The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-24

city for rum than they did Tor clotnlnS anu
groceries.
Another warranty that my text will prove
true in the perpetual poverty OF the world 1s
the wicked spirit Of improvidenee. A vast
number or people have such small incomes
that they cannot lay by in savings bank or
life insurance one cent year. 1t takes every
farthing they can earn to spread the table
and clothe the family and educate the chill
dren, and if you blame suoh people for i'm
providence you enact a cruelty. On such a
salary as many clerks and employees and
many ministers Of religion live. and on such
wages as many workmen receive, they can
nor, IN twenty years, lay up twenty cents.
But you know and I know many who have
competent incomes, and could provide some
what for the future, who live up to every
dollar. and when they die their chill
dren 60 to the poorhouse or on the
street. By the time the wife gets the
husband buried. she is in debt to the under
taker and grayedie9er for that which she
can never pay. While the man lived he had
his wine parties and fairly stunk with
tobacco. and then expired. leaving his family
upon the charities of the world. Do not
send for me to come and conduct the
obsequies and read over such carcass the
beautiful litugy. "Blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord" for, instead Of that, will
turn over the leaves of the Bible to /
Timothy ", 18. where 1t says: "If any pro-
vide not for his own, and especially for
those OF his own house, he hath denied the
faith, and is worse than an infldel, or will
turn to jeremiah xii. 10. where It says,
CHE shall be buried with the burial Of an
ass. drawn and cast forth beyond the gates
OF Jerusalem"
cannot imagine any more unfair or
meaner thing than for man to get his sins
pardoned at the last minute, and then 90 to
heaven. and live in mansion, and 80 riding
about in golden chariot over the golden
streets, while his wife and children. whom
he might have provided for, are begging for
cold victuals at the basement door Of an
earthly city. 1t seems to me there ought to
be poorhouse somewhere on the outskirts
Of heaven, where those guilty or such i'm
providence should be kept for awhile on thin
soup and gristle instead of sitting down at
the Kings banquet. It Is said that the church
Is divine institution, and believe It. Just
as certainly are the savings banks and the
life insurance companies divine institutions.
AS our or evil good often comes so out OF the
doctrine Of probabilities, calculated by Profess
sor Hughes and Professor Pascal for games OF
chance, came the calculations Of the proba-
bilities of human life as used by life insur-
ance companies. and no business on earth Is
more stable or honorable, and no mightier
mercy for the human race has been born since
Christ was born. Bored beyond endurance
Tor my signature to papers OF all sorts, there
Is one style Of paper that I always sign with
. feeling of gladness and triumph, and that
Is paper which the life insurance company
requires from the clergyman after decease
In his congregation, In order to the payment
OF the policy to the bereft household. I al
ways write my name then 80 they can read
It. I cannot help but say to myself:
Co. <hoH tN hax,a o1
after his wife and children after
earthly departure. May he have one Of the
best seats In heavenw Young man! The
day before or the day after you, get married,
90 to a life insurance company Of established
reputation and get the medical examiner TO
put the stethoscope to your lungs and his ear
close up to your heart with your vest of, and
have signed, sealed and delivered to you a
document that will, in the case ct your sud-
den departure, make for that lovely girl the
difference between queen and a pauper.
have known men who have had an In.
come Of $4,000, $4,000, $4,000 year, who did
not leave one farthing to the surviving
household. Now, that mans death is de-
falcation, an outrage, q swindle. He did not
die he absconded. There are 100, 900 people
In America to-day a-hungered through the
sin of improvidence. ''But," say some, 'my
income is 80 small cannot afford to pay the
premium on life insurance" Are you sure
about that? II you are sure, then you have
a right to depend on the promise in Jeremiah
xix, II, Leave thy fatherless children, I
will preserve them alive, and let thy widows
trust in Me-" But II you are able to, remem-
Der you have no right to ask God to do for
your household that which you can do for
them yourself.
For the benefit of those young men excuse
a practical personality. Beginning my hfe's
work on the muniflcent salary Of $500 year
and a parsonage, and when the call was
the world I would ever be able to spend that
amount of money. and I remember indulg-
Ing in devout wish that might not be led
into worldliness and prodigaliry by such an
oyerplus of resources and at time when
articles of food and clothing were higher
than they are now, felt it q religious duty
to get my life insured, and I presented my
self at an Office of one OF the great compan-
les, and stood pale and nervous lest the
that I had consumption and heart
disease and half dozen mortal all
ments, but when I got the document,
which I have yet in full force, felt sense
of manliness and confidence and qdietude
and reinforcement, which Is good thing
for any young man to have. For the lAck OF
that feeling there are thousands Of men to-
day in Greenwood and Laurel Hill and
Mount Auburn who might as we'll have been
alive and we'll and supporting their families.
They got a little sick, and they were 80 wor-
rIed about what would become oftheir house
holds in case Of their demise that their
agitations overcame the skill OF the physi-
clans, and they died for fear OF dying.
nave for many years been such an ardent
advocate OF life insurance, and my sermon
on THE Crime of Not Insuring' has been
SO long used on both sides of the sea by
the chief life insurance companies that
some people have supposed that received
monetary compensation for what have said
and written. Not penny. will give any
man 800 for every penny I have received
from any life insurance company. What /
have said and written on the subject has re-
suited from the conviction that these insti-
tutions are benedlction to the human race.
But, a,as, for the widespread improvidence
You are now in your charities helping to
support the families Of men who had more
income than you now have, and you can de-
pend on the improvidence OF many for the
truth Of my text in all times and In all
places, eye have the poor always with
YOU"
Another fact that you may depend upon for
perpetual poverty Is the incapacity OF many
10 achieve livelihood You can 60 through
any community anu Hnu Hooo people WITH
more than usual mental caliber, who never
have been able to support themselves and
their households. They are mystery to US,
and we say, II do not know what Is the
matter of them, but there is screw loose
somewhere" Some of these persons have
more brain than thousands who make a
splendid success. Some are too sanguine oil
temperament, and they see bargains where
there are none. A common minnoW
is 70 them a gold fish, and quail fla.
mingo. and blind mule on towpath Blu.
cepnaius. They buy wnen things are high.