Sharp County record., 1888-10-25

ont hut his home, his morals anu n''
,~osnacts for two worlds, this and the
pavt And devils make a banquet OF hre
and fiji their cups of gall and drink deep
70 +he health of the old merchant, VINO
swallowed ND the young merchant VINO
got stuck on spring goods and went uown
That is one way, and some OF you HaF0
tried it. ..o,,,,o,
Rut there is another way. That young
merchant who found that he had mlsca'r
cnlated in laying in too many goooS .,
one kind, and been flung of the unusual
season. is standing behind the counter
feeling very blue and biting his hnger'
nails, or looking over his account OooAs'
which read darker and worse every tline
he looks at them, and thinks how MS
voung wife will have to put up III d
nlainer house than she ever expected lo
live in, or 90 to third rate boarding.
bouse. where they have tough liver ana
sour bread five mornings out OF tn9
seven. An old merchant comes IN anu
saws: "Well, Joe, this has been haru
season for young merchants, anu tnis
prolonged cool weather has put many IN
the doldrums, and have been thinking
of Won a good deal of late, for just atter
started in business once got into the
same scrape. Now, if there is any thing
| can do to help you out Twill glauly
do it. Better just put those goous
ont of sight for the present
and next season we will plan sometnlng
about them I will help you to some
goods that you can sell for me on COM
mission, and | will 60 down to one OF the
wholesale houses and tell them that l
know YOU and will back you up, and II
Won want a few dollars to bridge over the
present | can let you have them. be as
economical as you can, keep stltt upper
lin and remember you have two friends,
God and myself. Good morning" Inc
old merchant goes away and the young
man goes behind his desk and the tears
roll down his cheeks. 1t is the first time
he has cried. Disaster made him MAD at
every thing, and mad at man and MAD at
| God. But this kindness melts him, anu
the tears seem to relieve his brain, and
his spirits rise from ten below zero 10
eighty in the shade, and he comes out
| of the crisis. And about three years
after this young merchant goes into the
old merchants store and says; "Well,
nv old friend l was this morning think
ing over what you did for me three years
ago. You helped me out of an awtul
crisis in my commercial history. l
learned wisdom, and prosperity mas
come, and the pallor has gone out OF my
| Il, o,o onI tbn that were
there when l courted her in her fathers
house have bloomed again, and my busl-
ness is splendid, and l thought l ought
| to let YOU know that you saved man !"
In a short time after, the old merchant
who had been good while shady IN h IS
limbs and had poor spells, is called 10
leave the world, and one morning
after lie had read the twenty third Psalm
about "The Lord is my shepherd" he
closes his eyes on this world, and an
angel who had been for many years ap-
pointed to watch the old mans dwelling
cries upward the news that the pat
riarch's spirit is about ascending. And
the twelve angels who keep the twelve
gates of Heaven unite in crying down to
this approaching spirit of the old man
'Come in at any of the twelve gates you
choose! Come in and welcome, for it has
been told all over these celestial neigh
borhoods that you saved a man."
| have heard mon tell in public dis
course what a man is, but what is wom-
an? Until some one shall give better
definition l will tell you what woman is.
Direct from God sacred and delicate
gift, with affections so great that no
measuring line short of that Of the in
finite God can tell their bound; fashioned
to refine and soothe and lift and ir-
radiate home and society and the world.
Of such value that no one can appreciate
it, unless his mother lives long enough to
let him understand it, or who in some
great crisis Of life when all else failed
him, had wife to reinforce him with
faith in God that nothing could disturb
Speak out, ye cradles, and tell of the feat
that rocked you and the anxious faces
that lowered over you'll Speak out, ye
nurseries of all Christendom, and ye
homes, whether desOlate or still in full
bloom with the faces Of wife, mother AMI
daughter, and help ms to efine what
woman is. If a man during all his life
accomplished nothing else except to win
the love and confidence and help and
companionship of good woman, he is a
garland I'd victor, aud ought to have the
hands of all people between here and the
grave stretched out to him in congratula-
ton.
But as geographers tell us that the
depths of the sea correspond with the
heights of the mountains, l have to tell
you that good womanhoOd is not higher
up than bad womanhoOd is deep down.
The grander the palace the more awful
the confagratIol that destroys it. The
grander the steamer Oregon the more
terrible her going down just off the coast.
Now, should not wonder if you trembled
a little with sense of responsibility
when say that there is hardly a person
in this house but may have an opportun-
ity to save a woman. 1t may in your case
be done by good advice, or by financial
help, or by trying the bring to bear some
one of a thousand Christian influences.
You would not have to go far. If, for in
stance, you know among your acquaint-
ances a young woman who is apt to ap-
pear on the streets about the hour when
gentlemen return from business, and you
find her responding to the smile of entire
strangers-hOgs that lift their hats-go to
her and plainly tell her that nearly all
the destroyed womanhood of the world
began the downward path with that very
kind of behavior.