The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-08-27
A TnSt CLERGYMAN.

Rev. w. II. IT. Murray sometimes
called Adirondack had too many irons in
the fire. There is little wonder if several
of then got badly burned. Besides his
pulpit duties, he had Il stock farm III
Guillord, two farms in 'thc hills" and Il
cool deal of interest in the 'R0ston Buck
board Wagon Company" Mr.. Murray
also had the Golden Rnic on his hands,
and still other enterprises. One day last
week, one of Mr.. Murray's checks was
"thrown ont" by bank cashier. This
was the first brick in Il line OF misfor-
tunes that stood ready to tumble upon
each other, and quickly Mr.. Murray
found the sheriff after his give hand
some stations" his moving machine, his
cattle on the Adirondack hills, and his
stock in the "Buckboarl Company.' Mr..
Murray has sought rest and quiet in the
A~dirondacks, it is said, while his mort
Cages and the sheriff madca bad financial
crash in his worldly ailairs.-NO1th~cSt-
erR LidrOcntc. -,
Adam Clarke used to say a man ought
to put as many irons in the fro AS he
could: not only all his irons. but shovel,
pokcr. tonrS, besides; and blow and
strike with all his might. 1t depends al
together on what the irons arc, as to-
| whether or not Il man has too many Of
them i'm the fire. 1t will be difficult to
find one too diligent and earnest about
the proper business of life. \ diStin-
cuislicd preacher once said that he found
that when his outside work contributed
to the stream which flowed towards MS
pulpit, there was no harm in that WORK;
but when anything he undertook turned
the current the other way, he always
abandoned it as dangerous.
A preacher should be a man OF one
work. lie may do many things, but these
many should be one. One inspiration,
purpose, thought, should run through
them all.
One of our exchanges reads Mr.. Muir
raw a moral. suggested by his misfortune
and failure. 1t is the commonplace con-
ISOLATION that he will come from his finan-
cial ruin, in all likelihood, a wiser and a
/ better man. This is to be dCvoutlv
hopcd. But we can't help but think
about the unfortunate creditors, who are
to get, say ten cents on thc dollar How
about them? a mans new experience,
of so much value to him, may be worth
very little in SuuarinG the account win
his past rccklcsSnesS and dissipation. y
good man may fail in business. Many Il
| one has, standing perpendicular amid the
wreck and ruin of his falling fortunes.
But when a preacher fails because OF Such
circumstances as environcd the Reverend
Murray, then we confess We arc only sor-
nv of his failure bccaus : we are sorry Tor
his creditOrS.-,Southcrn Christian Id0o-
cate.
More heartless notices of tho misfor-
tune of an cntcrprising man we 90 not
rccollect to have seen. The remark OF
the Northwestern Idrocatc laugh at.the
brothers calamity in a ticndish n
which we have never seen in a rcspecta-
bic secular paper, Jut when the Southern
| Christian 1dr0cntc says tive arc only
sorry Of his failure because we are sorry
for his creditors" we arc forced to en-
claim. "Alas, for tho rarity of christian
charity" and VIC arc at a loss to under
stand the impulses of the heart, that
could prompt such IN expression. we
arc still further astounded when VIC re-
member that that heart which uttcrs it
claims to be- follower Of the meek n
lowlv Jesus. We do not sec how a
Christian editor can record mans calarn-
itv to himself and family, and thch to
say we are only sorry "for his creditors
This may be il accord with the dlvino
command, to love your neighbor as your
self, but we fail e sec it. Nothing sue,
Goods like success. If this brother had
been prosperous and retired on a fortune
we have no doubt his brethren would
have thought and spoken differently OF
him. Did any of these brethren venture
to give this brother good advice until
misfortune come upon him?