We pride ourselves upon the fact that we can worship God according to
the dictates of our own conscience. We speak easily of God, "whose
service is perfect freedom," but it was not we, but our fathers who
achieved that. Our fathers "left us an heritage, and it has brought
forth abundantly."
I say this to draw clearly the line between mere material wealth and
that which is the real wealth and welfare of a people. We are rich, but
our fathers were poor. How did they achieve it? Not by their wealth, but
by their character--by their devotion to principle. When I was thinking
of the speech I was to make here to-night, I asked the descendant of a
New Englander what he would say was the best thing that the fathers had
left to the country. He thought for a second and made me a wise answer.
He said, "I think it was their character." That is indeed the heritage
they left us; they left us their character. Wealth will not preserve
that which they left us; not wealth, not power, not "dalliance nor wit"
will preserve it; nothing but that which is of the spirit will preserve
it, nothing but character.
The whole story of civilization speaks this truth with trumpet voice.
One nation rises upon the ruins of another nation. It is when Samson
lies in the lap of Delilah that the enemy steals upon him and ensnares
him and binds him.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26