Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-02-21


the tragedy of uncounted multitudes, who
with streaming eyes and wan cheeks and
broken hearts IN behalf of themselves and
their families are pleading for bread.
Let US take another look around to see
how we may serve our generation. Let
Us see as far as possiil lie that they have
enough to wear. God looks on the human
race and knows just how many inhabitants
the world has. The statistics of the
worlds population are carefully taken in
civilized lands, and every few years Of
ficers of government go through the land
and count how many people there are in
the United States or England and great
accuracy is reached. But when people
tell US how many inha bitants there are in
Asia or Africa, at best it must be wild
guess. Yet God knows the exact number
of peopls on our planet and he has made
enough apparel for each, and if there be
fifteen hundred million. fifteen thousand.
fifteen hundred and fifteen people. then
there is enough apparel for fifteen hun
dred million, fifteen thousand, fifteen
hundred and fifteen. Not slouchy apparel,
not ragged apparel, not insufficient ap-
parel, but appropriate apparel. Atleast two
suits for every being on the earth, a summer
suit and winter suit Agood pairof shoes
for every living mortal. A good coat, a
good hat or a good bonnet and a good
shawl, and complete masculine or fem
mime outfit of apparel. A wardrobe for
all nations adapted to all chimes, and not
a string or a button or a pin or a hook or
an eye wanting. But, alas! where are the
good clothes for three-fourths of the
human race? The other one-fourth have
appropriated them. The fact is, there
needs to be and will be redistribution.
Not by anarchistic violence. If outlawry
had its way, it would rend and tear and
diminish until instead of three-fourths of
the world not properly attired. four fourths
would be in rags. l will let you know
how the redistribution will take place.
By generosity on the part of those who
have a surplus and increased industry on
the part of those suffering from deficit.
Not all, but the large majority of cases of
poverty in this country are result of idle
ness or drunkenness, either on the part of
the present sufferers or their ancestors.
In most cases the rum jug is the maelstrom
that has swallowed down the livelihood
of those who are in rags. But things will
change, and by generosity on the part of
the crowded wardrobes, and industry and
sobriety on the part of the empty ward
robes there will be enough for all to wear.
God has done his part toward the dressing
of the human race. He grows surplus of
wool on the sleeps back, and focks roam
the mountains and valleys with burden
of warmth intended for transference for
human comfort when the shuttles of the
factories reaching all the way from the
Chattahoochie to the Merrimac shall have
spun and woven it. And here comes forth
mere and the beaver. Here are the merino
origin traces back 10 the hocks
of Abrahamic and Davidic times. In
white letters of snowy fleece, God has been
writing for a thousand years His wish that
there might be w armth for all nations.
While others are discussing the effect of
high or low tariff or no tariff at all on
wool, you and 1 had better see if in our
wardrobes we have nothing that we can
spare for the shivering, or pick out some
poor lad of the street and take him down
to clothing store and fit him out for the
winter. Don't think that God has for
gotten to send ice and snow, because of
this wonderfully mild January and Febru-
airy. We shall yet have deep snow and so
much frost on the window pane that in the
you can not see through it; and
whole fiocks of billiards, for God long ago
declared that winter as we'll as summer
should not cease, and between this and
the spring crocus we may all have reason
to cry out with the psalmist: "Who can
stand before His cold?"
Again, let us look around and see how
we may serve our generation. What short
sighted mortals we would be if we were
anxious to clothe and feed only the most
part of a man, namely, his
body, while we put forth no effort to clothe
and feed and save his soul. Time is a lit.
tie piece broken off great eternity. What
are we doing for the souls of this present
generation! Let me say it is a generation
worth saving. Most magnificent men and
are in it. We make a great ado
about the improvements in navigation and
locomotion and in art and machinery. We
what wonders of telegraph and
telephone and stethoscope. What improve
ment Is electric light over a tallow can
die! But all these improvements are in
significant compared with the improve
ment in the human race. In olden
times once in a while a great and
good man or woman would come up and
the world has made a great fuss about it
ever since, but now they are SO numerous
we scarcely speak about them. We put a
halo about the people of the past, but think
if the times demanded them it would be
found we have now living in this year
1889, fifty Martin Luthers, fifty George
fifty Lady Huntingtons, fifty
Elizabeth Frys. During our civil war
more splendid warriors in North and South
were developed in four years than the
whole world developed in the previous
twenty years. 1 challenge the 4 010 years
before the flood and the eighteen centuries
after the flood to show me the equal of
charity on a large scale of George Pea
body. This generation of men and women
is more worth saving than any of the $50
generations that have passed off.
But where shall we begin? With our
selves. That is the pillar from which we
must start. Prescott the blind historian,
tells us how Pizarro saved his army for
the right when they were about DESERVING
him. With his sword he made a long
mark on the ground. He said: ''My men,
on the north side are desertion and death,
on the south side Is victory; on the north
side Panama and poverty, on the south
side Peru with all its riches. Choose for
y yourselves; for my part go to the south"
across the line one by one, his
troops followed and finally his whole army.
The sword of Gods truth draws the divid-
ing line to-day. On one side of it are sin
and ruin and death. ON the other side q Q
pardon and usefulness and happiness and
Heaven You cross from the wrong side
to the right side and your family will
cross with you and your friends and
your associates. The way you go they will
go. If we are not saved, we will never
save any one else. How to get saved? Be
willing to accept Christ, and then accept
Him instantaneously and forever. Get on