The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-04-23
ONLY LITTLE WHILE.


REUBEN was thinking last night about
the old days-the old days when he was
a boy; when he had no conception of the
world-its immensely; its responsibilities;
demands; it's wickedness or its selfish
ness or it's cruelty. He took a hour off
and went back to that happy and hal
lowed long ago-to the time when on
Sunday he would go to Sunday school
and recite verses which his mother had
taught him to recite-which he had
learned at night the previous week-and
to have. He thought then that the cards
were essential-the fellow who received
the most cards always got the best pres
ent and REUBEN says that the Sunday
school teacher urged 'em all to get cards.
And they worked hard for the cards
they were jealous and enviOus of the
others who received more cards than the
others-even REUBEN admits that when
JOHN RoUT or BILL LATIN or CHARLEY
DOUGLASS would get more cards than he
got-well, he had no use for those fellows
just then.
That was what the Sunday school
teacher urged-he wanted 'em all to get
cards. That was all right.
Of course it was all right. 1t was
teaching boys to learn verses in the New
Testament-showing them the better way
and yet they had avarice in it; there
were the ugly faces of greed and gain
showing themselves-and that at Sunday
school.
Since those sweet and innocent days
REUBEN has grown old. He has seen
the world He has seen it on all it's sides
and in all it's phases. He has sat at the
bedside of misery and he has laughed at
the table of happiness and joy and plenty.
He has seen the demon rum take out the
choicest flowers and he has seen inno-
cence defle and debauch itself. But
what strikes him most forcibly just now
is the fact that the same race which was
started at Sunday school years ago is
still being run. The struggle to-day is
for more gold-for more cards. The
fellow who receives the most gold is the
winner to day, the same as the kid who
received the most cards at Sunday school
was winner then.
The same passion for gain-to obtain
no matter how, permeates the old man
and the young man the same as the pas.
sion for the most Sunday school cards
held then when they were young.
And REUBEN claims that the ques-
ton comes home-comes in a heap and
comes all over,
Does this miserable greed pay? If
man has enough to keep the wolf of hun
ger from his door should he still pursue
the phantom wealth and forget what he
should do? Should he continue to pile
away his money like SILAs MARINER
piled it away? Does it do him any good,
and if it does what is the good except to
satisfy a personal and cringing weak
ness of self? Why should one man,
with no more ability than another revel
a1d riot IN the luxury OF riches and why
should man who is real genius in his
line eat the crumbs which the undeserv-
ing rich let fall from off their tables?
Does not the pitiable condition of CO.
LIONEL LAZARUS teach US something bet
ter and something different?
And then REUBEN says that he sup
poses there is no use to kick. He says
men with millions profess to read the
bible and profess to be christians and
they read that a rich man can no more
enter the kingdom of heaven than q
camel can thread the pestern of nee
dies eye-but then that verse does not
count. No, that was marked out by the
proof reader. 1t was a mistake in the
print. And REUBEN borrowed dollar
and left town.