Let Us Be Near to Thee

Reaching the Harbor A Chapel Talk at the Utah Agricultural College

By Dr. F. L. West, Director, School of General Science, Utah Agricultural College

In January, of 1914, the steamship Nantucket, while sailing off the coast of Virginia, in aheavy fog, struck broadside the steamship Monroe, and sank her in ten minutes. Forty lives were lost. The captain of the Nantucket was cited before the court to explain why he was sailing at fifteen knots an hour while the horns and whistles of other ships were being sounded through the fog. He explained that a boat when moving rapidly under high steam pressure is much more easily handled, is more respon- sive, and can be guided more easily. The pilot cannot guide a ship that is not self-propelled, neither can he guide one that is not in motion. A personal experience of the writer brought this principle very forcefully home to him. A friend and I went duck-hunting, and, being unacquainted with Logan river, put a rowboat into it at a point above some rapids and had the unpleasant experience of being absolutely at the mercy of the current, the rudder being useless. Soon after- ward we found ourselves at a sharp turn in the stream holding on to some overhanging branches above a deep hole ten feet from the bank, and the current driving us into the brush. Inas- much as we were not rowing the boat, we could not guide it. The same principle operates in life. Strong, energetic, industrious men of action usually have strong wills, make decisions easily, and direct the course of their lives with ease. On the other hand, young people in general and students in particular, who will not bestir themselves and get under way and study, cannot be guided by their seniors nor by their teachers. The value of self-propulsion and energetic action in contrast to idleness can be illustrated in this way: Water in the mountains, so long as it is moving, remains cool, refreshing, and pure; even if it becomes contaminated it soon purifies itself, can be diverted out along the foothills to transform sagebrush tracts into blooming fields, or may plough its way straight through, driving machinery for lighting our cities and operating our motors. But when it reaches the low- lands and slows up, it begins to twist and turn, it covers with

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scum, and becomes a breeding place for disease. Lazy, shifting, idle men become crooked and filthy. They are idle mainly be- cause they have not learned the meaning of life, and it has no deep purpose for them. There is for them no distant port worth sailing for. Let us examine the things that men have sought after, the ports men try to reach, as illustrated by the purposes of their voyages in different ages, taking those with the basest purpose first. You are all familiar with the submerged operations and destructive object of the submarine. There are crafty, tricky, clever, unscrupulous business men, who, instead of being open and above-board, operate against their competitors in the same underhanded way and with the same destructive intent, and are as elusive in evading the clutches of the law as the submarine is in escaping from its pursuers. The submarine represents the apex of men's scientific and inventive genius. To give a college education to an unprincipled man is a dangerous practice, be- cause a brilliant crook is much more of a menace to society than an ignorant criminal. Much less base and sinister in motive is that of the bucca- neers and pirates, who plied the seas in the fifteenth and six- teenth centuries, preying on the treasure-laden ships that were returning from the new world. Coming alongside one of these, the pirates would board it and engage in a hand-to-hand com- bat, the stronger, more skilful and more courageous crew obtain- ing the plunder of both boats. Vigorous, brave men cannot help but admire in a way the daring of these pirates. Contrast with this the cowardly methods of the sneak thief. There is no dif- ference between the stealing of money from a bank and the stealing of a book from the windows of the college ; nor between the stealing of merchandise from a store and the stealing of a pair of rubbers from the halls; and no difference between steal- ing money or merchandise and the stealing of a fact, in an exam- ination or the writing up of a laboratory report of an experiment that was never performed. The first mentioned ones constitute penitentiary offenses. The latter are equally odious offenses. We are glad there are very few of such people at the college. Voyages have been made to Africa to procure slaves. Ships have sailed to the far east to obtain spices, perfumes, tapestries, oriental rugs, and precious stones, indicating man's quest of lux- ury and ease. Closely associated with this motive is that of the Spanish soldier of fortune who sailed with Cortez to Mexico and Peru, suppressed the weaker peoples and carried back to Europe large amounts of gold and silver. The desire for power and money is the dominating purpose of the great majority of people. We

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are proud of the fact that the college trains men in such a way that their earning capacity is increased. It urges them to be- come skilled artisans, and expert professional men, so that their service to society will be so valuable that they can earn the neces- sary food, clothing, and protection from the elements with ease, and in a limited amount of time, leaving a goodly amount of time and energy to devote to other than sordid things, namely, the better things of life. Contrast with the above-mentioned base or at least inferior motives, those of the life-saving crews that operate near the light- houses. Men on dark, stormy nights, when the sea is rough, take their lives in their hands and sail out in their frail barks to save the lives of ship-wrecked sailors. Or you remember how the heavy freight boats carried food and clothing to the starving Belgians; or the still more lofty purpose, that of the great army transport ships that carried thousands of the choicest men of our land to sacrifice their lives on the battlefields of France, in order that the world might be a better place in which to live. Equally lofty sentiments and fine purposes of life were expressed by Isaiah who wrote:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. * * * And he hath sent me to comfort all that mourn, * * * to give unto them beaut/ for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi- ness."

Isaiah's great desire was to liberate men from the slavery of vicious habits and to replace sorrow in the world by happi- ness. I wish that our young people would get an insatiable hun- ger for righteousness, an unquenchable thirst for learning, a de- termination to become skilled professional men, and a burning desire to have power to do good to others and a desire to sup- press sorrow and increase the world's supply of joy and happi- ness, and with a tenacity of purpose, with grit and sand, persist and hammer away until these ends have been attained. The purpose of life's voyage having been decided upon, the sort of preparation required is determined, and the ship is put in dry dock, overhauled, and put in shape. If it has not been in use recently, the machinery will be rusty and dirty and will need to be cleaned, oiled, and adjusted. This is very necessary because a breakdown in midocean would be very disconcerting. Young people go to college to make such a preparation for life — their college experience being a sort of dry-dock preparation.

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Prudent, farsighted ones make this preparation thorough, so as to insure a pleasant voyage and safe arrival at the port. These young people are taken out of the productive pursuits temporarily and put in the dry dock, and the cost of this train- ing includes not only their earning capacity and their current expenses while in school, but the expense to the state of $100 or more a year for the training of each of them. Needless to say, that inasmuch as this expenditure by the state and by themselves is to prepare men for leadership (and at heavy expense to both) the sensible student will not waste his time, but use it ef- fectively. Higher educational institutions may well be judged by the quality of the product turned out, since they are engaged in the training of men. A captain would not think of taking his boat for a voyage without having it manned with men who understood the opera- tion of the machinery including its care and adjustment. The human body is more complicated than a ship, yet few men think it necessary to know themselves, including the laws of health, but trust to the doctor to repair the injury caused by ignorance, carelessness, or sin, instead of doing as the Chinese do, who hire the doctor to keep them well, and discharge him if they get sick. Ships are provided with powerful enough engines and with enough fuel to get them to the distant port, and are kept in good condition while on the voyage. Men, in order to accomplish bi'r ends and put over big jobs, must be healthy and strong, and should possess capacious lungs, a strong non-leakable heart, and a stomach that can digest the most insoluble of foods. These qualities men must have, together with plenty of grit and "pep." They should be kept in the "pink" of condition through tem- perate living, proper exercise, and regular and sufficient rest. Before setting sail, the mariner provides himself with maps and charts that have been made by those who have made the trip before him. These charts will show the prevailing winds, much more important, the location of and ocean currents, and the great danger points, the rocks and hidden reefs. The accu- mulated experience and wisdom and learning of past ages is written in books, and while in dry dock the students make use of these. Profiting by the experience of others on their voyage, follows many will be saved from the sorrow and weakness that shipwreck the breaking of law, and are thus kept from making of their lives on the rocks of folly and sin. are pro- Searchlights, telescopes, compasses, and sextants determine the ship's location, and as aids to vision. vided to help College sharpens the wits, enlarges the vision, broadens the hor- izon, and produces a clear, thinking, logical mind.

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There is on every boat a small mechanism, operated by the pilot, called the helm which consists of a wheel and rudder. This is so sensitive and responsive that the mere touch of the finger is sufficient to turn about a huge boat. Obviously this delicate steering mechanism should be very carefully protected from injury. The steering apparatus in man is his will power. It is the executive head, the directing force that determines whether he will or will not go ahead, and whether he will go to the right or to the left or stay where he is. Drugs are dangerous enemies of the will. They sometimes completely dethrone it. They include tea, coffee, tobacco, liquor, cocaine, opium, etc. You have seen intoxicated men reeling and swaying from one side of the walk to the other, their steering apparatus working so badly that it is necessary for them to be guided by others to their homes. We have only abject pity for the dope fiend, so weak and slavish. Our country, through its law-makers, knowing that liquor was standing in the way of our victory, because of de- stroying the efficiency, mental and physical, of our citizens, enacted nation-wide prohibition. It is very likely that not a few of those that are injuring themselves by the use of these drugs would discontinue their use, if it were not that they are such slaves to them. There is a state law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors, and a rule of the colleges of the state that smoking on the campus is prohibited. It is clear, therefore, that the steering apparatus or will power should be protected from injury by drugs. Also the pilot should be safe and conservative rather than rash and fool- — — hardy, the ship and cargo a human life being of great value. Just as a good stage driver is not one who prides himself on how close he can drive to the precipice without slipping over into the chasm, but on the contrary the one who drives close to the high side of the road. So the good pilot does not see how close he can come to the dangerous rocks that might wreck his ship. A wise man keeps away from the filthy cesspools of vice, not only because they are dangerous, but because prox- imity to them causes contamination, in thought at least. An efficient, well-manned ship, in perfect running order, is following the course marked out for it when a great storm begins to form; the sky becomes overcast; clouds thicken; a ter- rific hurricane with the downpouring of rain sets in, and the captain is unable to see his course. He also knows that there are dangerous rocks on either side of him. If he shuts down the engines he may not be able to steer quickly out of the way f another ship and the wind may blow his vessel on to the

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rocks. If he continues ahead, not being able to see, he may become stranded on a bar. However prudent a man may be, and however numerous the precautions he may have taken, a combination of circum- stances may arise, over which he has no control, that may plunge him into a terrific storm of anguish of soul. He may lose his entire fortune in one day, or a dear friend that was worth more than life itself may have been suddenly thrown into eternity and such a state of despondency arise as to com- pletely paralyze temporarily the faculties. Some terrific in- justice may have been done him that may throw him into a storm of rage. It should never be forgotten that above the storm clouds there is a force ruling and guiding the Universe, a loving Father anxiously waiting to bless, who can see the course we should fol- low, who can dissolve away the clouds of worry and doubt, clar- ify the vision and show to us clearly our duty and the port to- ward which we should sail. He is approachable through prayer. The great difficulty is that unless in the days of our prosperity our devotions are offered up with regularity, the thought will never suggest itself to us, particularly if the storm be one of hate, anger, passion, revenge, or jealousy, and if it does present itself the method of approach to the divine presence will be un- known. Join the company of such men as Lincoln and Wash- ington who were reverent men of prayer. I wish that we might all of us attain unto the faith of the Psalmist who wrote: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23). "Whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. * * * If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 139).

We have now learned how to reach the harbor, but hap- piness follows not only in reaching the port set out for, but is

to be attained while the voyage is in progress. If one is willing

to pay the price, he can occupy beautiful apartments on the upper deck, enjoy games, books, the dance, and have a most with enjoyable trip, or he may go down in the dark, filthy hole the steerage passengers. Take a first-class passage through life by paying the price of learning how to live, and by obeying happiness rests; the laws on which the enduring and lasting in acquisition, because, "happiness does not consist essentially possession, or achievement, but rather in the peace and confi- physical, mental, and spiritual health which dence, and perfect