in the earthquake three years ago. It is certain to come unless we
follow the line of God's appointing that this must be a free Nation,
absolutely free, free everywhere. As yet, emancipation is but an outward
and formal thing. What we wait for now, is the emancipation of a true
and an elevated will in the South, and Christian citizenship. Into that,
this Association pours its strength, its money, and its life. It took
half a million lives to emancipate the slaves outwardly, and it may yet
take hundreds and thousands of lives--our lives--our children's
lives--poured in upon this problem, that so we may lift the Negro to
that point where he feels himself, and where we feel him to be, a
man--taught to labor, protected in the enjoyment of the fruits of his
labor, without which the strongest arm grows palsied, trained in a
strong, self-reliant Christian manhood, holding the reins firmly on the
neck of all passion--a man. And that we will do; and the very greatness
of the problem, I believe, is our redemption. It was the greatness of
the crisis that thrilled the Nation's heart when the war burst upon us.
It is the very greatness of our present problem that calls in trumpet
tones to men and women and children all over the land; "Come and help
solve this problem for Christ."

A few weeks ago, in one of the beautiful towns of Northern Illinois, a
young man, the only son of his father and mother, hearing at Sabbath
evening the alarm of fire, sprung forth and took his place upon the
burning building and there did the work of a fireman. In the attempt to
put out the fire he was hurled headlong and in one moment his life had
gone hence. A few weeks afterward, as a friend was talking with his
mother about it, she said, "Our son was always so swift to heed any call
of need or duty, it seems to me as if he heard suddenly some call from
God from some farther clime and sprung forth and was gone from our
sight." Blessed, heroic faith! But, brethren and friends, fathers and