The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-03-03

GuUoI md SuiuCcuS pAoto ouu 04ulp8R0s
Enter everything splendid.
ACT v. winding up the scene). Rn.
tor the assignee. Enter the sheriff. I'm.
ter tho creditors. Enter Hum iliation.
Enter the wrath Of God. Enter the con.
tempt OF society. Enter death. Now let
the silk curtain drop ON the stage. The
farce is ended and the lights are out.
Will you forgive me II I say In tersest
shape possible, that some Of the mon in
this colntry have 70 fosge and to perjure
and to swindle to pay for their wives
dresseg! I will say It whether you for.
give ME or not.
Agsin: extravagant costume 10 the foe
Of all Christian aims giving. Men and
women put 80 much In personal display
that they often have nothing for God and
the cause Of suffering humanity. A
Christian man cracking his palais royal
glovOs across the back by shutting up his
hand to hide the one cent he puts into
the poor box! A Christian woman at
the story of the Hottentots crying copi.
Gus tears into twenty five dollar hand.
kerchief and then giving two.cent piece
to the collection, thrusting II down under
the bills so people will not know but IL
was a ten-dollar gold piece. One hundred
dollars for incense to fashion-two cents
for God! God gives US ninety cents out Of
every dollar. The other ten cents, bv
comm and Of his Bible. belong to him. 10
not G cd liberal according to this tithing
sy stem laid down In the Old Testament
ia not God liberal in giving us ninety cents
oat Of dollar when he takes but ten. We
do not like that. We want to have ninety.
Line cents for ourselves and one for God.
Again, extravagant costume Is distrac.
ton to public worship. You know verv
well there are good many people who 20
to church just as they go to the races. 90
see who will come out first. Men end
women with souls to be saved passing the
hour in wondering where that man got his
cravat, or what store that woman patron.
ICES. In many Of our churches the prelm.
mary exercises are taken up with the dis.
cussion of wardrobes. It is pitiable. Is it
not wonderful that the Lord docs not
strike the meeting houses with lightning:
What distraction Of public worship. Dying
men and women, whose bodies are soon 70
be turned into dust, vet before three worlds
strutting like peacocks. People sitting
down in pew or taking up a hymn book,
all absorbed at the same time in personal
array, to sing:
Rise, nv soul, and stretch thy wings,
Thy better portion trace;
Rise from transitory things,
Toward Heaven thy native place!
Iadopt the Episcopalian prayer and say:
"Good Lord, deliver us"
Extravagant costume belittles the intel.
lect. Our minds are enlarged or they
dwindle Just in proportion to the import
lance Of the subject on which we constant.
ly dwell. Can you imagine anything more
dwarfing to the human intellect than the
study Of dress! I see men on the street
who. judging from their elaboration.
think must have taken two hours to ar.
range their apparel. After few years Of
that kind Of absorption, which one Of Nc.
Allister's msgnifying glasses will 20
powerful enough to make the mans char.
acter visible! What will be left Of .
woman's intellect after giving years and
years to the discussion of such questions!
They all land In idiocy. I have seen men
at the summer watering places through
were. Sallow Of cheek, meager Of limb,
hollow at the chest. Showing no anima-
tion save In rushing across q room to pick
up q lady's fan. Simpering along the cor.
ridors the same compliments they sim.
pered twenty years ago.
Yet. my friends, have given you only
the milder phase Of this evil. II shuts a
great multitude out of Heaven. The first
peal of thunder that shook Sinai declared,
"Thou shalt have no other gods before
me-" and you will have to choose between
the goddess Of fashion and the Christian
God. There are q great many seats in
Heaven, and they are all easy seats. hut
4. not one seat for the devotee Of costume.
! Heaven Is for meek and quiet spirits.
Heaven is for those who think more oi
their souls than of their bodies. Why il
| you. with your idolatry Of costume, should
somehow get into Heaven, YOU would he
for putting French roof on the "house Of
many mansions" and you would be for in.
Producing the patterns Of Butterick's Quar-
terly Delineator.
Give up this idolatry Of fashion or give
up Heaven. What would you do standing
beside the Countess of Huntington, whose
Joy it was to build chapels for the
poor. or with that Christian woman
Of Boston, who fed fifteen hundred chill
dren Of the street, at Fanueil Hall, one New
Years Day, giving out a. a sort Of doxolo'
~ at the end of the meeting, a pail
Of shoes to each one Of them; or those Dor.
cases of modern society who have conse'
Grated their needles to the Lord, and who
will get eternal reward for every stitch
\ they take! Oh, men and women, give ny
the idolatry of costume. The rivalries and
the competitions Of such . life are . stu.
pendous wretchedness. You will Away,
find some one with brighter array and
with moro palatial residence and with
lavender kid gloves that make tighter At
And il you buy this thing and wear II yor
WIN wish you had bought something els,
and worn II. And the frets Of such . Life
will bring the crows feet to your temples
before they are due, and when you CONF
10 die you will have . miserable time.
Ny friends, We must appear in judgment
to ans yer for what We have worn OF
our bodies - well a. for what repentance,
We have excised with our souls. On that
day I see coming in Beau Brummel Of the
last century, without his cloak, like viii I'd
all England got cloak; and without hi.
cane, like which all England got . cane;
without his snuff box, like which all En-.
gland got q snuR -box-he, the fop Of sne
ages. particular about everything but
his morals; and Aaron Burr, with.
out the letters that down 10 bid age ID