Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-02
WORK WHILE YE HAVE THE LIGHT.
4 Tale OF the EARLY Christians.
Christians.
BY LEON ToLSTOI.
TRANSLATED from Ike Original Manuscript by Dillon Pa

tie son rushed into the apartment and Rugged
ana c!asped his father. In spite OF ali tnt
Goaxing and caresses he had ran away from
Ju ius's wife and now took shelter in hi!
fIiher' 5 emb ace
Psmphilius sighed. fcndef his boy. rose W
and was about to depart; bat julius detained
MIN, requesting him to continue the converse.
ton and stay FOR dinner
~ am Hstonished / confess" said Julius
nat you should be married and have children
IL is mystery TO me low you Chri tians car
bring your chill DR. n, in spite Of The absence o.
property: how Christian mothers can affair
peace OF mind: knowing. as they do. how pre-
car!ous Is he future Uf th ir offspring and how
powerless they TO put their children beyond
the reach OF want"
In what respect are our children worse OF
than yours?' asked Pamphilius.
n this resrect. that they Lave no slaves &c
iooE aiier them, no property OF any kind to fal
back unon. My wife is very favorably disposed
20 Christianity. fact at one time she wa:
tlrmly bent on abandoning her present life anC
becoming Chris ian. That was several ye r:
ago. too. Was then resolved to accompany
her But what frightened her more than any
thing else was the precariousness of the position
OF Christian children. the want 10 which they
are exposed. And | must say could rot bul
agree with her. That was when l was i'll and
confined 10 my bed. vas then thoroughly dis.
gusted with the life had been leading and had
taHen The resolution TO forsakc it once for al
and join your community. hut the apprehen-
sions OF my wife on the one hand. and the argu-
mems OF the physician who ATTENDED me and
brought me around on the ether hand. mpres sed
uan-at least as you understand and
practice it's possible and beneficial
married. But that persons with fap:iles,
motters with children, are utterly unsuited Tor
1t and should never think of trying it. Further
n ore that the upshot OF the life you approve
and lead, will be the cessation of all human life
that l. 10 b the extinction of he race. ThiS is
TACT which thu re is no getting over. And I'M
DER such circumstances. was, confess; rather
surf Tised 10 see you appear with child by your
side
"And not one only, may add for / left at
home child in aim and girl of three years. -
Well. will you explain how it is done. Do
what viii, positively cannot understand it.
few years ago was as remarked on the point
Christianity. But / was the ather OF children
and ] felt that however disiastetul tie fact
might be TO me. it still remained a fact tina l
hsd no right 10 sacrifice my children, and recog-
pizng this, l stayed on leading my old life for
their sakes, IN order to bring them up in the
same condi tions as those in which was edu-
Gated myself
1t is very odd, =" rerlied Pamphi Jus, '"hat
you should reason so. From the same fgc we
draw opposite conclusions. We say If grown
up people live in a worldly manner this is to a
certain extent exousab!e, because they are
spoiled already. But chi ,dren? That is hor-
rible! TO live with them in the word and ex-
pose them continually to its temptations and
dangers. Wee unto the world because OF Of
fem es, Tor II must needs be that offenses come;
but woe 10 that man by whom the offense COM
eth
These are the wor IS of our Master, and l
make use of them for that reason and because
they are the expression OF the truth, and not
merely for the purpose of ohjecting; Tor 1t is
really fact that the peces.ity of living we
live results main v from the circumstances that
there are child en- in our midst, tender beings
OF W ON il has been said: Except ye become
as lit lie children we shall not enter into the
Elnrdom of heaven
"But how can Christian family contrlve to
get along without definite means Of subsist-
ence?'
means of subsistence, according to our be-
Ii ef, are of ore kind, and only one kind; work,
for the ben, fl of others, inspired by love.
Nour means Of livelihood, on the contrary. are
violence. which can van b rs wealth vanished,
and then nothing remains but the l. Dor and
love OF men We start with the idea that we
should hold fast by that whichia the foundation,
the basis of everything else. increasing it when
possible. And when this is done the family
mo-" c, ntInued Pamphilius, .'if I enter
tanned any doubts about the truth of Christ's
teaching. ard If hesi,ated about pntting them
in practice M doubts and hesitaIions would
instantly disappear the moment pictured to
mys II the sad fate of the children who
brought up in raganism, amid the surroundings
and associations in which you grew mp and are
now educating your children. No matter what
strenuous eHoIts We, small b nd of indIvid
uals, make to render life comfortable aid
the imported products of foreign chimes. the
lives o the great mass of the people will remain
what they were, what they must be. The only
provision for these lives remains the love of
mank ind and earnest toll. We are des!rous of
freeing ourselves and our friends from the pres
Fure OF these conditions and we get other peo
pie to work for US, not voluntarily. out of love,
but by employing VIC lerce; and strange to say,
the better We seem TO provide for ourse YES the
true, nGtu al and eniuring prov sion-l5ve.
The greater The power CT the ruler the less he is
loved.
The sale thru holds GOOD o that other pro-
vision-worS. The more a man shirs work and
aCcustoms himself 10 luxury The less apAb.e he
beet mes OF working. and the more he, conse-
Guentlv. deprives himself of the true aud
eternal provision. And these conditions in
which ueople place their children, they term
making provision for theml To test my state
meGt, tal your son AMI mine. and senl them to
find q road. to transmit order or 10 transact
any important business, and note which of them
acquits himself more satisfac o lily: or propose
see which OF them will be the more will
ingy received No, never again utter those
terrible words, that Chris ian life Is possible
only for those who are child ess. On the con-
trary. one might ra her say that to lead t. lie
OF Pas an is eHcussble only in those who are
without children. But woe to him who offendeth
any OF those little ones.'
Ju lus remained silent.
Yes he said. after a considerable pause,
: 1T may be III tyou are right; but their educa-
tion Is already begun; the very best masters are
teaching them. Let them learn all that we
know; that can surely do Il EN- no harm. There
is plenty of time yet boh for them and for me.
when they are in the flower OF their age and in
the iull enjoyment of nj. heir faculties if they
feel NJ dlsp pos d. AS Tor me, can do so WHEN
have provided for my children, set them stand
ing on their own feet. SO 10 say, and have thus
become Free
when you have known the truth you will be
Free" answered Pamphilius. ''Chiist confess
perfect liberty at once: the worlds teachings
will never bestow it. Good-bye!''
And Pamphiiius, with his son, departed
The trial of the prisoners took place in the
presence of the people, and Julius saw Pam
rhilius and noticed how he. along wit h the other
assisted in removing the b. les of
the martyrs. He noticed that, but fear of Offend
Ing his superiors kept him from approaching his
friend or inviting him TO his house.
CHAPTER z.
Twelve years more have pas ;ed away. julius
and worrv perable from public life and in the
pursuit OF power VIII CHI now became his for a
passing moment aud now slinred away from his
grasp. His wealth was immense and he still
vent on increasing It.
His sons he'd meanwhile grown to mans es-
tate and were leading-esp ecially the secon
one-a life OF luxury and extrava yance This
young man had made considerable no es in The
vessel in which S fatner's riches were stored
up and they leaked out with greater rapjdity
han they were pour d in. A struggle was car
ried On between Julius and his sons which was
in all respects identical with that which had
been waged years before by himself and his
father. 1t was characterized by the same traits.
hatrrd. jealousy. Moreover about
his time new viceEoy had been appointed who
deprived Julius OF Nil the marks OF imperial
avor. Julius was fcrsaken IN consequence by |
MS former q erers and now in expect afion
of beiny Danish d. He repaired 10 Rome in or |
Ter to OFF, ex plantations with a view 10 recover
MS lost position but he was not received and
yns commanded to return home.
On his arrival in Taurus he found his son ban |
lue ing with several dissolute Young men /, HE |