The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-03-19

give him all lie eyer cid. although he
cannot i'm his silence ask il. The prod
i.,al has got home 1T Lass. Mother viii
go To her little garden and get the
sweetest flowers and twist them into Il
cilapIet FOR the silent heart of the way
ward boy, and pash back from the
bIoated brow the long locks that were
once her pride. And the air viii be
rent with the agony. The great dram
atist says, How sharper than ser
penis tooth it is to have a thanklcss
child"
LIFE Is REAL-AAfUsEdEyT BUT a REST
go further. and say those are I'M
christian amqse.ncats which become
the chief business of q mans life. Life
is an earnest thing. Whether we were
born in Il palace or hovcl, whether we
are afflucnt or pinclied, VIC have to
work. If you do not sweat with toll
you will sweat with disease. You have
a soul that is TO he TRANSPORTED amid
the poinp OF a Judgment day; and after
the sea has sung lis last Chant and the
mountain shall Lave come down in an
avalanche of rock. you will live and
think and act. high on n throne where
scrapIls sing or deep in II dungeon
where demons howl In a world where
there is so much to do for yourselves
and 50 much to do for others. God pity
that man WHO has nothing To do.
Your sports are merely means TO an
end. They are allcviations and helps.
The arm Of toll is the Only arm strong
enough to bring up tao bucket out of
the deep Wei of pleasure Amusement
is only the bower where business and
philant!lrcpy rc>,t while on their way to
stirring achievements. A,lIsements
are merely the vines that crow about
the anvil of toll and tie blooming of
the hammers Alas for tie man who
spends his life in laboriously doing
nothing, lis days in hunting Up lopnlg-
ing places and loungcrs, his nights in
seeking out some gas lighted foolery!
The man who always has on his sport
ing jacket, ready to hunt for game in
the mountain or fish ia the brook, with
no time to pray or work or read, is not
so well off us the greyhound that runs
by his side, Or the fly bait with which
he whips the stream.
A man who does not work does not
know how to play. If God had in
tended us to do nothing but laugh he
would not have given Us shoulders with
which to lift and hands with which to
work, and brains with which to think
The amusements of life are merely the
orchestra playing while the great trag-
edy of life plunges through its five acts
infancy, childhood, manhood, old
age and death. Then exit the last
earthly opportunity. Enter the over
whelning realities of an eternal world
60 further, and say that all those
amusements are wrong which lead into
bad company. If you go to any place
where you have to associate with the
Incorporate, with the unclean, with
the abandoned, however well they may
be dressed, in the name of God quit it,
They will despoil your nature. They
will undermine your moral character.
They will drop you when you are de-
stroyed They will give not one cent
TO support your children when you are
dead They will weep not one tear at
your burial. They viii chucI>le over
your damnation.
sHE SOCIAL NATURE ATTACKED.
1 had friend at the west-a rare
friend. He was one Of the first to vel
come me to my new home. To fine
| personal appearance he added a gener-
osity, franl1ness and ardor Of nature that
made me love him ike brother. But
| saw evil people gathering around him.
They came up from the saloons, from
the gambling bells. They piled him
with thousand arts They seized upon
bis social nature, and he could not
stand the charm. They drove him on
the rocks, like Il ship full winged slliv-
! cring on the breakers / used to ad
monish him. l would say, Now
wish you would quit these bad habits
and become a Christian" oh" he
would reply, II would like to. would
| like to-. but have gone so fur | don't
think there is any way back" In his
moments of repentance he would &c
home and take his little girl of years
and embrace her convulsively, and
cover her with adornments, and strew
around her pictures and toys, and
everything that could make her happy
and then, as though bounded 10y al
evil spirit, he would go out to the en-
flaming cup and the house Of shame
like fool to the correction of the
stocks.
| was summoned to his deathbed.
hastened. entered the room. found
him, to my surprise, lying in full every
day dress on the top of the couch
put out my hand He grasped it ex
citediy and said, ''Sit down, Mr.. Tai
mage, right there" l sat down. He
said: Last night 1 saw my mother
who has been dead twenty years, and
she sat just where you sit now 1t was
no dream. l was wide awake. There
was no delusion in the matter. | saw
her just as plainly as | see you Wife
| wish you would take these strings of
of NE. There are strings spun al
around my body. wish you would
take them off of me-" | saw it was
delirium. oh" replied his wife
my dear, there is nothing there, ther
is nothing there" He went on and
said: Just where you sit, Mr.
Talmage, my mother sat She said t.
me, Henry, l do wish you would dc
better got out of bed, put my arm.
around her and said: Mother, want t.
do better. | have been trying to dc
better Won't you help NE to do bet
tera You used to help me- No mis-
take about it, no delusion. | saw he,
the cap and the apron and the spec
tacles, just as she used to look twent,
years ago; but l do wish you woulf
take these strings away; they ammo,
me SO. can hardly talk Won't vol