The Bossier banner., 1892-02-25


forth to the advantage of Christ's King
dom and the bringing of men to the /
Lord. DR.. Duff, in South Wales, saw a
man who had inherited n great fortune.
The man said to him: II had to be very |
busy for many years of my life getting |
my livelihood. After awhile this for
tune came to me, and there has been |
no necessity that I toll since. There |
came a time when / said to my
self: "Shall | now retire from |
business, or shall go on and serve the
Lord in my worldly occupation" He
said: 81 resolved on the latter, and l
have been more industrious in CONNER
cial circles than | ever was before, and
since that hour / have never kept a
farthing for myself. / have thought it
to be great shame if | couldn't toll as
hard for the Lord as had toiled for
myself, and all the products of my
factories and my commercial establish
ments to the last farthing have gone
for the building of Christian institu-
tions and supporting the Church of
God" Oh, if thousand men in these
great cities who have achieved a fortune
could see it their duty to do all business
for Christ and the alleviation of the
worlds suffering.
Again, remark that business life is
school of patience. In your everyday
life how many things to annoy and to
disquiet! Bargains will rub. CONNER
cial men will sometimes fail to meet
their engagements. Cash books and
Goods ordered for a special emergency
will come too late, or be damaged in
| the transportation. People intending
no harm will go shopping without any
intention of purchase, overturning
great stocks of goods and insisting
that you breala the dozen. More bad
debts on the ledger. More counterfeit
bills in the drawer. More debts to pay
for other people. More meannesses on
the part of partners in business. An
royance after annoyance, vexation af-
ter vexation, and loss afte- loss. All
that process will either break you
down or brighten you up It is school
of patience You have known men un
der the process to become petulant,
and choleric, and angry, and pugna-
cious, and cross, and sour, and queer,
and they lost their customers, and
their name became detestation. Other
men have been frightened up under the
process. They were toughened by the
exposure. They were like rocks, all
the more valuable for being blasted.
At first they had to choke icwn their
wrath, at first they had to bite their
lips, at first they thought of some sting
ing retort they would like to make; but
they conquered their impatience. They
have kind words now for sarcastic
filings. They have gentle behavior now
for unmannerly customers. They are
patient now with unfortunate debtors.
They have Christian reflections now for
sudden reverses. Where did they get
that patience? BY hearing minister
preach concerning it on Sabbath? Oh.
no. They got it just where you will
get tiff you ever get it at all-selling
hats, discounting notes, turning banis-
ters, blowing corn, timing roofs, plead
ing causes. Oh. that amid the turmoil
and anxiety and evaporation of every
day life you might hear the voice OF
God saying: I'm patience possess your
soul. Let patience have her perfect
work"
I remark again, that business life is
4 a school of useful knowledge. Mer
chants do not read n.eny books and dc
\ not study lexicons. The~ do not dive
l into profounds of learning, and YET
: nearly all through their occupations
: come to understand questions O.
E finance, and politics, and geography
l and Jurisprudence, and ethics. Busi
e ness is severe schoolmistress. /
I pupils will not learn, she strikes then
I over the he;td and the heart with sever,
4 losses. You put five thousand dollar
l into an enterprise. 1t is all gone. Yor
say: THAT is dead loss" Oh, no
You are paying the schooling. Tha
n was only tuition, very large tuition
V told you it was severe schoolmistres
= but it was worth it. You learned
: things under chat process yo1
/ would not have learned in an,
: other way. Traders in grain com
e to know something about foreign har
r vests; traders in fruit come to know
e something about the prospects of trop
, ical production; manufacturers of Amer
l. can goods come to understand the tarif
d on imported articles; publishers o
: books must come to understand tn
Y new law of copyrights; owners of ship.
must come to know winds and shoals an
/ navigation, and every bale of cotton
u and every raisin cask, and every tea
It box, and every cluster of bananas is S,
o much literature for business man
e Now, my brother, what are you goin,
D. to do with the intelligence? DO yo
n suppose God put you in this school @
/ information merely that you might b
l. sharper in a trade, that you might b.
t. more successful as worldling? Oh, nc
= it was thought that you might take tha
: useful information and use it for Jesu
l. Christ. Can it be that you have bee
IS dealing with foreign lands and neve
o had the missionary spirit, wishing tn
o salvation of foreign people? Can it b
is that you have become acquainted wit
all the outrages inflicted in busines
It life, and that you have never tried t
1t bring to bear that Gospel which is t
k extirpate all evil and correct all wrong
% and illumine all darkness and lift II
-