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Di THE BIGHT PLACE. THE CONDITIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL AND HAPPY UFE. A Sermon by Rev. If. J. Savage the Church of the Unity In Boston-J>o Hen Generally Find the Place That Belongs to Them?-Manhood I? the Thing. Lord, what wilt thou have me do?-Acts ix, 6. These words, as doubtless yon all re mem ber, were those that fell from the lips of Saul, as the story is told us, on his way to .Damascus. Starting to per? secute the Christiaus, feeling that that was his life mission, he is met by this vision, which puts an end to what he had intended to accomplish, and recog? nizing this fora higher authority he asks, *4 Lord, what wilt thou have me todo?". 44 Something to do, some one to love, something to hope for"-these, accord? ing to the great German, Immanuel Kant, are the three conditions of a suc? cessful and happy life. The last two. will not concern us this morning, but the first-something todo, finding one's place in the world-is what we are seriously to consider. A SPUB TO EFFORT. I suppose that there are not many among us today who so interpret that providence which oversees the affairs of men as to feel in any degree sure that God has given him his position; that God is desirous that he shall stay where he finds himself placed. We ought not, then, to be content. But this statement needs to-be qualified, and qualified in a very serious manner. We: ought not to be discontented in the sense that we are unhappy ; that we are bitter, envious or jealous,, or in any way have the sweetness and the beauty taken out of our present life. I have said more than once in this place that the greatest happiness killer of the world, even worse than the anticipa? tion of evil or some overhanging calam? ity, is this kind of discontent that makes one perpetually thinking. When I get there, when I have ac? complished this or that, when I have reached such and such a place, then I am going to be content, then lam going to be happy, then I am going to lead an unselfish life, then I am going to do this or that ora thousand things for my fellow men! I have talked often with business men who have set a figure be? yond which they do not propose to .save a dollar. They say when they get so rich they are going to begin to be gen? erous, but I have never known a man to get to that point when he had set it very much ahead of his present position. I never have hope of any man's gener? osity who is going to'begin to be gener? ous by and by. I have no hope of any man's unselfish love who is simply go? ing to begin to ' be unselfish next week or next year. We ought not, then, I think, to be discontented^ th tnVplace where we find ourselves in such a way as shall prevent us from looking round and finding all the happiness there k in that place, .all the good there is, all the opportunities there are offered of making other people happy, all toe chances of doing something for the rest of mankind. OUT OP PLACE. And now we are face to face with the second question. Do men generally find the real place which belongs to them, which they ought to fill? I have not had time to read Mr. Mozoomdar's address of last Sunday, but I am told that he outlined the belief of the Hin? doo world in a destiny which rules and determines the lives of men. I do not think we are accustomed to believe in that kind of. destiny here, and yet, now and then, you will hear people say of one who has failed, 4 4 It was no fault of his condition, of his circumstances there was some weakness in the man himself. " I remember some years ago reading an address by the late President Garfield, I think, which was given be? fore he. became president. Referring to the difficulties and struggles of a great many men and of the obstacles they have to overcome, he expressed to the young men who heard him the be? lief that if there was anything in a man it was sure to come out. In other words, personality was always mightier than condition, and if a man had it in him to be great he would be great; if he had it ia him to be a poet, he would be a poet; if he had it in him to be a soldier, he would be a soldier. If that principle be allowed anywhere, it must be a universal principle. If we really believe this, there would be no very tender sympathy in our hearts toward those who fail. We should feel that people had got all they were capable of getting ; that they receive all that be? longs to them. But I do not believe that this is true. ? do not believe that people, in spite of conditions and cir? cumstances, find their places; that they always have opportunities or are capa? ble of making opportunities to show all that is in them. I rather believe that it is a common and melancholy truth wnich Gray has given poetic ex? pression to in his, great "Elegy." Ho tells us, as he looks over the graves of the weary peasants, the people in the main unknown who are buried in the churchyard, that probably Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest. He talks abont hands now tamed to dust Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre. I believe that this is one of tho sad? dest truths of the world. And light here is one of the things I hope to see in some other life. I hope to see the outblossoming, the outflowering, of thousands and millions of souls into greatness and beauty and glory in this direction or that who had no opportu? nity here even to put forth a bud. Suppose thero had been no war, where would the manifest greatness of Grant have been? And yet if he had lived through a time of profound peace and wasted the magnificent energy of his brain in the real estate office, yet in potency, in possibility, he would have been as great as the world acknowledges him to be. So take Lincoln. Suppose, ags there had been no war, suppose til had been no slavery agitation, it probably true that Lincoln would ne have been president. He might h; distinguished himself locally, as a li yer, but the chances are that in popu estimation all over the country Do las, who was the incarnation of sm* ness, would have been regarded as greater man of the two.. And yet w no opportunity to manifest what * in him, he still would have had the p ability in brain and heart and soul reaching that towering position of i highest and grandest American who 1 ever li veil. DIFFICULTIES I>* THE WAY. Let ns note a few of the difficult ? that stand in the way of people findi their places? I was asked only t] last week to give my opinion concei ing the question of human freedom a cf responsibility in the kind of lives lead. If you look over the matter ca fully and candidly, I think you w agree with rae that we must limit tl responsibility in the most serious W? Apply it this morning to this matter r finding one's place in the world. \ are born without any consultation to where we shall be born, whether Africa or Boston, whether white black, whether our parents shall ignorant or educated, vicious or v tuons. We are born, and that, in t main, determines all that follov Then during our youth the question I to whether we shall be properly ed j cated cr not, whether we shall trained into fitness for this thing that.or have a bias implanted in soi direction-all these things are dei* mined before the question of the fr* dom of our own wills has any chan to assert itself. Here, then, is one the great difficulties that stand in t way of finding one's place. There is one other thing that I wi to speak of in this particular, and th is one which the most of you will surprised to have me class under th head. I think ene of thc most serio j things in our modern world that stan in the way of any man's finding h place is being born of i>arents who ha pen to possess too mn ch money. I b iieve that this is as serious, and som times more serious, than any of tl causes that I have had occasion to ref* to. I know young men by the scoi in the great cities of this country-i New York, in Boston, in Washingtoi in Baltimore, in New Orleans, in Ch cago, in St. Louis, in San Francisco young .men who will never find ar place that is worthy of a manly man ambition, who have not waked up 1 the idea that it is important that the should find any place, simply becaus they can say as they are growing nj "Father has monty enough, and it do* not make any difference whether I b< come anything or not. " I think that i a very serious danger that men wit money specially need to guard. Fe the young man who thinks that ther is nothing more for him to do in thi I world except to get rid of the moue j that his father has earned is one c those that we can spare with the leas ? conceivable amount of loss. He i worth nothing to the world. WHAT MEN MOSTLY CARE FOE. What is it today that most men car for? In this country, at any rate-am it is coming to be more and more tm in Europe-ithe one great thing tha people long for and seem to caie for and which seems to promise the most is of course money. I said this is com ing in Europe. It has not come yet becanse there is still a remnant, in Eng land and in France and other parts o Europe, of the old days of chivalry when nobility meant something, ant when to belong to an old and honorable family was the one greatest thing thai aman could boast. In these condition: to belong to the nobility or to come un der the shadow of the nobility, to be come associated or allied with it ii some way, means more than money and money by comparison is regarded as vulgar and poor. But in this conn try, where we have no* nobility, wher< we say that one man is just as good as another-though we do not believe it in this country the one great thing thai seems to premise most, to give a mar j position and power and all the thing.? that he desires, is money. So, when z young man is looking round for a place in the world, the one thing which is up? permost in his mind is the opportu j nity, the promise, in that place for get ! ting rich; how much money is there in J it? The position may he a poor one, i may have some servile aspects about it I at first, but is there an opportunity to rise, to get near the firm, to perhaps get into the firm? Is it a business that will j reward one who faithfully devotes him j self to it with a large amount of mon j ey? This is the great motive. DESIRE FOR POWER AXD PLACE. There is another thing that men de I sire. They desire power. From the j timo when the boy likes to be strong j and admires an athlete up to the time when the man looks out over the world and sees higher and higher manifesta? tions of force there is in all an honest : admiration for power, and inany a man ! who is immensely wealthy, if you could j analyze his real feeling, cares not so I much for the money itself as for the ; power that is. in it. He loves to organ : ize those farreaching combinations ! and to show himself a king in his par ? ticnlar financial realm. So many a i man who is looked upon as simply a i money getter is really ambitions for j power. And here, again, it is well. Power is a magnificent thing if mag : nificently used, but it means either j selfishness, cruelty, despotism, or it j means service. If you seek it for the one end, you will become mean and un? developed in your manner, but if you seek it for the other you may be among the grandest of your kind. ; Then there is still another motive that leads men to seek for their place, . aiul that is ambition, the desire for fame. I remember once seeing a little boy highly excited over tho fact that his name was actually in print. It was only amongftthe arrivals at a summer hotel, but it did not matter, here was the first touch of fame; here was some? thing that other people would read. They would see bis name in print, and this is something that appeals tr and roaches ns all. We love to be of repu? tation; we love to have our names and our doings in the mouths of our fellows. If we can get a reputation that reaches beyond our town, over the state and beyond tho state limits or across the sea, there is a swell and impulse of pride and satisfaction in having at? tained this reputation in the minds of men. And here, again, if one wishes to be known merely as a feeder to his vanity, it ?3 a very small and poor con? cern indeed. But if one wishes to use this as a power for spreading over the world an influence that shall teach, that shall enlighten, that shall lift mankind, then indeed he may forget himself in view of this help, and he may become noble, unselfish, grand in the type of his I manhood here as well as in other direc- | tions. THE HIGHEST MOTIVE. But let us go one step further and find the highest motive of all. The grandest men of the world have not been those who have desired power; they have not been those actuated by a desire for :fame. Take one illustration, che supreme one of all. ITor we, all tue more because we believe he was a man, the outcome of humanity, its blossom, its glory-we all tie more can a?ore, to pay our reverent regard to the grandest soul of the world, the Nazarene. He had nowhere to lay bis head, he sought not money, he never desired power, and when some of his disciples came to * him, anxious for i places in ais kingdom, he said: You do j not know what manner of spirit you are ? of. The princes of this world desire ;:ower that they may exercise their lordship over their fellow men, but it 5s not to be so in this kingdom that 1 wish to establish. He that is great among you must be of service and great only in his service. You are not to lord it over others; you are not to call yourselves father or rabbi, for you are all the children of one Father in heaven. It is said constantly-and here is the point I wish to have clearly in mind by those who do not believe in the high? est possibilities of civilization, 4'You cannot get people to work or to devote themselves to a cause except on the basis of the lower motives. " It is said by those who oppose civil service-you will pardon me for being enough of a politician to refer to that by way of illustration-"That is a high and fine dream that certain reformers cherish, but it y ou expect men to work for a party or a cause you must pay them for their work." I do not believe it. If the dreams that we cherish cf the high? est civilization are ever tc be realized, we must find men who are willing to work, even if they do not get paid in cash for it. We must find men willing to work without regard to the power that men exercise over others. We must find men willing to devote themselves without desiring anything in the way of fame. We must find men, like Jesus, who make themselves of no reputation. THE BEST PLACE. One point more must I refer to. You might think perhaps from what I have said that I should advise you to be very humble and to take a small place. Men are anxious for a large place, but the fault I have to find with most men pardon me for using that word fault- - is that they do not seek for places that are large enough. I find a man who is willing to have a place that is not big enough to hold him and his conscience at the same time. He is willing to go into a place and leave his conscience outside. There is no opportunity in there for his moral and spiritual na? ture. I have heard a great many per? sons in my life say that it was very fine spun as a theory, but that it would not work in practice ; that if you are go? ing into business you must fight with business methods; that business and re j ligion are two things and should be kept as much apart as religion and pol? itics. The more religion you mix with a certain kind of politics the worse it will be for the politics. I know, and if a certain type of religion be mixed with business, it will be worse for the busi? ness. But a man cannot afford to go into a business that is not large enough for the free play pf his moral nature, for all that is highest and best in him as a man. In other words, in seeking for a place, do not be content or long engaged in any business that would better not be done. Do not be content with being engaged in any business the general outcome of which is an injury to the w orld. Get a place large enough j for your conscience. Then get a place large enough for some degree of your intellectual life, and then find a place large enough for your ariectional nature, for your gener? ous impulses, that bring you into touch with your fellow men and make you feel that you are a part of a worldwide humanity. And then, above all things, find a place large enough for your soul, large enough to lead into the divine life, so that you can rise into a conception of yourself as a child of "God, the infinite spirit, so that j-ou need not cramp down and shut in your life. In other words, do not fit yourself into your place and let thai shape your manhood. Keep your place flexible and compel it to adapt itself to your manhood. This is what I would have you do. Make your place subordinate. Remem? ber thal: your manhood is worth more j than your condition, more than the j house you live in or the street on which ; it stands, worth more than the position i you occupy. Remember that your man I hood is the great thing. Put that first, I make that dominant. Be somebody, do 1 something, devote yourself to the high? est thoughts in you, and you have made yourself a place where you can render service to your kind and where you can fulfill tue highest possible destiny. JOS F. RHAME. WM. C. DAVIS. RH AME & DAVIS, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, MANNING, S. C. Attend to business in any parc of the State Practice in U. S. Courts. Sept. 21-x. DO YOU hXPECI" TO BECOME A. MOTHER ? "MOTHERS' FRIEND95 MAKES CHILD BIRTH ESSY. Assists Nature, Lessens Danger, and Si-.ortsiL; Labor. 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