The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-16
WANTED. A LIGHTNING ROD.
Little Lecture, with a Moral, Based on o
Matter OF Rusiness

President Tuttle in Boston Congregationalist
often met the young man and yet knew not
his name. For several months he was about
cur town. He had been member of some col
tege, as inferred from his wearing fraterni-
ty p'n" Some college men dislike these badges
Mypurpose is not to controvert their prejudices
wear these pins, and have enjoyed their.
pride in the fellowship which the
badges represented. i. is pleasant thing to
see Young fellow, the breadth of two three
big Western States between him and home, sup.
posing himself an entire stranger, suddenly con-
fronted by another young fellow as good looking
as himself In one instant they are friends and
the stranger is as much at home as if he were
pulling the latch-string of his fathers door,
1t was the fraternity pin" that did it. And it
has done some other good things. Ii it has ever
done any bad things. will not now say. In
spite of this 'if' like the pins, although never
wore one. nor was ever entitled TO-
Well. the young man ! spoke OF wore SRA
ternitv PIN 1t graced him, and he graced it
There was harmony between them. They-the
pin and he--occaslonally visited our humble
college, and on the occasions of lectures, exhi-
billions. or commandments, were conspicuous.
They seemed welcome. am sure they were,
because the fraternity to which tney--the pin
and he-belonged was a cordial one and did its .
welcomes in a hearty way
And now, to come to 1.-The bottom facts as we
Westerners are wont to say, the young man who
wore the pin, as | learned. was dealer in light
ming rods. The germ of Franklin's kite expert
ment was his stock i'll trade. Successfully did
he commend it to many householder So well
did he communicate his benevolent wares that
many wagon loads of them to this day point
from our houses and barns defantly at all the
thunder clouds that pass this way. It was
good work and he did it we'll.
How slowly get to the point. A lightning
rod is to convey the electricity discharged from
the cloud at house to the ground without
hurting it or those in it, If the rod does this it
has filled very important official duty. And so
felt great complacency in the young mans
business.
fashionable and therefore worst saloon, met this
man of lghtning-rods i was startled as by
fresh discovery. Ihad often observed that $50 to
spedk"--as DIR. Porter so often says in his great
work-a black thunder-cloud always hung over
every saloon in our town. and especially over this
one. And many man had been struck not with
Jersey lightning" but that which is as bad
Indiana lightning" Was my mental query far
fetched-"Has he been setting up lightning
rod here to convey the electricity safely down,
so rs not to kill these men that 90 in and out OF
this saloon2'
A look at his face showed that the fluid had
entered him, not fatally, but really 1t had dealt
a stunning blow. Many barn with its valuable
stores. and many dwelling with its valuable
lives, had the young man with the fraternity
pin" sheltered with his friendly rods from the
bolts of heaven. And yet he had neglected to
run up ightning-roc over himself to convey
harmlessly into the ground the lightning that
was striking men in that fashionable saloon.
And so my lightning-rod man was himself
struck, land no mistake"
A few days afterward he introduced me to his
wife--a pleasant lady, and, under the impulse
of the saloon adventure did what was well
meant and what am sure the wife pardoned. I
said to her in his presence: Madam, your nus.
band is doing excellent work with his lightning
rods Can't you at rod on him that shall
make the lightning of our saloons go through
him harmeSslyq He needs LIGHTNING rodiD
My lecture was short and the scared look ON
her face and the flushed look on his showed that
my lightning. such as il was had struck
My story has moral, but will not state it,