DEAD WITNESSES ;
OF OUR BATTLES
Dr. Hiilis Tells of Real Own
, ers o? Republic.
NOBLE DEAD, LIVING. UNBOflN
B> Rev. Dr. NEWELL OWIOHT HILUS, Pailor
of ('l)muu:h Church. Brooklyn, N. Y
Edmund Ilurke
oiire spoke of civ
ilization km n con
tract I) ? twee n
three parties, the
nohle dead, the
ll\ lug and the un
lK>rn. said I >r. 1111
lis, pastor of
riyin< uth church,
I?r<">!il.vii, In the
sixth of lils series
of sermons. Our
fathers won the
trea Mire, we en
joy the riches, hut
REV. Utt. NfcVt tlX
UWIG1IT IIII.ua.
our land iiimI In
stitutions 11 f> duly
lii>l<] in trust for
tllOSe WllO U i't1 to Colli C.
It Is with nvli'tv it s v\ iih IJi.it vim
tlmt for centuries 1 12 1 s ii|tencd tho pur
ple clusters for hungry pilgrims ?t
I In in |<t <?n court. Many generations urr
gone, l>ut they have an Investment In
the roots, tlu" houghs am] the clusters
that renin In. The living present has a
stake in the ri|*' grapes, hut tho rich
\ <no belongs to generations us yet uii
liorti.
Society Is like a solid, seamless
r< he. *???:! weaves t e ayes like cloth
upon a loom, ami the threads In the
warp n rnl *.o.ii are -.pun out of the
yesterc; i; hut the i i< li garment must
clothe tli.' ' ?'n irrows. These, there
fore. are th ?? four cont limit lea of life.
There Is the coiil lrn.lt; of heredity In
that your ancestors travel forward
U|H)ii your liu-inii hody, lielng blood of
your hi ? 'il, Iccc of y ? ?i 1 1- hi" ?, thought
of your thought There |j the coutl
unity of iii-4t :t lit fr??iM ill that the need
corn of law, liberty and faith bus un
folded Into the harvests of today. Yes
terday's lo; canoe his culminated iu
today's imlatl.il ship. Yesterday's rode
cabin Is l>eoome today's cathedral.
Yesterday's stone altar and human sac
rifice have culminated in today's spirit
ual temple and sucrltlce of hope and
faith. Then there Is the continuity of
history. In that the events of the past
wer ? the parents of greater events that
are to come. Finally there is the con
tinuity of memory that hinds the years
of childhood and youth, maturity and
npe Into one Individual life, even as
tl*? string hinds seventy golden beads
into one precious necklace.
Unconscious Immortality.
Ry reason of this continuous life,
therefore, the fathers or yesterday have
a great stake In the Institutions of to
day. It could not have heen otherwise,
lira ma lite laid the foundations of St.
1 eter s, and Michelangelo tolled upon
it* columns and ceilings. Think you
that these architects are not Interested
in the glorious cathedral huihlcd by
their genius and self sacrifice? Are
not the pilgrim fathers interested In
the outcome of their life work? Is
Lafayette dead? Has Washington for
jrotteu? Is Lincoln dead? Has the
great emancipator no regard for the
black race whom he redeemed ? It Is
impossible that the man who plants
orchards and elms to furnish food and
shade for coming generations should
f.-rget all about his labors for his fel
lows. The highest reason, therefore. Is
with us when we aflinn that the noble
dead on the one hand and the interests
of unborn generations on the other
hand are related to the fidelity and
loyalty of nieu tolling in the pres
ent
Th* Noble Dead Witness** For Their
Principles.
The noble dead who lean from the
battlements of heaven and watch the
fortune of our battle puhlLsh to the
modern contestants the great truths
by which they lived. So spring rises
higher than Its Bource, and no hero
rises higher than his cliarlot of truth
In which he rides up to meet and
greet his God. When wise men dellt>
eratwly choose a goal and struggle to
ward that end. conquering all obsta
cles, it is liecause they beljeve that
the goal Is worth more than the
pain Involved In conquering the bar
riers.
These Illustrious men were stoned,
sawed asunder, exiled, mobbed. They
wandered about In sheepskins and
goatskins. They were destitute, attllct
ed and tormented In their work as pa
trlots, poets, tcachcrs and martyrs.
They were men of like passion with
ourselves. Their Issllos were sensl
tlve. They shrank from the torture of
the thumbscrew and rack They shlv.
ered at the ojienlng of the dungeon
door. Their cheeks blanched white
when they saw the flames kindled, but
they knew In whom they l>elleved.
The Jailer stood beside them, but the
Invisible Friend was closer still Tho
I nseen Guide was too tiesr to l>e de
nied. They heard his voice, felt the
strength of his arms nnd were confi
dent that they would not go alone Into
the valley and shadow. The emergen
cy was great, but their Companion,
unseen, was more than equal to the
emergency.
Tested Facts.
Out of their personal experience
these martyrs were ennbletl to nay to
those who csnie after, in the hour
.. ?. ^ ? A
when they were pursued ami tortured,
"lie unafraid." Ood. who has com
manded the burden, wlil, first of all.
command the strength. The fuith of
Christ is worth dying for. Liberty and
Justice and truth hold eternal worth.
In the moment that la darkest, Just
above you you will find the open heav
ens, one standing there like unto the
Sou of God. With radiant facca and
exulting hearts, therefore, these noble
men who achieved our liliertlca went
toward their martyrdom. Never were
there such wltne*KCfl to truth. Of these
heroca the world was not worthy. <
Their achievement* and testimony
make it imposaihle to douht t tin t tlie
(Treat Ideas of the ChriKtlan religion,
and democracy are worth dying for
and that these idea* carry full power
to lift those who immmcns them into the
realm of liirlit far uliove |?overty, phys
ical pain and death.
Witnesses to God'a Power.
The illustrious dead arc witnesses to
an invisible <Jod, tli rough whose power
and help they endure*]. Their testi
mony is that the greatness of man is
the greatness of (Jo-1 In him. William
the Silent understood when, in expla
nation of his ever widening career, he
said that it seemed as If Ids victory wan
not "so much that he had reached up
and gripjM-d (Jod's hand as that (iod
had reached down and lifted him."
The loril protector of England under
stood the principle when he said, "No
man knows bow high he will rise when
he steps Into <?od's chariot and allows
himself to be swept forward by the
steeds of Uod." The difference in great
men and small is not so much the dif
ference in their birth gift as in the
way they allow themselves to be used.
Some men are stiff necked and un
yielding. When the opjtortunity comes
and the crisis Is acute and the provi
dence of (iod will, like a tioodtide,
sweep them forward they will not let
goof themselves and the tide ebbs.
Gi oat Men and Small.
The difference between men la like
the difference between kinds of clay.
One clay is plastic and yields Itself to
the gentle touch of the potter and
comes forth out of the flume porcelain
priceless In Its beauty. Another lump
of clay Is stiff and unyielding and can
only be molded by the potter Into the
vessel of common use. There were
many men In Thebes' palace, but there
Was only one man, Moses, who was
willing to surrender himself to the
will of Cod and follow the gleam.
There were many rulers In the Sanhe
drim, but only one bad eyes to perceive
the heavenly vision and ears that
heard the unseen spenker. There were
many young men in the University o!
Oxford when England's great crisis
came, but there was only one who was
sensitive to the divine overtures and
followed God, the Unseen Leader, un
til John Wesley became a world influ
ence and one of the greatest of men.
Example Is a wisp teacher. The great
man who has put things to the prool
has earned the right to counsel lessei
men. This is the testimony of the 11
lustrlous dead as to their battle and
their victory, "We endured and won by
seeing C.od, who Is Invisible."
Motives of Pride and Self Respect Bias
Men Toward Higher Life.
Motives of self respect and personal
pride, therefore, should urge men to
ward the higher Christian life. Some
times pride Is an upward lifting quali
ty, and sometimes pride looks down
ward and becomes vanity and self con
celt concerning things that perish
Now that Admiral iHnvey has finished j
his course and kept the fnith of pa
triotism, every citizen honors the ad '
mlral for his noble pride In his achieve j
incuts In Manila bay. When the houi
came for him to close his eyes upor
earthly scenes and prepare to meet tht
patriots, the soldiers and martyrs whe
had died for liberty, be must have fell
that he would come In honored, known
and waited for. It Is the captain whe
betrays bis trust who Is conscious ot
shame. To lose a battleship in defense
of one's country and to die upon tlx |
deck Is praiseworthy for Nelson and
Farragut.
Hut to lie on a battleship and eat and
drink and feast while the trade wind
blows the great ship upon the rocks
Is to be looked upon with shame. The
careless commander anticipates the
hour when his fellow ottlcers will teat
off his epaulets, break his sword and
reduce him to the ranks. So terrible U j
that ordeal that men have lost their
reason In the hour of disgrace. Fot
such henceforth all life becomes an In
ferno. Such an hour came to Benedict
Arnold, who died one of the most mis
erable of men. In the old school read
er of our boyhood wus found the Story
of Aaron Ibirr, who at the end of his
career was urged to take his place be
fore be died among his fellow men. but
who when the moment came could not
endure the silent rebuke in the eye?
of his fellows
Traitor? to Themselves.
Friendship must bo Innight. Ho who'
would bo loved ns lender must buy Ids
leadership at great price. Think you
that it will bo an easy thing nftei
death to enter the company of the elect
and noble leaders coming In as one un
worthy? Would you meet Lincoln be
yond? Are you struggling unto 1>1o<m1
to help the colored race? If you hop? I
to meet Webster and Washington musi
you not promote the high ends and the
great truths which they loved unt<
blood? If you are willing to sacrifice
tirelessly for the Institutions of voui {
country you will hnvy earned the right
to meet the groat patriots on equal
ground. But what If yon have neglect
ed patriotism, have undermined the'
family, have misused the opportunities
of your generation, have slipped out ol
hard work and have left others to flghl
the tm't'es?
Do y? ii think yon can meet the fire*
of scorn burning In the eyes of the
Illustrious great when they turn iwa;
Irom you because you were unworthy?
Settlers preparing to enter a new
country make ready In advance their
gold, tool*, wed corn and equipment
that they may begin the life In the new
land properly furnished. Is there no
suggest Ion here as to the prudent man
laying up treasures In heaven and seud
lug on in advance as couriers of Im
mortality those whom he has helped?
It is a llltle thing t';.it you succeed ma
terlully he. it is t lit* great thing that
you l..n e liui.t men and served the
htglu-rj : i.i i; les of right that gives you
plate a 'I |"'-.tlou ltciea 'ter. Today
deal stc::ii wl:!i yourselves and ask
whether yo.t have struggled unto blood,
ilLe those l.i i' cm of old of whoiu the
world was not worthy.
Th? Illustrious Dead Witnesses of Our
Dattlss.
Sometimes the illustrious dead are
wltneh>e-i against men. Concerning
certain ones who had betrayed the
great eouvletions it is said the stars hi
their courses fought against them. In
a moral universe It could not l?e other
wise. The husbandman who has grown
the vineyard with Indignation watches
his successor misuse the vines that
should have ripened clusters for gen
erations yet unborn. The merchant
who founds a great business, the edu
cator who builds a great school, the
architect who founds some Kt. I'aul's,
the statesman and soldier who saved
the Institutions of th?lr country, the
teacher and parent who built them
selves into their children nnd pupils
nil these of necessity have a stake hi
society. The ?ery thought that their
life work Is to be overthrown Is painful.
So great, therefore, is the interest of
our fathers in the work of their chil
dren that oftentimes they draw neur
to the battlements of heaven to dis
cern how tilings go with us upon earth.
What if there Is an Invisible world
within reach of an outstretched arm!
The Mind man is always near unto the
world of flowers and faces and Btars,
but it Is hidden. Perchance the un
seen realm is here, but because we
have no faculty to discern remains un
known.
Perchance we ore always under scru
tiny of the greatest souls. IIow could
It l?e otherwise? Noble teachers ob
serve with deepest Interest how their
students carry themselves on com
mencement day. Artist masters an
ticipate with eager anxiety the day
when the paintings of their pupils will
l>e hung. Homer in his "Odyssey"
makes the old hero Laertes exult
when he saw his son, Odysseus, and
his grandson. Telemnclius, outdoing
each the other In deeds of bruvery.
The French artist has thrown upou the',
walls of the Beaux Arts his "Court of
Genius."
The Court of Genius.
The greatest men of all the ages are i
assembled In the gallery. Here are
the Jurists, Moses and Phocion and
their fellows; here are the philoso
phers, Plato and Aristotle and Bacon j
ami Newton; here are the artists, from
l'hidlas and. Xeuxla to Rodin and
Rembrandt; here are the orators
known for their eloquence, aud the
poets with their books in the hand, aud
here, too. are the martyrs of liberty.
Standing In the gallery, thoso who are
Judging men and ranking them look
down luto tho arena. Now they ap
plaud the achievement of some noble
youth, and now they are ashamed of
some lender who for a ribbon or a
wedge of silver has been a traitor to
ward his followers, and now those
who have so great n stake In our in
stitutions exult over some bravo deed
and worthy act.
But this is no artist vision. If. in
deed, there l>e a meeting place of the
noble dead, tills Is the necessity of log
ie? that the great who have gone are
concerned with the fortunes of our
battle. Be not deceived. Always you
are under scrutiny. In the empyrean
above stand all you loved or lost.
The Great Assize.
Among that company of men made
perfect stand your noble father, the
face of your radiant and beautiful
mother, and there, too, stands that
great, dear Presence who has tilled
all your career with providential Inter
ferences in behalf of your manhood.
And if perchance you were a general
betraying his soldiers, a strong man
spoiling his followers, a friend betray
ing his friend, then the hour will come
when you will ea'l upon the mountains
and rocks to fab upon you and hide
you from the face of God and the in
dignation of those who belong to the
beloved community that Christ calls
his church.
CARL VROOMAN PRAISES
THE HILLIS SERMONS'
Assistant Secretary Hopes All the Peo
ple Will Read Them.
Hon. Carl Vroomnn, assistant secre
tary of agriculture. Is very much Inter
ested in the great series of sermons
Itev. Dr. Newell Dwlght Ilillis Is pre
paring for this newspaper. One ser
mon In particular, entitled "Winning
a War; Plows Versus Gutis," caused
him to write the following letter of
appreciation:
Department of Agriculture. Washing
ton. May 5, 1017.
1 trust that the agricultural press as
well as the dally press will l>e able to
help give Dr. Ilillis* Inspiring message
on our present f<x>d crisis to all the
farmers in the nation. Nothing Is more
Important at the present time than
that our farming population as well as
our city population should come to re
alize the extreme nature of our present
food crisis. Dr. Ilillis with his won- ;
derful powers of thought and expres
sion has a message for the people of
this couutry. and 1 trust that as many 1
as possible of them will l>e given a
chauce to rcr.d it and to take it to
heart. Very truly yours.
CARL V ROOM AN,
Assistant Secretary. k
Plioto by American Tress Association.
Brigadie- General C'tarles J. Bai'ay.
HOUSE COES IN FOR ECONOMY.
Abolishes Clerkships To Eleven
Committees.
Partially as a war economy step,
the House has abolished clerkships
to eleven committees, which seldom,
if ever, meet, says a Washington dis
patch.
Representative Sanford, of New
York, who forced the economy, show
ed that frequently Representatives'
secretaries, who, beginning July 1,
will be paid $2,000 a year, also held
the committee clerkships with addi
tional pay.
Mr. and Mrs. Marshal Williams, of
Faison , have- four fine sons and all of
them have volunteered and joined
some of the forces now being raised
for the war. Dr. Lewis Hicks Wil
liams is in the navy as assistant sur
geon; Marshall Williams, Jr., is with
the coast artillery at Fort Monroe;
Roland Williams is entered for July
examinations for the field artillery,
:ind Virginius F. Williams is entered
for the July examination for the
:-avalry service of the U. S. A. ? Wal
lace News.
Norway has 189,296 horses, 1,282,
14(5 sheep, 229,981 goats and 221,
146 hogs.
ONLY ONE IN FOUR
FiT FOR ARMY TEST
By CAPTAIN GEORGE. L. KILMER.
In the regular army three out of four
applicants are rejected for physical de
fects, some of which could be remedied
If known beforehand. Defective eyes,
ears and teeth are the principal causes.
Type three-fourths of au Inch high
must be read at twenty feet. Ears
that can hear whispers or low tones
at twenty feet will i>?s8. Certain teeth
Photo by American Press Association.
PARADE REST WITH RIFLE.
must be perfect or properly filled?
"grinders."
Weight, chest measure and expan
sion come next In these, faults may
sometimes be remedied before risking
a test The requirements are: At 5
feet 4 Inches, w eight 120 pounds, chest
measure at least 30 Inches, with chest
expansion 2 Inches. At 5 feet 5, 122
pounds, chest 30, expansion 2 Inches.
At 5 feet 0. 124 pounds, SO^fc chest. 2
Inches expansion. At 0 feet 7, 120
pounds, 31 chest, 2 expansion. At 8
feet 8. 120 pounds, 31V* chest 2>4 ex
pansion. At 5 feet 0, 133 pounds, 31H
chest 2H expansion. At 5 feet 10, 135
pounds. 32 chest, 2H expansion. At C
fe?< 11, 142 pounds. 32Vi chest. 2% ex
pansion.
For six footers the scale begins with
140 pounds, 32*i chest 3 inches expan
sion. For every added inch up to 4
the weight increases 7 pounds, chest
Increases an Inch with 3 Inch ex
pansion irp to 0 feet 4, which is S1^
Underweight, bad teeth and faulty
chest development may i*> remedied
where the defects are not serious.
Among the exercises recommended by
army experts to bo taken bef< re reach
ing camp are those which will reduce
the waist, strengthen, liml>er or harden
muscles and Joints and develop the
chost The proper exercises for the
purpose nre known to every athlete.
THE SOUTHERN RA!LW?^C0M?4NY
r~ s
An Ambition and a Record
THE needs of the South are identical with the needs
?f the Southern Railway : the growth and success of one means
the upbuilding vf the other.
Tkt Southern Railway asks uo farort? no special privilege not
accorded to others.
7*be ambition of the Southern Railway Company is to see that
unity of interest that it born of co-operation between the public and
the railroads; to see perfected that fair and frank policy in the manage
ment of ra: roa'n which invites the eonftaeoce of governmental
agencies; to fra /e that liberality of treatment which will enable it
to obta:> the a linonal capital needed for the acquisition of better and
enlarged fac;;; r% incident to the demand for increased and better
tervke; and. Lnally?
To take ita niche in the body politic of the South alongside of
other great industries, with no more, but with equal liberties, equal
ngLts a. id equal opportunities.
" The Southern Serves the South."
Books for Children
The average child likes a Book, and the parent who
provides his child with a good Book, is doing a good deed.
We have in the list below a few Books suitable for Chil
dren from four to ten years of age. We have one copy
each of the following:
Pilgrims Progress, in words of one syllable 25c
The Tale of Brownie Beaver 40c
The Adventures of Reddy Fox 50c
The Adventures of Johnny Chuck 50c
Mr. Possum's Great Balloon Trip 50c
Mr. Rabbit's Big Dinner 50c
Making Up With Mr. Dog 50c
For Older Children
Waste Not, Want Not Stories 50c
Bird World, by Stickney and Hoffman 50c
Books for Boys
The Woodcraft Manual, by E. S. Thompson 50c
Lives of the Presidents, by E. S. Ellis 50c
Civil War Stories ? From St. Nicholas 50c
Life of Thomas A. Edison 50c
George Washington, by W. O. Stoddard 50c
Herald Book Store
Smithfield, N. c
UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS
27TH ANNUAL REUNION
SONS OF VETERANS? 22ND ANNUAL REUNION
Washington, D. C., June 4th-8th, 1917.
ROUND TRIP FARES
VIA
SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM
Round Trip Fares from Principal Points as Follows:
RALEIGH, N. C. - - - - $6.85
DURHAM, N. C., - - - - 6.80
GOLDSBORO, N. C., - - - 7.25
SELMA, N. C., 7.25
CHAPEL HILL STA., - - - 6.80
BURLINGTON, N. C., - - 6.80
Fares from other points in same proportion.
Tickets will be on sale June 2nd, to 7th, inclusive with
final return limit to reach original starting point by mid
night of June 21st, 1917, or if you wish to remain longer,
by depositing ticket with special agent at Washington
and paying a fee of fifty cents final limit will be extended
to reach original starting point by midnight of July 6th,
1917.
Stop-overs permitted on either going or return trip
within final limit of ticket.
For detailed information as to SPECIAL TRAIN SER
VICE, Pullman sleeping car reservations, etc., ask any
agent Southern Railway System, or address,
J. O. JONES, Traveling Passenger Agent,
Raleigh. N. C.
THE SOUTHERN SERVES THE SOUTH.