The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-08-15

SUNDAY THoUGHTs.-We have risen ear
w, this 18th day of a month intended by
Augustus Caesar to pcrpctuate his ambi-
ton, and for which purpose he did add
one day to the thirty it erst contained, lest
he might be supposed to have been less
potent than his predecessor, who gave to
July thirty-one. The month remains a
living monument that
thine, the t~Omb-builder
Holds his fierce career"
while Augustus is but
49,. lone the more
To bat1ed millions which have gone be-
FORE"
And here we sit, and the day has scarce
" broken. Yet all is beautiful in heaven.
"Though varied with a transitory storm,
More beautiful in that Variety
And we are struggling to "get up some
local news for the next Home journal.
Struggling-working, if you please, upon
the blessed Sabbath Day! Don't start,
dear reader! and say that we are SHINING.
Ere you do, allow us, humOly, to catechise
you. Do you know what sin is? Can
you distinguish between fanaticism and
truth? Dare you search your W heart
and render an honest verdict? If so,
please tell us wherein our sin is greater
than the sin o fyour pastor who intcrlineS
his notes and pOlishes his sermon upon II
Sabbath morn! Or wherein greater than
yours in slumbering even now upon your
downy bed, when the birds are warbling
forth their joy and bees are busy with the
flowers, as if to say to you-Thou slug
gard! And yet, anon, when the Orient
has lost its beauty, and the sun is far upon
his western journey, you will crawl from
your beds, nope to church, and stultity
your profession of Goodness with long
prayers mumblcd and responses almost
inaudible, and then, as a climax to incOn-
sistcncy, devote the afternoon to pleasure
taking, social v visiting, and criticism upon
affairs that specially concern your neigh
Dor. Thou hypocrite! We would not be
surprised if you should say that we are
SHINING in writing for our paper this
beautiful Sabbath Day. Yet be it so, and
we will console oursclf with the thought
that
"thcre are crimes
Made venial by the occasion, and tempta-
tons
Which nature cannot master or fOrbear."
The Good Book tells of a certain woman
that, under the law OF Moses, should have
been stoned. And when the Scribes and
Pliarisees asked our Savior to express his
opinion, he said:
He that is without sin among you, let
him first cast Il stone at her."
And they were convicted by their own
conscicnces. And so now, ifany one should
choose to blame us for writing an article
upon the Sabbath Day. we place him be-
fore the bar Of his own conscience. and
would catechise him just n little. Sir, do
YOU profess to be u christian? OF course
you dot is popular. But are you hon
est? Then, sir, pay your debts--come
squarcly up to your promises--and you
will not hear ofsuch "hard times" in our
community. Don't deludc yourself with
the idea that you have a single claim on
Heaven so long as you dress in fine clothes.
smoke fine cigars and revel in pleasure
while there are those around you who arc
struggling to make good promises based
upon your given word Of honor to pay
your indebtedness. All! there will be a
time when all will be made right which
so puzzles us herc-whtn men who stand
up and say: "Give us this day our daily
bread" will find a portion with The Lost,
because they cheated their %neighbors Of
bread-not directly, but by taking advan-
tage of the law, and not earning their own
bread by the sweat of their own brows.
IL has been said that in these days there
is no such thing as independent thought.
1t is too true, and especially when that in
dependent thought comes in contact with
fanaticism-with %thumb-worn crecds-
with men who strive to give the divine
impress to their own vindictivcness--whO
strike you from behind the altar where
love and charity and forbearance alone
should be enthroned. Oh, God! it is too
true! and the older we grow the more we
are impressed with the beauty of charity,
and the painful lack of it in the creeds
that essay to save mankind. The church
has assumed to watch the rorld; but it is
time the rorM begin to watch the church.
Good members there be of both the church
and the world, but fanaticism has dam
aged the former as much as partizanshlp
has the latter. God help us all!
.,Nooro County pionaarD ia tho title If