The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-03-26

ths wings of the flying year. That is fol-
lowed by a flock Of three hundred and sixty
five, and they are the flying days. Each Of
the flying days is followed by twenty-four.
and they are the flying hours, and each OF
these is followed by sixty, and these are the
flying minutes. Where did this great flock
start from? Eternity past Where are they
bound? Eternity to come You might
as well 20 a>glInning for the quails that
whistled last year in the meadows or
the robins that last year caroled in
the sky as to try to fetch down and bag one
of the past opportunities of your life. Do
not say, 81 will lounge now and make it up
afterward" Young men and boys, you can't
make it up. My observation is that those
who in youth sowed wild oats, to the end OF
their short life sowed wild oats, and that
those who start sowing Genesee wheat al
ways sow Genesee wheat And then the
reaping of the harvests is 90 different: There
IS grandfather now. He has lived to
old age because his habits have been
good. His eyesight for this world has got
Somewhat dim, but his eyesight for heaven is
once was, and he must bend clear over to
hear what his little grandchild says when she
asks him what he has brought for her But
he easily catches the music raised from su-
pernaI spheres. Men passing In the Streets
take off their hats in reverence, and women
say: "What good old man he is" Seventy
or eighty years all for God and for making this
world happy. Splendid! Glorious! Mag
nifcent! He will have hard work getting
into heaven because those whom he helped
to get there will fill up and crowd the gates
to tell him how glad they are at his coming
until he says: "Please to stand back little
till pass through and cast my crown at the
feet of Him whom having not seen love-"
I do not know what you call that. call it
the harvest of Genesee wheat.
Out yonder is man very old at forty
years of age, at a time when he ought to
be bouyant as the morning. He got bad
habits on him very early, and those habits
have become worse. He is a man on
fire, on fire with alcoholism, on fire
with all evil habits, out with the world
and the world out with him. Down and
falling deeper. His swollen hands in his
threadbare pockets and his eyes fixed on
the ground, he passes through the street,
and the quick step of an innocent. child or
the strong step of a young man or the roll of
a prosperous carriage maddens him, and ne
curses society and he curses God. Fallen
sick, with no resources, he is carried to the
almshouse. A loathsome spectacle, he lies
all day long waiting for dissolution, or in the
night rises on his cot and fights apparitions
of what he might have been and Of what he
will be. He started life with as good
prospect as any man on the Ameri-
can continent, but there he is bloated car
cass waiting for the shovels Of public charity
to put him five feet under. He has only
reaped what he sowed. Harvest of wild
oats! "There is way that seemeth right to
q man, but the end thereof is DEATH" Young
man, as you cannot live life over again how
ever you may long to do so, be sure to have
your one life right. There is in this august
assembly I wot not for we are made up
of all sections of this land and from many
lands, some young man who has gone away
from home and perhaps under some little
spite or evil persuasion of another, and his
parents know not where he is. My son, go
homeI Do not go to sea! Don't go tonight
where you may be tempted to go. Go home!
Your father will be glad to see you and your
mother. 1 need not tell you how she feels.
How I would like to make your parents a
present of their wayward boy, repent,
ant and in his right mind. I would
like to write them letter and you to carry
the letter, saying. "By the blessing of God
on my sermon Introduce to you one whom
ou have never seen before, for he has be-
come new creature in Christ Jesus" My
boy, 60 home and put your tired head on the
bosom that nursed you so tenderlly in your
childhood years. A young Scotchmfn
was in battle taken captive by, q
OAHU Ol nS tCoi hSu cLoAA
language and adopted their habits.
Years passed on, but the old Indian
chieftain never forgot that he had in his pos
session young man who did not belong to
him. Well, one day this tribe of Indians
whom this young man had Deen captured,
and the old Indian chieftain said: u lost
my son in battle and I know how father
feels at the loss of son. Do you think your
father is yet aliveg The young man said: i
am the only SON of my father, and I
hope he is still alive" Then said the
Indian chieftain: because of the loss OF my
son this world is desert You go free.
Return to your countrymen. Revisit your
father, that he may rejoice when he sees the
sun rise in the morning and the trees bios
som in the spring" So say to you, young
man, captive of waywardness and sin; Your
father is waiting for you. Your mother is
waiting for you. Your sisters are waiting
for you. God is waiting for you. 60 home!
Go home! -.