The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-07-31
Characters Cornerstone.

Characters Corner Stone.
On last Sabbath, in the Prcsbyte-
rian Church Of Clinton, Or. b. +.
Marablc preached timely, practical,
forciblc and telling sermon that went
home to every member Of the large
congregation. TeXt-Lukc vi, 100.
Subicct-Character's Cornerstone.
TIE FOUNDATION Or CHARACTER.
He said the character of men may
be likcned unto the houses mention
cd in the text, one built upon solid
foundation, the other upon the sand.
y house may be ever 50 artistically
designed, strongly built, beautifully
decorated and handsomely furnish
ed, but if it, foundation is not firm
and solid then that house is not safe
and no wise man would purchase it
or liz Elm it. On the other hand a
house lcss prctcntiOus i'll appearance,
not 50 costly, and even unfinished,
built right from the beginning with
an honest, solid foundation, would
be more valuable and desirable. 1t
could be finish ed at lcasure and with
impunity and resided in with perfect
safety. SO every human character,
that is true and firm and on which
we can rely on with safety, must
have first and above all things a
solid foundation.
TRUTH TIE CORNERSTONE.
What i. the most important elc-
ment of this solid foundation, and
what is the cornerstone Of this foun-
dation" 1t is TRUTH! Yes, truth
is the basic element Of character,
take that away and the whole fabric
Of character becomes unsteady, dis
eased, rotten aud worthless. l. is
the leavcn that leaveneth the whole
lump, without it character sOurs and
spOils. Again, character may be
likened unto the human system.
Here is the body, what wonderful
piece Of work, with its bones, mus
cIes, nerves, skin and flesh! How
Symmetrical, beautiful and complete!
But stop! Is it complete? What
il tho hn1Iy with flnL,n claimants
alone: There is no life,; there is
nothing. What is the cornerstone,
the basis element of life, the leven
that leavenetil the whole body?
1t is the blood. Without it the char
acter tOtters and falls; the body sOurs
and spOils. But even this blood,
the life giving and life sustaining
element, may become impure. You
inject certain amount of poison
into the blood and just to that ex-
tent the whole system, bones, tissue,
muscles and nerves is poisoned and
diseased. You inject more and more
poison and the blood is neutraliZed
and overcome and the whole system
cOllapses on its miry foundation.
Just SO when falsehood is mixed
with truth, the tOundati on begins TO
crumblc and the whole fabric tOtterS
and is unsafe. Alas for the cOrrup-
ton Of truth and its rarity undefil-
ed. 1t is all around us and we are
met with it in every station, in eve
ry walk and phase Of human life.
How many Of the brightest minds,
how many characters, otherwise
good, are to-day reeling over a poi
soned, crumbling and rotten founda-
ton? Who is to blame for this :?
How and when does it happen: In
some eases it comes
BY HEREDITY.
Many a child is born with this faint,
this poison in his blood, transmitted
by heredity. Such cases are almost
hopeless. Proper education, moral
influences and an effort to lead a
christian life are the best antidotes
for the malady. 1t is often genera
ted and instilled in
THE FAMILY CIRCLE.
The child looks upon its parents
as being perfect, as infallible, as in
capable Of doing wrong. This senti-
ment, this belief, this faith in the
infallibility Of the parent often fol-
lows the child into manhood and wo-
manhood and ali through life. The
parent makes the child promise
either for pleasure or for pain, then
forgets or fails to redeem the pro-
mise. Does the child forget? No.
The promise and its unfulfillment
sink deep into the child's being and
make lasting impression. What is
the effect, is the child's faith in the
infallibility OF the parent destroyed?
Not at all. 1t simply begins to COM
pound truth and falsehood. The
great carrier that stands between the
two to measure the differences be-
tween light and darkness begins to
crumble and in steals the twilight OF
mingled truth and falsehood and
pervades the child's whole being.
The situation then is this, the parent
has dealt in falsehood, therefore
fhlseh God is no crime and differs
but little from truth. Oh what a
grievous error Of that parent and
how shocked he or she .,ould be to
know the poison that had been in