The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-04-17

nigh lOI my lnlplllScncp. nnu my NO
cabulary is limited, and my cduca
ton was defective, but here goes
what L have for God and salvation,
and the making Of the world good
and happy" lie puts in word hero
and word there, encourages Il faint
hearted man, gives a scripture pas
sage III consolation to some brrcit
woman, picks up IL child fallen in the
street and helps him brush of the
dust and puts Il 1ivc-ccnt piece in his
hand, telling him not to cry, so that
the boy il singing before he gets
around the concentrating on every
body that has IL letter to carry
or Il message to deliver; comes into Il
rn;l train on stage coach, or depot, Oh
shop, with Il smiling face that sets
everybody to thinking. IF that man
can, with small equipment in life, DC
happy, why cannot L, possessing far
more than he has, be equally hnppy!'
One day OF that kind of doing things
may not amount to much, but forty
years of ihnt-no one but God him
self can appreciate its immcnsity
The simple fact is that the world
OF dead lions. They are people Of
great ctpacIty and large opportunity,
doing nothng for the improvement
Of society, nothing for the overthrow
OF evil, nothing for the salvation Of
souls. Some Of them arc rcmomcntaly
lions. They have accumulated so
many hundreds OF thousands of dol
lars that YOU can feel their tread when
they walk through any street or com"
into any circle. They can by one
financial move upset the money mar
kct. Instead Of the ten per cent of
their income which the Bible laws
down as the proper proportion of
their contribution to the cause Of
God, they do not give five per cent.
or three per cent, on two per cent.
on one per cent, OF Il half per cent.
or Il quarter per cent. That they are
lions, no one doubts. When they
roar Wall street. State street. and
Bourse trcmblc. In few wears they
will lie down and die. They will
have Il great funeral, and ionm row
OF fine carriages. and mighticSt rcuui-
ems will roll from the organs and
polished shafts Of Aberdeen granite
will Indicate where their dust lies. but
for all use to the world that man
might rs we'll have never lived. As
an experiment as to how much h'
can carry with him. put Il ttn-ccnt
piece in the palm of his dead hand.
and five years after open the tomb.
and you will find that he has dropped
even the tcn-cent piece. \ lion, Yes
but dead lion! He lcftall his treas
urc on earth, and has no treasure in
heaven. What shall the stone cutter
put upon the obclisk over him! /
suggest let it be the mans name.
then the date OF his birth. then the
date of his death, then the appropri-
ate scripture passage: "Bcttcr is Il
living dog than Il dead lion.
But l thank God that We arc hay
ing Just now an Ontbmsts of splendid
bcniticcnce that is to increase until
the earth is girdlel with it, 1t is
spreading with the speed OF um cpl
icmic, but With Just the opposite
effect Of an epidemic. DO YOU not
notice how wealthy men arc opening
free libraries, and building churches
III their native village! Have you
not seen how men of large mcals,
instead of leaving great philanthrO
pies in their Wills for disappointed
heirs to quarrel about, and the or
phun courts to swamp, are becoming
their own executors and adminiStra-
tors! After putting aside enough
for their families (for ''hc that provid-
eth not for his own. and especially
those of his own household. is worse
IT, N an mtidcl.D they are saying
"What can l do, not after / am dead.
but while Lying. and III full pos IS
sion OF my faculties. to properly Iii
rect the building Of the churches. or
the hospitals or thr colleges, or the
libraries that / design for tie public
welfare. and while / yet have full G.:
capacity to enjoy the satisfaction OF
sc; ing the good accomplished
There are bad fashions uld gooI
fashions, anh whether good or bad.
fashions are mighty. One Of Elr
good fashions now starting will sweep
the rarth-~thc fashion for Wealthy
men to distribute. while yet alive,
their surplus accumulation. II is be
ing helped by the fact that SO many
large estates have, immc, lntcly
after the tcStator>s death. gone into
litigation. Attorneys with large fees
are employed on both sides. and the
case goes on month after month. and
year after year, and after ON" court
decides, it asccnds to another court
and is decided in the opposite dircr
ton, and the new evidence is found,
and the trials are all repeated. The
children. who at the fathers funeral
seemed to have an uncomfortable
grief, after the will is read go into an
| elaborate process to prove that the
father was crazy, and therefore IN.
competent to make will: and there
are men on the jury who think that
the fact that the tcstat0r gave 50
much Of his money 10 the Bible Sori-
city, and the missionary society. or the
opening of II free library,iS proof pos
tive that he was insane. mI that he
knew not what he was signing
when he subscribed 10 ihc words
''ln the name of God, amen. /. be
ing of sound mind, do make this my
last will and testament
The torn wills, the fraudulent wills