The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, September 22, 1904, Image 7
WINTER AT HARBIN
Russian Armies Have Been Working
Toward Winter Quarters
ALLEGED PLANS ARE MADE PLBLIC
There Yet Remains, Howev*; Two
Months Before Extreme Cold
Weather Sets in and Thooe May
Be Changed.
Inactivity of the opposing armies of
Rus*ia and Japan continues and no
lighting of a general character is reported".
Information coming from an
authoritative source in St. Petersburg
is- that the Russians will winter
at HaTbin, but the fact that there
will probably be two months of good
weather for military operations before
extreme cold weather sets in, leaves
100m for a revision of this purpose
'o the light of events that may trans
plre. Tiie Japanese are reported tc
be collecting taxes and otherwise administering
affairs in Manchuriia, as
though that country were conquered
territory. The publication of General
Kuropatkin's report of the fighting of
August 26, until the retreat upon Mukden,
has created a better feeiing in
St. Petersburg. The report distinctly
- places upon General Orloff the reepon*
sibility for the failure to hold the
heights in the vicinity of Svkawantun
and Sb check the Japanese advance.
General Stoessel reports repulses of
the Japanese at Port Arthur.
St. Petersburg, By Cable.?The Emperor
has received the following dispatch
from General Stoessel (com
mandor of the Russian military forces
at Port Arthur) dated August 28:
"I am happy to report to your majesty
that at three o'clock in the morning
of August 27, during a violent
rair. and thunder storm, the Japanese
again attempted to capture oar left
flank positions, near Fort No. 1, and
Udan Mountain. Their attack was
everywhere repulsed. Our losses
were small?three men killed and
two officers and 98 men wounded.
The wounded were brought in and
are befng carefully attended. A number
of Japanese corpses would have
been picked up by us, but the enemy
prevented us from so doing by
opening fire on the hospital attendants
who had been sent out under
the Red Cross flag."
Another dispatch from General j
Btoesso! to the Emperor, dated September
2, says:
"On the night of September 2, the
mcmy attacked Visokaya and Dlinnaya
Mountains and the neighboring
fortifications, opening simultaneously j
an artillery fire on the forts and
mountains. The leading files of the j
tneiay with the Japanese columns following
were found In good time and
our batteries opened on them .The
leading flies fortunately encountered
some automatic mines and many of
the enemy were blown in the air. The
attack was repulsed in an hour. Our
losses were Inconsiderable?one officer
8frd seven men wounded.
t' No More Fighting.
There has been no renewal of fight- j
ing on a large scale between the Rus- I
aian and Japanese armies in the Far j
East. At St. Petersburg, the people are |
harassed by rumors of impending disaster
to General Kuropatkin which
find ready credence because of the lack
of official information and for the moment
the popularity of the head of the
Russian armies in the field is in eclipse, j
,In that capital, too, there is much uneasiness
felt lest the Japanese advance
in Maachuria should afford occasion
for the growth of an anti-Russian spirit
in China and the ultimate projection of
that power Into the conflict.
Norfolk Storm-Swept.
Norfolk, Special.?This entire section
was swept by a wind storm Wednesday
the velocity of the blow reaching 52
" 'TVA oATTorn. i
miles &a nour in nunum. mc 6v?v..-.
ment wires along the coast went down
and Information from that section is
meagre. No marine disasters have been
reported. The blow caused many steamers
to leave after schedule time and
Hampton Roads shelters many storm- i
bound craft. Telephone and telegraph
service is being badly crippled and tbe
river has flooded many low streets, in-1
terfering with the trolley system. A
great amount of minor damage is reported.
but no fatalities have occurred
so far as can be learned.
Dsrr.age at Newport News.
Newport News, Va., Special.?During
a terrtflc wind and rain storm, which
raged here Wednesday night, the Chesapeake
& Ohio steamer Louise, broke
from her mooring at the ship-yard and
was blown several miles out into Jamea
riter. Two tugs recovered the vessel.
Wires "^ere prostrated, fences leveled,
telegraph and electric light poles upV
rooted or felled in several parts of the
city. No serious damage to shipping in
the "hartv' is reported. j
Bankers Choose Officers.
New York, Special?The trust company
section of the American Bankers'
Association elected E. A. Potter,
of Chicago, chairman. Among tbe vicepresidents
are T. R. President, of
Chattanooga; J. T. Main, of Radcliffe;
Va. and W. E. Allen, of Greensboro,
N. C. F. H. Fries, of Winston-Salem,
N. C., was elected a member of the ex
_ ecutive committee.
THE STATE FARM A SUCCESS
Borne of the Directors State That
There Are 30 Mule Colts Which Will
Be Exhibited at the State Fair.
Dr. M. O. Rowland, Mr. D.B. Peurifov
and Mr. J. O Wingo, of the bor.rd
of directors of the State penitentiary,
have returned from a trip to the I)eSaussure
and Reed farms in Sunder
and Kershaw counties. Mr. A. K.
Saunders, another director, has a plantation
adjoining the State farms and
he visits the State property quite
often.
Mr. Peurifoy, who is a good farmer
himself over in the Saluda valley of
Saluda county, declared this to be the
finest crop ever grown upon the State
farms. The most satisfactory exhibit
of all was a drove of 30 mule colts.
These will be brought to the State
fair with the hope that farmers In
South Carolina will take up the breeding
of mules in view of the fact that
the building of the Panama canal will
require the use of thousands of mules
and the market will offer good prices.
The farms are also stocked with hogs,
sheep and goats and other farm animals,
in raising which there is found
to be a profit.
The field crops are magnificent, notwithstanding
the continued damp spell
in August Mr. Peurifoy states that
500 bales of cotton will be marketed
and that there are 500 acres in corn
with the finest yield the farms have
ever known.
I *
Surrender Themaelves.
Greenville. Special.?Closely following
the announcement of Will Sloan's
death at the county jail Wednesday,
William Putnam and Rube Sudduth,
charged with the ehooting. came in
and surrendered to the ofiicers. They
are now held at the county jail pending
a preliminary hearing.
Sloan's dying statement was taken
by Notary John T. Gilreath and reads:
"I know I cannot live, and I would
like to say that William Putnam or
Rube Sudduth shot me on Sunday
evening. Me and Stark Cooley
went to the woods to get some whiskey.
We had the can when they run
up and struck a match. I turned to
run. William Putnam said, "Shoot,
and shoot to kill,' and at that time I
was shot. There was two or three
more shots after I was shot. I had no
pistol. If Cooley had one I never saw
It. I was not selling whiskey nor
never did. I had not violated the law
and did not resist arrest."
Considerable interest has been awakened
in the case on account of its upusual
features. Why did Putnam
r>v?cirton on/i Kv nrhot ftnthnritv?
OUUUlf KJ i UCUi uuy KfJ > UMV .
is the question oftenest asked.
South Carolina Items.
The Bank of North was given a charter
Friday. The capital stock is |15.000.
Coporators, J. C. Witt, J. M. Davis,
J. L. Reeves, E. C. Johnson and W. G.
Wolfe of Orangeburg.
The Bank of Anderson, the Bank of
McCormick and the Merchants' and
Farmers' Bank of Cheraw are the only
banks in the State which have net complied
with the request of the comptroller
general for statements as to their
condition
Mr. W. K. Townsend, assistant attorney
general, has returned from Aiken,
where he had a conference with
j other attorneys engaged in the suit to
j test the validity of the act permitting
I the merger of several railroads into the
| possession of the Southern. The suit
will come up in Kershaw county at the
next term of the court of common
pleas.
The railroad commission is in receipt
of a petition from Laurens asking
for the depot to be removed to another
spot nearby. The station was built
! just about four years ago, and the railj
roads will protest against the proposed
removal.
The directors of the State dispensary
held a meeting last week, deferred from
Tuesday, which was election day. The
St. John hotel of Charleston was granted
a tourists' hotel privilege. This was
about the only business transacted.
Gov. Heyward last week received a
I telegram from Mr. R. H. Edmonds, edij
tor of the Manufacturers' Record, aski
ing for an expression of opinion as to
; the desirability of having the proposed
International Cotton Spinners' association
meet in the South. Gov. Heyward
being absent, Mr. Norment. the private
secretary, replied accordingly. Gov.
| Heyward was expected to return Friday
night.
Bennett Again Arrested.
Savannah. Special.?James B. Bennett
was arrested here Sunday, and
unless he can defeat requisition proceedings,
will be taken to Brinson,
S. C.., where he is charged with having
murdered his wife. Several
weeks ago tho coroner's jury discharged
him, the killing of Mrs. Bennett
having been thought an accident.
Now further proceedings have been
instituted against him. Bennett,
some years ago, was given a life sentence,
but was pardoned conditionally.
He was not to return to South Carolina.
Bennett had enlisted in the
army here.
Fighting at Mukden.
London, By Cable.?It is asserted in
a dispatch from Tokio to the Express
that the Japanese are vigorously shelling
the Russian possition at Mukden,
A- ~ 1 onrl
preparatory 10 a gwiciai auiuUv.v, ~
endeavoring, by a wide turning movement,
to cut off General Kuropatkin's
retreat. The Japanese armies, the
dispatch adds, are disposed to the
same relative positions as in the
fighting before Liao Yang.
Activity at Mukden.
Mukden, By Cable.?The armies
having recovered from the effects of
the recent fighting before Liao Yang,
an early development of the situation
may be expected. A mysterious movement
is on foot oh the part of the
bands of young Chinese suitable for
military service./'All the leading Chinese
who have added the Russians are
leaving Mukdeir
STATE PARAGRAPHS
Many Matters of Interest to South
Caroii "ians.
An Unusual Incident.
An unusual incident transpired in the
Spartanburg sessions court Wednesday
which will afford a break from the dull
monotony of sitting under the stern
dignity of his honor and hearing the
endless talks of the lawyers, the hesitating,
stammering statements of witnesses
and the sonorous voice of the
court crier. Arthur Salter, colored, was
arraigned for stealing live stock. That
is. Salter was brought into the oourt
room. Just after he had been placed In
the criminal docket he fell down and
gave vent to a number of gutteral,
groaning sounds, at the same time
twisting and writhing his long, lank
body. Judge Gary had a physician
summoned, who, after a careful examination,
pronounced the negro to be perfectly
healthy. Salter refused to go by
his diagnosis, however, and continued
In a prostrate condition in the docket,
at times groaning and howling. As the
negro kept up his game, the judge selected
the jury and the case was tried.
In the meanwhllo Salter was removed
from the docket to a bench, where he
lay flat on his back, feigning sickness.
He was found guilty. When the court
asked him to stand up he could not be
moved by the officers and Judgr Gary
pronounced sentence on the man as he
lay on the bench. "Your sentence Is
IS months at hard labor on the roads of
Spartanburg county?this is six months
additional, 9alter, for your exhibition
this morning," remarked his honor.
Court officers had to catch the negro
by the arm and forcibly carry him from
the court room.?Gaffney Ledger.
To Restore Citizenship.
Mr. J. A. McDonald, district attorney
of the 3rd district of the State of Texas,
has asked the governor to pardon
Adam Martin, a negro residing in that
State, The negro was sent to the penitentiary
for cattle-stealing in 1889, and
served his term of one year. He was
then a boy of 17 and lived In Newberry
county. His pardon is asked for on the
ground that it would restore his citizenship
and would permit him to testify
in a burglary case in Texas. Gov. S. W.
T. Lanham of Texas, a native of this
State, recommends the granting of the
pardon.
Governor Invited.
Gov. Hevward has been invited to
McColl to attend the laying of the corner
stone of the new school building,
which is to cost $10,000. The ceremonies
will be held on the 23rd. The
dedication of the new building at Newberry
college will be held on the 31st
of October and Gov. Heyward has bees
asked to deliver the principal address
on that occasion.
Minor Palmetto Matters.
The Winnsboro Granite company has
finished the new monument to take the
place of the bronze palmetto tree at the
Chickamauga battlefield. Gen. C. I.
Walker has gone on to see that the
ehaft is erected properly. Capt. E. EL
Betts is the chief engineer of the park.
The old bronze tree will be sold* for
junk, although it was the unexpressed
wish of the legislators that it be
brought to Columbia and placed in the
capitol unless it had been damaged too
badly. The new shaft cost $1,850.
The railroad commission has received
from the Southern Express
Company a notice of the closing of the
office at Pineland. in Clarendon county.
- ? * ?? * U r* Via Anlvr
I n(? company siatcs iuol iu& uui;
available white man there who has acted
as agent has resigned and that it is
Impossible to get another.
If the present ratio of Increase keeps
up in fertilizer tax returns, Clemson
College will get not far from $120,000
this year. Up to September 10th the
State treasurer has received from this
source $102,336.70, against $91,229.05 for
the same date last year. The income
for the entire fiscal year of 1903 was
$9S.909.80, which shows that the Increase
in the last three months of the
year was about $7,000, most of the fertilizer
having been purchased.
The worst siorm since Oct 20th,
1903 passed over Georgetown Tuesday
and Wednesday mornings. Prom a
normal reading of 30.01 the barometer
dropped Tuesday night to 28.95. The
wind began to rise afSabout 9 o'clock,
coming from the northeast in gusts
that increased in violence each hour
accompanied by heavy showers of rain
and attained a maximum velocity of
about 80 miles an hour near midnight.
Towards morning the wind changed
completely around, blowing strongly
from the southwest. The storm came
without warning from the weather bureau
and the rioe planters have suffered
severely. A large part of the crop
being cut down and lying in the fields.
The damage to property in town will
foot up fully $10,000. Many fine shade
trees nave Been stripped ana upruotcu.
A terrible accident occurred at the
Olympla mill. Columbia, at 1 o'clock
Tuesday, due to a rupture of a tube Id
one of the upright boilers. One of the
firemen was fatally burned and scalded
and another may not recover. The
steam, forced with great pressure
straight downward, drove live coals out
upon Wesley Adams and Shelton Johnson.
The two negroes were stampeded
with fright and ran several yards to the
Episcopal mission house, a sort of sanitarium.
where they were stopped and
their wounds dressed. Adams will die.
and th? other negro is *n a dangerous
stato,
I
SOUTH CAROLINA CROP BULLETIN
Progress of Cotton Picking?Early
Crops Matured.
Thf wf-ek ending 8 a. m. September
12, had a mean temperature of 74 degrees
which is 3 below normal, due
to unusually cool nights. The temperatude
deficiency was greatest in the interior.
The extremes were a minimum
of 57 at Florence on the 9th, and a
maximum of 90 at Yemassee on the
6th.
The precipitation was excessive over
most, of the southern and eastern portions.
and it was deficient in the northern
and. western ones. The rainfall
was confined to the early part of the
week, the latter part having been gen
erally clear and dry. In the parts that
had excessive rains the amounts rang*
ed from about an Inch to 4 inches;
the other parts from less than an inch
to no rain, the latter in Greenville
county.
Farmwork was delayed, early in the
week by cloudy and rainy weather over
a large part of the State, hut it progressed
rapidly during the latter portion
throughout the entire State.
As the season advances, It is seen
that the condition of early corn is better
than heretofore reported, while
late corn was slightly damaged by exoesslve
rains in the extreme northeast;
the crop as a whole is the best
in many years. Fodder pulling is
practically finished except from very
late corn.
There are numerous reports of deterioration
of cotton due to continued
rust and shedding, and, in the eastern
counties from the ravages of caterpillars
which have recently increased
in numbers to a damaging extent. On
clay lands, cotton has attained a too
rank growth causing some rotting of
the lower bolls. Cotton is opening fast
In the eastern and central counties
j where picking has made good progress
while in the extreme northwest
there are but few bolls open and picking
has only begun. Sea Island cotton
is in excellent condition and is heavily
fruited.
Weather was favorable for haying
during the latter part of the week and
much grass was cut, and cured in fine
condition. The forage crops are uniformly
good. Sweet potatoes are poor
in places, but generally very promising.
Rice harvest was interrupted by
rain, but latterly made rapid progress
the late rice crop is well headed. Minor
crops are, as a rule, very promising.
Successful Summer Schools.
Columbia, Special.?The last of the
summer schools for teachers for this
year closed Friday and the office or tne
State Superintendent of Education has
tabulated the returns and Is preparing
them for the annual report. It was
found that there had been 2,629 teachers
enrolled In the various State, district
and county summer schools during
tho summer. ThlB does not include the
boys' Industrial summer school In
Fairfield county, which closed Friday
after a very successful session of two
months, in which 105 boys were enrolled
between the ages of 14 and 21
years of age.
The enrollment last year in the
State and county schools was 2,398, so
there has been an increase this year of
231 teachers. The average In 1903 was
1.698. The average attendance this year
is 2,029. About 100teachers attended the
summer school at Knoxville and other
places outside of the State, so It will be
seen that a large percentage of the
teachers in South Carolina spent a
month in studying during the summer
and "they will return to their various
school rooms with increased zeal and
improved methods and added wisdom,"
said Mr. Martin.
The summer schools are supported by
legislative appropriation from dispensary
funds, by State board appropriations,
from income of permanent school
fund and by appropriation by Peabody
trustees. The total amount used this
year was about $9,000.
Special Fund Exhausted.
It was mentioned in The Columbia
State a few days ago that the pay
of judges of special courts?and of
special judges to act for circuit judges
who are sick?had about exhausted the
special appropriation for that purpose.
The governor is given a special contingent
fund of $2,500 with which to
meet this, expense, and the following
are the calls which have been made
upon it already:
G. E. Prince, Saluda and Barnwell,
$239.34; J. A. McCullough. Union. 13
days, $154.01; L. F. Youmans, Greenwood,
15 days, $235; J. E. McDonald,
Yorkville, 23 days, $324.92; W. H.
Hunt, Spartanburg, $308.54; G. E.
Prince, Barnwell. $327.23; F. B. Gary,
Lexington, $193.16; J. Y. Culbreath,
Newberry, $120.00; L. F. Youmans,
Greenwood, $200.00; total, $2,102.20.
Two-Dollar Wheat Predicted.
Chicago, Special.?"Wheat at $2 a
bushel before next May," was roared
by the bulls on the board of trade.
At the opening there was an excited
demand for wheat and few traders
venturing to sell. Those who wished
to buy shouted bids of 2 cents a
bushel above the prices prevailing at
the close of the market Saturday and
the quantity that any order would sell
even at such a tempting advance was
extremely limited. Of winter and
spring wheat produced this year in
the United States it was contended
there is barely enough for bread and
seed if every bushel of it was available
which is not possible,
Bold Burglary at Rock Hill.
Rick Hill, Special.?Burglars entering
the rear door wrecked the sare in
McFadden's meat and ice market with
sledge hammers and glycerine some
time early Sunday morning and secured
between $500 and $600, leaving no clues.
The tools used were left scattered
about. The robbers also entered the
wholesale groceries of J. W. O'Neal
and 3. N. Craig. Doors were found
broken open but nothing missing except
a few boxes of sardines at
O'Neal's.
f
\
!A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY THE
REV. C CAMPBELL MORGAN, D. D.
Subject: The Attractiveness and Ezclaslveness
of Jesus?Listen to the Call
of Christ?He Will Brook Su Division
ol Your IiuytKj*
LoNDOir, fttai.AWD. ? The following
sermon, entitled "The Attractiveness ana
Exclusiveness of Jesus/' was preached
here on a recent Sunday by the Rev. T.
Campbell Morgan, D. D. He took for his
text: Then said Jesus unto His disciples,
if any man will come after Me let him
deny hinjself and take up his cross and
follow Me.?St. Matthew 10:24.
There were two facts about Jesus Christ
which no one can read the Gospel records
without recognizing; facts which
appear to be contradictory, but which, as
a matter of fact, are complementary, and
the understanding of which reveals for
all time tfte metnoa 01 ine master in
dealing with men. I refer to facts of
the attractiveness and exclusiveness of
Jesus.
There can be no question about the
former; there can equally be no question
about the latter to those who have carefully
read the records and have seen the
methods of Jesus while He was here
among men. He was constantly drawing
people to H m, and He was perpetually
nolaing them aloof. By the very winsomeness
of His person. He was drawing
men and women of all sorts and conditions,
at all times and in all places to
Himself, and yet by the uttering of words
so severe, so searching, so drastic, making
us tremble even to-day, He held men
back from Him.
I venture to say that the words I read
to you this morning from the Gospel of
Luke come to those who are most familiar
with them bringing a sense of surprise.
We never read tnem without feeling more
or less startled by them ? "Unless you
hate father and mother, husband and wife,
parent and child, you cannot be My disciple."
We have attempted to account for
these words, but I do not hesitate to say
that in some senses they have staggered
the faith of many, and yet there they
stand.
And not there only, but through all
His teaching there is evident the same
method of Christ, that of holding men
ba9k just as they were approaching Him;
drawing them to Himself by multitudes
and tnen holding the crowd as they
pressed upon Him, and sifting them with
such surprising words as these. Now there
must be a reason for this, and it is for
that reason that I want to look, with you,
a little this morning.
But first allow me to say a few words on
this facta of the attractiveness of Jesus.
because t&e more cieariy we recognize ana
understand that, the more clearly shall
we understand, as I think, the other truth
of His perpetual method of holding men
back and excluding certain persons from
close companionship with Himself.
Take first, then, this great fact of His
| attractiveness, the rtost fascinating subject
on which to speak. Remember, I
prav you, that if the Gospel records reveal
one thing more clearly than another
they reveal that Jesus was, somehow or
other, a Person that drew men to Him
irresistibly.
I go back to those silent years at Nazareth
concerning which we know so very
little. You will remember that on those
days Luke opens for us just a little wondo^
through which we look when he says,
I "He was subject to His parents, and grew
in favor with God and with man." I do
not stop one moment to dwell on the
statement that He grew in favor with
I God, although it is a very interesting
statement, but just for a moment, for the
sake of our argument, listen to tne other
!art of it: "He grew in favor with man."
ake that as it is simply stated, and you
j at once see a picture of the boy growing
up to be a youth, and passing from youth
into young manhood until He became the
Carpenter of Nazereth, known to all the
little town that nestled among the hills,
just removed from the highways of life.
This is all the truth that is revealed. If I
may reverently put it, Jesus was a favorite
in Nazareth. I am not sure that that doesn't
almost startle you, because somehow or
other we have come to think that holiness
is almost always accompanied by angularity,
and there is a popular idea that if a
man is good he never can be a favorite. It
is a great mistake. It is by the measure
in which a man lacks holiness that a man
is not in favor.
Here is a man living in Nazereth, and
He is a favorite. I do not want to lift
that into a super-spiritual realm, but if
you have no imagination you can just go to
sleep for two minutes while I imagine I
look into that window and I see the Carpenter
at His work, and I tell you what I
see. He is a favorite. I see children taking
their toys to Him to be mended, and I
am quite sure He mended them. I see
young men going at eventide to take their
Sroblems with them because they know
le is sane, honest and pure. I think I see
old men, upon whose brow already "'sat
light that never was on land or sea," talking
to Him because He has such a wonderful
way of talking about "My Father's
house" and "the many mansions;" a favorite,
sane and strong, and pure, and attract
ive as to personality.
I know full well that a little later on
these same men took Him to a hill and
tried to murder Him, but that was the result
of something else to be discovered
later. The pure, human, simple life of
Jesus was, in itself, attractive, and Luke
savs, "He grew in favor."
Leave those hidden years and look at
Him just for one rapid moment as He
treads the pathway upon which a fiercer
light falls than ever lell upon a throne?
the pathway of the public teacher, and if
you read these Gospel stories the one thing
that strikes you is the fact of the multitudes
around about Jesus Christ. Wherever
He went they followed Him. If He
went out into the city the country people
crowded the streets to be near Him; if He
went out into the country place the city
men and women flocked after Him, following
Him so far that at times there was no
chance for them to provide themselves
with food, and He had to feed them; for
in their eagerness to follow they had forgotten
food and had forgotten distance.
And wherever He went tney came after
Him.
I am not saying that these multitudes
crowned Him;"that is not my point, but
He drew the people after Him. The one
thing they could not do with Jesus was to
let Him alone; they came, whether to criticise
Him or crown Him is not now the
question; the point is, that He drew men
and women after Him in all those days of
His earthly life, 'l'hey came after Him, all
sorts and "conditions of men, the scholars
and the illiterate, the learned and the ignorant,
the debased, the depraved, they all
came. Of course, there were more poor
people came than rich because there always
were more poor people than there are
rich, and, of course, there were more of
the illiterate than of the learned for the
self-same reason, but I protest against this
idea that Christ only attracted a class.
There is something about Him that attracts
all kinds of men, and it is true in
those old days.
Coine, if you will, outside the Bible, and
from the day that this Man walked among
men in Judea until now there has never
been so attractive a personality in human
history as Jesus. And I want to say this
superlative thing about Christ. No century,
whatever its peculiarity, or quality,
or quantity, has produced any person who
was so popular as Jesus Christ. He has
always towered above His fellows, above
thoss historical personages that the centuries
look back to. or to those imaginative
personages that the centuries give to us in
~ 1 <"'*
literature. Jesus baa been the most af?'
tractive personage always.
I come to thia very hour. Who is the
most attractive personality in the world at
this hour? Let rae take a narrower circle. v
Who is the most attractive pwjooality In .
England at this hour? I answer without
fear of contradiction?.Tests Ohrim
I am not saying that the majMatf of
people have yet crowned Hiaa. Ok cm
take my illustration to the lowed; level,
Can you think of any person hi history, 1
dead or alive, or any person in imaginative
literature, that will be talked ef, and
thought of, cad sung of, and discussed,
and criticised, and abused and crowned at
Jesus Christ? There is not a single theatre
in Manchester or London that can ran
Shakespeare's plays continually. I am
glad you look ignorant, and cau assure von
T don't speak from any inside dcaewleage,
hut every one knows it to be tree. There
is not a single theatre that can ?dat without
variety. There must be chaage; some
other genius than Shakespeare must ho
(/i.tUnmin. Anil \*pt With OUf WSll '
about the decadence of the chuttA and the
failure of Christianity, every Sandav in
Manchester more people are gathered together
to sing the old hymns and hear the
old sermons?I beg your pardoi, to hear
sermons on the old text*?and listen to
the old. old story of the cross Mian for any i
other purpose.
Let us begin with the last. When Christ
was as fond of a phrase as He evidently
was of that phrase "Follow Me." there
must be some deep signification in it. I ?
have been going through my New Testament
during the last few months, tracing
that phrase. It has been a very interesting
study to see how constantly Christ
used it. It was the almost perpetual for- *
mula of His call to individual seul?"Follow
Me!" ..'J
Now what is it to follow? Two things
are involved. Neither of them eovers all the
ground, taken alone. Both are required.
First, to follow, I must trust, I shall ;
never follow any one I haven't confidence
in. I may trust and yet not follow.
Secondly, not only is trust necess^jy. bat obedience
is necessary. Christ confronts
the individual soul, bringing that soul out
from the crowd, as He is calling some man
here this morning. He sars, "Would yoa
trust Me? Then obey Me."
How am I going to do it? What does it
mean, this trusting and obeying? "Deny
yourself, take up the cross " It seems
to me that is the point which must be ob- '
served first, that to deny self is the only
way in which you can follow Christ. Hoir
shall I follbw Him? Deny thyself The
two things are intimately related, and it
seems to me that everything is said when
"Follow Me" is said, and yet it is neces
??? -
sary to say the otner in oraer %m uucrstand
what He means by following Him.
What is it Christ calls me to? To.deny
myself! Not to practice self-denial; that
is a very cheap business, but ta deny self?
a very costly matter. He sayB, "Deny
yourself. Listen no longer ta the call of
your self, but listen to My call. Daa't consider
any more whether this thing will
minister to your pleasure or ta yaar aggrandizement,
or answer the ery a! your
ambition. But Me first." Ohrist says,
"Deny yourself and follow Me. Put Me on
the throne and dethrone yourself. Don't
let the question ol the morning be. What
shall I like to do. but What will Christ
have me do; not Will this pay m^ but will /}
it hasten the coming of the kingdom of
God. Don't let the underlying, mastering
passion of your life be your awn selfish
desire; crown Me, follow Me."
It is a superlative call, and &e csl of
Jesus is always imperial. He will bfpok no
division of your loyalty, and that is what
He means. "You must hate father, mother,
wife, child. That means that when the
soul comes into contact with Me I must be
absolutely first." Let me stop here to say
that whenever a soul does that he gets
back a hundredfold lands and fields and
mother and father and children. Jeans
Christ said He must be first, and He has
never lowered that standard, and the religion
that is simply an addendum is worth
nothing to Him.
Jesus Christ comes and says, "Deny
yourself," but there is the atner word.
"Take up the cross." Well, what is it?
Christ's cross? No. No man can carry
Christ's cross. What then? Your awn.
What is this cross? I don't think that it '
is ever the same in two persons. Tha
cross is that in your life which immediately
costs you something if you crown
Christ. There is a business man here this
morning who is saying in his heart, "Well,
if that is Christianity, I will hare to go
home and change my method of business."
That is your cross. There is a young man
I here says that, ''If that is Christianity, if
it means putting Christ tirst, men i wiu
have to go home and give up that companionship."
That is your cross. Some ons
here says, "It that is what Christ means,
that I am not to listen to the call of my
own life, I shall have to go home and say
I was wrong and confess my wrong to
those to whom it is so hard to confess it."
That is your cross. And somebody els#
says, "If that is Christianity I shall hsvo
to go back on my history, throw up everything
I am doing and go into the ministry.
That is your cross. ^
You know what your cross it. Don't let
any one come and ask me. You know that
thing which right in front of yon this
morning challenges your allegiance to Jesus
Christ. You cannot play tricks with God.
You cannot deceive your own conscience
when you stand in the clear light of the
call of Christ. He says, "Deng yourself;
take up that cross (anil you know what it
is) and follow Me."
But why are Christ's terms so drastic?
For two reasons. First, no man ever gets
to Christ but by the way of the enthronement
of Jesus Christ. It is possible to admire
and cheer Him, possible to patronize
Him and never to know Him, it is not
the crowd that gets to Him, but the crossbearing
soul. And if you read On you will
say, "Whosoever would save his life shall
lost it; whosoever will lose his life for My
sake shall find it."
Christ confronts the soul and says virtually
this: "You don't understand your own
life, dear heart. You cannot realize your
own kingdom. You cannot build your own
character and carve out your own destiny,
but I can do it, though I can only do it
when you have put Me absolutely on the
throne for your own life's life. For its
founding and ennobling and developing
you must come to Me, and by the way oil
a whole-hearted surrender."
But there is another reason why Christ
?? ??*? Mia toi-ms drastic. He wants men
liiarwwo ui? ?v>
and women upon whom He can depend in
the day of battle. I am quite mire there
is nothing Jesus Christ wants at this moment
so much as men and women who will
go through darkness and death for Him.
You remember that picture of Jairus beseeching
Jesus to save his Child whs wan
dying, and how, with the people thronging
about Him, the Master suddenly exclaimed,
"Who touched Me?"
Now don't let us be angry with the disciples.
We should have said the same
thing. "A hundred people have touched
you in the last five minutes. The multitude
throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest
Thou, who touched Me?"
But Jesus Christ always knows the difference
between the crush of a curious
mob and the touch of a needy soul that
has come near Him. And this morning as
this service closes I hear His voice speaking
once again?the attractive Christ that
has drawn this crowd ? this 'exclusive
Christ?and He says: "Who touched Me?"
W"e have all jostled Him this morning.
We have all looked into His face again.
We have all had a new consciousness of
the infinite music of His voice. Hare yo^
got anything out of Him? Has any virtu?
healed you this morning? If not, even
now stretch out your hand and touch Him.
And to do that you must deny yourself,
crucify your pride. Having done that^ listen
to the cry of your own life, and listen
to His imperial call and crown Him Lord
of all.