The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-10-27
BEECHER ON BUSINESS.
An Interesting Discourse on
Practical Affairs.
The Foundations that are Necessary to
Every Mans Success

In the course of a recent ermon
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher said:
Men who live righteously have all
the secular things necessary to happi-
ness. Obedience to divine law and
secular prosperity go hand in hand.
There is no directory in the world like
Solomon's proverb. One would think
Solomon had lived in New York, for
you will find there all you know and a
good deal more. Every man to be
successful must have a foundation.
He must have health, strength and
ommo sense, which is the most I'M
common of all. He must have indus
try and good management. He must.
conline his work to his capabilities,
A man six feet tall can reach higher
than a man only five feet in height sno
matter how hard the other may try.
An u~nthinking brain cannot be aphil-
osopber and a man without genius
cannot produce poetry, Of which we
o. u CllOtoolu luSG0lC6Ss
"A mans first aim in fife is to build
himself up. And the building of ones
self Is the result of proper industry,
frugality and economy. We are not
here merely to enjoy ourselves. A
right Christian life limits mems de-
sires for pleasure, wealth and prefer
ment. Half Of the failures in COM
mercial life are the result of greedi-
ness. Men are not content with mod
eration-with what belongs to their
abilities. Seeking to do more than in
them lies, they fall to the ground.
There are many men whose energy
and ambition drive them over all OBJ
stacles. They don't stop to consider
the rights of others. but rush through
the crowd knocking one man down
and treading on another's feet. Thou
sands have no sense of equity between
man and man, but by and by they are
destroyed by the very impulse that
urged them on their naughty, lordly
career.
Moderation prevents over-action
and hence prevents reaction. Men
eat and are stupid. They drink and
are excited. Their reflections are like
the reflection of the sun upon the
waves. The moral constitution of the
world is in agreement with right liv-
ing, and whatever n seeks he can
seek better by conforming to the moral
laws of Gods kingdom. Moreover
the laws which apply to individual
life apply to society. If a community
fails to heed them the same punish
ment follows. 1t makes all the differ
ence in the world what sort of a COM
munity a man lives in. If you 20
down into a community of individuals
where fights and quarrels prevail you
cannot expect to find peace and happi-
ness. What kind of a place is that for
yourself or your children? But If you
go into a community of tastefulness,
sobriety and goodness you are lifted
up. Hence it is that no man or class
OF men has a right to maintain a NUS
ance of any kind. When we 90 forth
to drive out the nuisance we are not
meddllng in what is not u business.
1t does concern us, and it is our right
to interfere. We cannot always ac-
complish all that we would like to &C.
complish, it is true. We cannot COM
pei a man to go to church, but we can
make him send his children to
school. We can come so near to it at
any rate. Moral and virtuous men
pay the bills Of criminals.
"Men who pander to animals I'm
stincts are dangerous to humanity.
They are dangerous to your children
and mine. You remember the old
fable about a man selling his soul to
the devil-the poorest bargin the devil
could make by the way. But while
no man probably ever sold himself to
the devil at wholesale, many are SELL
ing themselves to him at retail. When
ever you violate the great fundamental
canons of morality you are selling
yourself. There are men in Brooklyn
who are seeking prosperity by sacrifice
ing purity and morality, thinking that
they will succeed by disregarding di-
vine law. Many believe In the Bible,
but not In its contents. The Bible