Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-18

day; and after the sea has sung It's las
chant and the mountain shall have conn
; down in an avalanche Of a rock, you will
, live and think and act, high on a throne
where seraphs sing, or deep in dungeon
where demons howl In n world whert
there Is 80 much 10 do for yourselves, anc
so much to do for others, God pity thai
man who has nothing to do
, Your sports are merely means to an end
They arc alleviations and helps. The arm
of toll is the only arm strong enough u
bring up the bucket out OF the deep well ol
pleasure. Amusement is only the bower
where business and philanthropy rest while
on their way to stirring achievements.
} Amusementsa Is are merely the vines that grow
about the anvil Of toll and the blossoming oi
the hammers. Alas for the man who spends
his life in laboriously doing nothing, his
days In hunting up lounging places and
loungers, his nights in seeking out some
gas lighted fooleryi The man who always
has on his sporting jacket, ready to hunt
for game in the mountain or fish in the
brook, with no time to pray or work or
read, is not so we'll off as 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
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 tragedy OF life plunges through its
five acts-infancy, childhood, manhood, old
age and death. Then exit the last earthly
opportunity. Enter the overwhelming real.
tiles of an eternal worldl
/ go further, and say that all those
amusements are wrong which lead into
bad company. II you go to any place
where you have to associate with tho in
temperate, with the unclean, with the
abandoned however well they may be
dressed, in the name Of God quit it. They
will despol your nature. They will un-
dermine your moral character. They will
drop you when you are destroyed. They
will give not one cent to support your chill
dren when you are dead. They will weep
not one tear ut your burial. They will
chuckle over your damnation.
] had u friend at the west--a rare friend,
He was one OF the first to welcome me to
my new home. To fine personal appear
ance he added u generosity, frankness and
ardor Of nature that made me love him
like brother. But saw evil people gath
0TluB lHey up
the saloons, from the gambling hells.
They piled him with thousand arts.
They seized upon his social nature, and he
could not stand the charm. They drove
him on the rocks, like ship full winged,
shivering on the breakers. l used to ad-
monish him. l would say, "Now / wish
you would quit these bad habits and be-
come Christian" "Oh," he would reply,
~ would like to, would like to, but
have gone 30 far don't think there is any
way back" In his moments of repentance
he would go home and take his little girl
of years, and embrace her convulsively,
and cover her with adornmeuts, and strew
around her pictures and toys and every
thing that could make her happy; and
then, as though bounded by an evil spirit,
he would 20 out to the enl,aming cup and
the house OF shame, like fool to the cor
rection Of the stocks.
A DEATHBED SCENE.
was summoned to his deathbed. |
hastened. entered the room. l found
him, to my surprise, lying in full every day
dress on the top OF the couch. put out
my hand. He grasped 1t excitedly and
said, hSit down, Mr.. Talmage, right there." "
l sat down. He sRidi "Last night ! saw
my mother, who has been dead twenty
years, and she sat just where you sit now.
II was no dream. was wide awake
There was no delusion in the matter.
saw her just as plainly AZ see you, Wife,
wish you would take these strings OF Of
me. There are strings spun all around my
body. wish you would take them off of
me-" saw 1t was delirium.
"Oh," replied his wife, my dear, there
Is nothing there, there Is nothing there" I"
| 10 On nd aafd. ~ m hara 81
Mr.. Talmngo, my mother sat, She said to
me. Henry, do wish you would do bet
ter got out Of bed, put my arms around
her, and said; Mother, | want to do bet
ter. have been trying to do better
Won't you help me to do betteri You
used to help me. No mistake about it, no
delusion, | saw her-the cap, and the
apron, and the spectacles, just ~ she used
TO look twenty years ago; but lido wish you
would take these strings away. They
annoy mo 80. / can hardly talk. Won't
you take them awayW / knelt down and
prayed, conscious of the fnct that he did
not realize what was saying. got up
said, "Good-by; hope you will be better
soon" He said, "Good-by, good-by"
That night his soul went to the God who
gave il. Arrangements were made for the
obsequies, Some said, Don't bring him
In the church; he was too dissolute.n
"Oh," said, "bring him. He was a good
friend of mine while he was alive, and
shall stand by him now that he is dead
Bring him to the church"
LAST sOENR oF ALL,
As l sat in the pulpit and saw his body
coming up through the aisle felt as il
could weep tears of blood. told the pco
Pile that day; This man had his virtues,
and good many OF them. He had his
| faults, and good many Of them, but II
there Il any man in this audience who is
| without sin let him cast the frst stone at
this coffin lid" On one side tbs pulpit sal
| that little child, rosy. sweet faced, as beau
titul as any little child that SAT at YOU
table this morning, | warrant you She
looked up wistfully, not know ing the full
soFrows oi an orphan child. Oh her coun-
tenance haunts me today like some sweet
| face looking upon US through horrid
dream. ON the other side OF the pulpit
were the meu who had destroyed him.
There they sat, hard visaged, some OF them
/ pale from exhAusting disease, some OF
| them flushed until il seemed as II the fires
/ OF iniQuity tanned through the cheeks aud
cracked the lips, They were the men who
had done the work. They wers the men
who had bound him hand and foot, They
had kindled the tires. They had poured the
wormwoOd and gall into that orphans cup
| Did they weepy No Did they Sigh re-
pentinglyy No. Did they say, "What 4
/ pity that such brave man should be
slainW No, nos not one bloated hand was
/ lifted tO wipe tear fr0ua = hloated cheek
| They sat and looked at the c0ifn like vul
/ turrs gazing at the carcass of y lAmb whose