Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-23

nom here, but The Dakota fever is not
as contagious as II was year ngo'
Too many people have gone up there
with the idea Of making independent
fortunes In short time. WITHOUT any
particular effort. OF course such peo-
pie are always The first 10 become ais
gusted with new country. lhere
are not many who can realize thate'er-
nal vigilance is the price OF success
MooDY.
Dwight J.. Moody, the famous evan
gelist, who made such an impression
here six years ago. preached on sun
day 20 immense thfongs OF people. inc
two sermons OF the day, II printed IN
the ordinary type OF the GAZETTE,
would cover nearly page aud a hall.
STILL In all the amount OF talking,
there was not one thought that every
church.goer has not heard, with slight
variations, time and again. Mr..
Moody's sermons might have been
fitted 10 the text IRON solomon (:
"Therc Is nothing new under thesun.
With much truth the reverend gentle
man said at IL not more sermons,
not more light, but to obey the lighl
we have Is what we most need"
There Is no lack of laws, no lack Of
truth, but lack Of people To obey and
apply them.
Mr. Moody literally goes forp his
hearers In the old siyle at wild, pas
slonstc exhortations. which have Il
kind Of kiil-or-cure effect upon the lis
teucrs those more thoughtful aud
cool.hcaded are liable To be disgusted
al an eatly stage, but others become
excited over the terrible consequences
ihai are threatened as the result OF de-
lay In seeking God Though tie me-
dunn OF the church. They are prom
ised eternal salvation az reward for
taking the simple step Of fornallty;
it seems, and truly II would be, acheap
price to pay for salvation through the
eternilios. They become excited AT
the speakers almost frcn
lied eXhortati0ns, cannot with
stand the. personal entreatics
of those who come into the audience To
influence those Whose minds are ul'-
settled, and before they realize whs. c
they are, they go forward nnd feet
that they are experiencing religion,
when they are almost suffering ner-
vous prostration, and have no more
rational responsibility than child
who, through fright, or being daZed,
does something that 1t knows nothing
about.
No one would say that Moody does
not occasionally bring into the light n
person who has been in total dark
ness he has wonderful magnetism,
aud above all he has very fine music,
which has been ono secret of his sue
cess, but such doctrines as he breaches,
like while the lamp holds out to
burn, the viicst sinner may return
do vast deal more harm than good.
There Is scarcely anything which has
been more cheerful To people of evil
inclinations than the theory of deatir-
bed repentnnces. They could enjoy ca
the so-called pleasures of sim ana
he instantaneously washed white ms
snow by Iepenting any time before
death, and woe betide him who waits
I'LL the lamp has gone out. The idea
that fiendish murderer can wait till
the moose Is adjusted, and by repent
ing at the last moment jump from the
scailold into n blissful, perfect exist
ence in the next world, has made n
good many murdercrs.
W. NV. WV liANsN NV tOnlUuuu lt-
ligious frenzy with religion. They are
far removed. We must use n little
common sense and reason, and must
not make crazy fools OF ourselves in
our endenvor to find the truth i'm 70,
lgion, any more than we wo,,ld In
any smaller undertaking of life. In
tho religion OF to-day there is far too
much concern for tomorrow and MOI
RIlnflUh fnr tn.Iutr \y.a Il
istcts OF the Gospel to stray or In their
thoughts ana tell us what they don't
know about the world To come, when
every one OF us is badly IN need Of
more knowledge about the world that
now Is. Let US do our duty now, on
this old globe, and If we do well, there
VIII be very little time to fritter away
concerning what Is TO come of us i'm
he hereafter. Reaching out for the
next worla while we atill have II foot
m this, Is n truly Americau spirit, but
Il Is too much like putting the dome
lp before the foundations are laid for
he structure.
People seem fond of running this
'ld world down, complaining of H.
it's misery and want,
nut what do such people ever do to bet.
or II? What do they know about any
ther world any how? We are in n
rand, good world; one OF unlimited
of beauty and goodness,
Ind We are not merely here to eke out
! complaining, whining existence. III
he time comes for us To go to Il better
Mas, II we see none hut the defects In
his world, aud spend most of our
line railing about instead of remedy.