Bible, says, “Thou
shalt not steal," or in other words
be honest.
1. Be honesi '*'*■Qrod
You have accfc - '* * t as your
Saviour, and tak;L ~ , as your
guide: the Book tells you is ex *
pected of each one of His followers,
and He tells you just the work what
He wants you personally to do. Have
you met both these requirements?
2. Be honest with yourself.
You have a soul to save and a body
to care for. You will be rewarded ac
cording to your works.
3. Be honest with your fellow-
man.
A man would steal a dollar on the
same principle that he would steal a
pin. Watch the little things; a gnat
choked Pope Adrian; a nail turned
a ship out of its course; a fly by
walking from tree to tree revealed to
the onlooker that, the supposed dis
tant landscape was only a picture.
Said a wholesale merchant to a
customer, as he pointed to one of his
clerks: “That young man, sir, is my
banker, he handles every cent of
money that passes through the store.
He could cheat me out of thousands
of dollars every year if he wanted to,
but I am not afraid to trust him, he
has proven himself to be strictly hon
est.”
Said a merchant to one of his
clerks: “Why didn’t that lady buy
•those goods?” “Because, sir, she
wanted Middlesex cloth. “Why did
you not show her the next pile, and
call them Middlesex?” “Because,
sir, they were not Middlesex.” “Well,
said the merchant, if you are as par
ticular as all that you will never do
for me.” “Very well,” said the young
man, “if I have to lie to keep my po
sition I will lose it.”
When Abraham Lincoln had charge
of Orfuts’ country store, he walked
two miles to give a lady sit cents that
he had overcharged her by mistake.
Another time he made a mistake and
sold a quarter of a pound of tea for
a half pound. As soon as he discov
ered his error he could not rest till
it was made right. After he was ad
mitted to the bar it was said of him
that he would never defend a person
whom he believed to be in the wrong,
even if they offered him a large
amount of money to do so.
He undertook the Paterson trial,
believing the man accused of murder
to bo innocent; but when the trial
was half through he changed his
mind and dropped the case, refusing
pav for his services.
When the time came in our history
as a nation that the people began to
distrust the corrupt politicians who
were governing in the interests of
slavery, the only hope of saving the
ship of state was to place an honest
man in the Presidential chair. Hon
est Abe Lincoln was the man selected.
From a spiritual point of view we
are debtors to all men, let us try and
pay this debt, not only by our lives
but by giving our substance to the
cause of Christ throughout the world.
IV. The next step in well-doing is
to be men and women of Tact, Push
and Principle.
Upon these three qualities depend
the success of every man or woman
from a business point of view. Sam
uel Budgett, the great English mer
chant, attributed his success to them.
1 Tact —Tact is nothing more
nor'less than the use of common
sense, and it is so common that very
few people possess as much of it a
cultured people
often speak of the farmer as the
“hayseed from the country.
some of them, when they visit the
farmer show themselves t° be ae '
ficient in this quality of tact Said
one young man to his farmer friend.
“What kind of a bird do you call
that?” “A goose,” was the reply, u.
I see; you keep that to get gooseber
rles with.” A young lady from the
city of Ottawa asked a friend of mine
which of his cows gave the butter
milk. Every one who has heard or
read Dr. Price’s address to young peo
ple will remember his apt illustration,
“Tabby, why don’t you get up?
2. Push. —Many people have tact
enough to succeed, If they only had
push enough to go with it. They can
sell a book, or a bill of goods, but it
takes them so long to do so, that
there is no profit In It. Many of the
victories in the world’s his
tory have been won by men while yet
young in years. David, Luther, Alex
ander and the world’s Redeemer
Himself are illustrations of this
truth.
3. —Principle.—Tact and push
would be a detriment to a man if ne
were without principle. An employer
promised a clerk higher wages if he
would treat the customers now and
then to a glass, in order the he might
sell them a bill of goods. The young
man replied: “I thank God there is
a poorhouse in my native town, and
I will go there and die before I shall
do such dirty work.” That was
Principle. Nicholas Biddle, the first
president of the United States Banx,
requested his employes at one time
to work on Sunday. One young man
lost his position rather than do so.
That was Principle.
When President Lincoln was re
nominated for the Presidency it be
came necessary to call for 500,000 re
cruits to reinforce the men at the
front. His friends everywhere ad
vised him not to issue the order as it
would endanger his re-election. He
went personally before the congres
sional military committee where a
similar attempt was made. With the
fire cf indignation flashing in his eyes
he replied: “It is not necessary for
me to be re-elected, but It Is neces
sary for the soldiers at the front to
be reinforced by 500,000 men, and 1
shall call for them; and if I go down
under the act, I will go down like the
Cumberland, with rny colors flying.”
O, for more men and women of
tact, push and principle.
V. The fifth step in well doing is
to be a man or woman of faith.
When Thomas A. Edison first con
ceived the idea of the phonograph, he
said: “I can make it.” During nine
long years he never lost faith, though
at times it seemed utterly impossible
for him to succeed. And so it has
been with nearly all of his great in
ventions; through faith he has
plodded on night and day, sometimes
forgetting to eat or sleep, yet ever
confident that he was going to suc
ceed. The whole history of our
country has been largely one of faith.
From the day that Columbus crossed
the Atlantic to the present day, near
ly every great move has appeared un
reasonable from a worldly standpoint,
but has been undertaken through
faith. And what shall I now say, for
the time would fail me to tell of Gid
eon, and of Barak, and of Jephthae,
and of the wonderful things they
have accomplished through faith.
The man or woman who lacks this
quality of faith is of all persons most
miserable, yea. sin lies at their door
and wreaks vengeance upon them.
They don’t enjoy their meals because
they cannot trust the cook. The rail
way Conductor is liable to run the
train off the track, so what is the
good of traveling? The very earth
itself is liable to open up at any mo
ment and swallow them, and as for
the Bibit, it says, “He that doubteth
is damned.”
VI. Be men and women of cour
age.
Perhaps there was never a time
when we had so many examples of
courage as we have to-day.
When the ports of Europe closed
against the Asiatic Squadron there
was nothing left but to go to Manila.
Many of our people feared the re
sults. But Ensign Dewey was a man
of courage. By the forts, over the
mines and into the harbor he sailed.
The Spanish fleet was destroyed,
many of the forts captured and finally
Manila taken.
Hobson was no less courageous
when he sunk the Merrimac in the
very centre of the enemies’ fire.
The Plattsburgh boys while storm
ing the hills of Santiago sung in the
very hottest of the battle:
“ ’Tis the star spangled banner,
Oh! long may it wave,
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave!”
"We need more young people to-day
who are not afarid of the fiery fur
nace, or the den of lions; young peo
ple who shall go out and meet Go
liath in the name of the God of Is
rael.
VII. The last quality I shall name
is Perseverance.
Perseverance is the “long pull,
strong pull, and pull altogether” on
“the home stretch.”
President Lincoln said of General
Grant, “He is not easily excited, and
he has the grip of a bull dog. When
he once gets his teeth in, nothing can
shake him off.”
Jacob said to the angel, “I will not
let thee go unless thou dost bless
me.”
The unjust judge said. “Though I
fear not God. nor regard man, yet be
cause this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest by her continual
coming she weary me.” The King
dom of God suffereth violence, and
the violent take it by force.
Bruce made several unsuc
ii attempts to possess his king
cessful a While seeking con
& Joe„ to a chattered
harn i .
He flung himself down in low despair,
A&tASSSSP* there,
‘l’ll give it all U P> ca, “ be '
“Now just at tljat moment a spider
' sflken cobweb clew. .
king in the midst of his thinking
Sapped to see what the spider would do.
“ ’Tv,-as a long way up to the ceiling dome,
its cobweb home,
King Bruce could not divine.
“It soon began to cling and crawl
Straight up with strong endeavor,
But down it came, with a skipping sprawl,
As near to the ground as ever.
Nine times the spider tried to reach
its cobweb home, but every time it
seemed to fall still lower.
“ ‘Sure,’ cried the king, ‘that foolish thing
Will ’strive no more to climb,
When it toils so hard to reach and cling,
And tumbles every time.
“But up the insect went once more,
Ah me, 'tis an anxious minute,
He’s only a foot from his cobweb door,
Oh, say, will he lose or win it.
“Steadily, steadily, inch by inch,
Higher and higher he got,
And a bold little run at the very last
pinch,
Put him into his native spot.
“ ‘Bravo, bravo!’ the king cried out,
‘All honor to those who try;
The spider up there defied despair
He conquered, and why shouldn t I?
’/‘.nd Bruce of Scotland braced his mind,
And gossips tell the tale,
That he tried once more as lie tned beiorc.
And that time he did not tail.
“Pay goodly heed, all you who read.
And beware of saying. 1 can t
’Tis a cowardly word and apt to lead
To idlness, folly and want.
I am now going to make a state
ment that I do not want anyone to
misunderstand. I would not havo
you think for a moment that I don t
believe that Christ is our example
in all things, but Paul said follow me
even as I follow Christ. I am now
going to hold up before the young
people two persons who accepted
Christ as their Saviour, His Word as
their guide, and on the qualities
named made a success of life.
Let me first speak to the young
men. . . t
England has given to the world
some of the greatest men in all
branches of learning. To-day we
place in the front ranks William
Ewart Gladstone. He was born of
wealthy parents and with royal blood
in his veins. Instead of becoming
dissipated as many a young man in
such circumstances would have done,
or instead of depending upon his so
cial standing, he took the course that
I have already laid out in this sermon
and by so doing “he being dead yet
Rupjilrpth **
Asa Christian he said. “Christ is
the hope of my poor wayward life.”
He never missed service on Sunday
when well enough to attend.
Asa student he was graduated
with high honors from Oxford, at the
age of twenty. His library contained
twenty-four thousand volumes. He
is the author of a number of very im
portant works; several of them are
on the Bible.
He was one of the greatest orators
and statesmen of his time. To be
familiar with his life is to know Eng
land’s history for a period of sixty
years.
Before the young women I would
hold up as the embodiment of the
principles I have referred to in this
address, one of the greatest reform
ers that has ever blessed our coun
try. When her funeral car drew
slowly into the city of Chicago, as
many as 30,000 people turned out
midst falling snow and sleet to take
the last look at one of their greatest
benefactors, Frances Elizabeth Wil
lard. They came from the North,
South, East and West to pay their
last tribute of respect. A wreath of
flowers was sent by a young lady who
had met Miss Willard but once. She
was then on the correspondence staff
of a city paper, and had been sent to
interview Miss Willard, who was sick
at the hotel and unable to fill her
appointments. Miss Willard was
seated in an easy chair, but when she
saw tho young lady’s pale and ema
ciated face she said,“Dearie, you have
this chair, you look so tired.” The
young lady said, “I never forgot
those words. She was the only per
son that had spoken a kind word to
me since I said farewell to mother
and the dear ones at home.”
Miss Willard was true to Christ,
denying herself every pleasure or
comfort that she might fill the posi
tion to which He had called her.
Her influence is giving to the youth
of this land a portion of knowledge
that cannot fail to prove beneficial to
them.
Her honesty as well as her patriot
ism may be seen in the fact that dur
ing her visit to England, when
strained political relations existed be
tween England and this country, she
said. “I am first a Christian, then I
am a Saxon, then I am an American,
and when I get home to heaven, I ex
pect to register from Evanston.” Her
tact, push, principle,- faith, courage
and perseverance may be seen in the
great organization known to-day
throughout the world as “The Wom
an’s Christian Temperance Union.”"
An army of heroic women who are
battling for God and home and na
tive land.
i In conclusion, let me say. life is
to each one of us a great battle, and
we must either win or lose it. Which
shall it be? Let us take unto our
selves the whole armor of God, fight
the good fight of faith, and endure
hardness as good soldiers of Jesus
Christ. The Captain of our salva
tion has never lost a battle.
Advice may be too expensive a gift
even for Plutocrats.