The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-01-19

with strength In your arm, and color in
your cheek, and fash in your eye, and
courage in your heart. In this great bat
tie that is opening against the kingdom of
darkness we want not only consecrated
soul but a strong arm and stout lungs
and mighty muscle. l bless God that
there are so many recreations that have
not on them any faint Of iniquity; re-
creations in which we may engage for
the strengthening of the body, for the
clearing of the intellect, for the illumina-
tion of the soul.
There is still another form of recreation
which l commend to you, and that is the
pleasure of doing good. I have seen
young men, weak and cross and sour and
repeling in their disposition, who by one
Heavenly touch have wakened up and be-
come blessed and buoyant, the ground
under their feet and the sky over their
heads breaking forth into music. "Oh,"
says some young man in the house to-day,
81 should like that recreation above ali
others, but l have not the means" My
dear brothers, let us take an account of
stock this morning. You have a large
estate, if you only realize 1.-TWO hands;
two feet. You will have perhaps, during
the next year, at least ten dollars for
twenty-five hundred cheerful looks, if you
want to employ them. You will have five
thousand pleasant words, if you want to
speak them. Now, what an amount that
is to start with!
You go out Tomorrow morning and You
see case of real restitution by tho way
side. You give him two cents. The
blind man hears the pennies rattle in his
hat, and he SAYS: "Thank you, sir; God
bless YOU" You pass down the street
trying to look indifferent, but you feel
from the very depths of your soul pro.
found satisfaction that you made that man
happy. You 60 on still farther, aud find
poor boy with a wheslbarrow, trying to
get It up on the curbstone. He fails in
the attempt. You saw: "Stand back,
my lad; let me try" You push it up Oh
the curbstone for him and pass on. He
wonders who that well-dressed man was
that helped him. You did kindness to
the boy, but you did great joy to your
own SOUL You will not get over it all
the week
On the street tomorrow morning YOU
will see sick man passing along. "Ah,"
you say, 'what can 1 dc to make this man
happy! He certainly does not want
money; he is not poor, but he is SICK
Give him >one of those twenty-five hun.
dred cheerful looks that you have garnered
up for the whole year. Look joy and hope
fullness into his soul. It will thrill him
through, and there will be reaction upon
your own soul. Going little farther on
you will come to the store of friend who
is embarrassed in business matters. You
will go in aud say: what fine store
you have. l think business will
brighten up, and you will have
more custom after awhile. I think
there is coming great prosperity to oil
the country. Good morning." You pass
out. You have helped that young man,
and you have helped yourself. And that
night you go home; you sit by the fire.
you talk little, you sing little, you
laugh little; you say: Il really don't
know what is the matter with me- I never
felt so splendidly in my Iife." I will tell
what is the matter with you. You spent
only two cents out of the ten dollars; you
have contributed one out of twenty-five
hundred cheerful looks; you have given
ten, fifteen Or twenty of the 5000 pleas
ant words you are going to speak
during the year; you have
with your own hands helped the boy
with the whealbarrow, and you feel in
body, mind and soul the thrill of
that recreation. Which do you think was
the happier-Colonel Gardiner who sat
with his elbow on table spread with al
extravaganza viands. looking off at dog
on the rug, saying: "How | would like to
change places with you; be the dog and
he be Colonel Gard;ner;" or those two
Moravian miss ionarie, who wanted to 90
into the lazaretto for the sake of attend.
ing the sick, and they W ere told: sIf you
go in there yoa will never come out. We
never allow any one to como out, for he
would bring the contagion." Then they
made their wills and went in, first to help
the sick and then to die. Which was
the happier, Colonel Gardiner or
the Moravian missionaries dying
for others? Was it all sacrifice when the
missionaries wanted to bring the Gospel
to the negroes at the Barbados, and, be.
ing denied the privilege, sold themselves
into slavery, standing side by side, and
lying side by side down in the very ditch
OF suffering in order that they might
bring those men up to life and God and
Heaven! Oh, there is thrill in 1.-THE JOY
of doing good 1t is the most magnificent
recreation to which man ever puts his
hand or his head or his heart.
Duo, peiore closing, want to impress
upon you that mere secular entertain
ments are not a fit foundation for your
soul to build on. I was reading of a WON.
an who had gone all the rounds of sinful
amusement, and she came to die. She
said: ~ will die to night at six O'Clock"
"Oh," they said, II guess not; you don't
seem to be sick" ~ shall die at six
O'Clock, and my soul will be lost know
it will be lost. l have sinned away my
day of grace" The noon came They
desired to seek religious counsel.
"Oh," she sa d, SIT is Of no use. NV ay
is gone. l have been all the rounds of
worldly pleasure, AMI it is too late.
shall die tonight at six O'clock" The
day wore away, and it came to four
O'Clock, and to five o'clock, and she cried
out at five O'Clock, destroyed spirits, We
shall not have me yet; it is not six, it is
not six" The moments went by, and the |
shadows began to gather, and the clock
struck six; and while It was strik.
ing her soul went out. What hour
God will call for us I do not
know-whether six O'Clock tonight.
or three o'clock this afternoon. |
or at one O'Clock, or at this moment. Sit |