The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-08-09

tortion and issuing false stock and skillful
penmanship In writing somebody else's
name at the foot OF a promissory note, and
they all go down together-the husband to
the prison. the wife to the sewing machine.
the children to bc taken care OF by those who
were called poor relations. oh. for somenew
Shakespeare to arise and write the tragedy
| OF human clothes
Will you forgive me 10 say in tersest
shape possible that some OF the men have to
forge and % perjure and TO swindle to pay
for their wives dresses. will say II whether
you forgive me or not
Again. inordinate fashion Is the foe OF all
Christian almsgiving. Men and women put
so much In personal display that they often
have nothing for God and the cause OF suf-
fering humanity. A Christian man cracking
bis Palais Royal glove across the back by
shutting up his hand 10 hidothe cent he puts
into the poorbox. A Christian woman, at
the story OF the Hottentots, crying copious
tears into s25 handkerchief and then Civ
Ing two cent piece to the collection. thrust
ing II under bills so people will not know but
Il was a go goldpiece. One hundred dol-
lars for incense TO fashion two cents for
TOD God gives us ninety cents out o. every
dollar. The other ten cents by command OF
HIS Bible belong to Him. Is not God liberal
according to His tIthing system laid down
In the Old Testament2 Is not God liberal in
giving us ninety cents out OF n dollar whom
He takes but temp We do not like that. We
want to have ninety-nine cents for ourselves
and one for God
Now, l would n great deal rather steal ten
cents from you than from God. Think one
reason why great many people do not get
along In worldly accumulation faster Is be-
cause they 40 not observe tnis divlne rule.
I God says, well. II that man is not satisfied
with ninety cents ot a dollar. then I will
take the whole dollar, and will give IL to
the man or woman who is honest with Me-"
The greatest obstacle TO charity in the Chris
tan church to-day is the fact that men ex-
pend SO much money on their table, and wo-
men so much on their dress. they have got
nothing lett for the work OF God and the
worlds betterment. In my first settlement
at Bslleville, n. j.. the cause OF missions
was being presented one Sabbath and plea
Tor the charity OF the people was being made,
when an old Christian man In the audience
lost his balance and said right out in the
midst OF the sermon, "Mr. Talmage, how are
we to give literally TO those grand and gori-
GUS causes when our families dress as they
doT' did not answer that question. II
was the only time IN my life when 1 had
nothing to say.
Again. inordinnte fashion Is distraction 10
public worship. You know very well there
are good many people who come to church
Just as they 90 to the races--to see who will
come out first. What hutter It makes In
church when some woman with extraordi-
nary ulsplHy OF IHSntOu comes IN 'Wnnt ~
love OF a bonnet :! says one. what a per-
feet fright y says 500. For the most mercI-
less critics in the world are fashion critics.
Men and women with souls to be saved pass
ing the hour In wondering where that man
got mis- cravat or what store that woman
patronzes.
In many Of our churches the preliminary
exercises are taken up with the discussion
OF wardrobes. IL is pitiable. Is Il not won
derful that the Lord does not strike ths
meeting houses with lightningp What dis.
traction OF public worship Dying men and
and women, whose bodies are soon TO bo
turned into dust. vet before three worlds
strutting like peacocks, the awful question
, of the souls destiny submerged by the ques.
tion OF navy blue velvet aud long fan train
skirt, long enoug TO drag up the church
aisle, the husaand'5 store, office. shop fac.
tory, fortune and the admiration OF half the
people In tho building! Men and women
come late to church to show their clothes.
People sitting down In a pew or taking up
hymnbook, all absorbed at the same time In
personal array, TO sing.
iRlss. my se'ti,. AMI. s.dsssa 16y winss,-~,
Thy better portion trace.
Rise from trausltory things
Toward heaven, tiny native place.
I adopt the Episcopalian prayer and say,
"Good Lord, deliver us !"
Insatiate fashion also belttles the INTEL
lect Our minds are enlarged or they dwln-
the subject on which We constantly dwell.
Can you imagine anything more dwarfing TO
the human intellect than the study OF fash
ion? / see men on the street who. Judging
from their elaboration, must have taken two
hours to arrange their apparel. After few
years of that kind OF absorption. which one
OF McAlister'5 magnifyinS glasses will be
powerful enough 10 make the mans charae-
ter visible? They all land in idiocy.
have seen men at the summer watering
places. through fashion. the mere wreck OF
what they once were. Sallow OF cheek
Meagre OF limb. Hollow at the chest. Show.
ing no animation save In rushing across a
room to pick up lady's fan. SImpernp
along the corridors the same compliments
they simpered twenty years ago. New
York lawyer at United States Hotc', Sara
toga, within our hearing, rushed across a
room TO say TO sensible woman, "You ara
as sweet rs peaches" The fools OF fashion
are myriad. Fashion not only destroys the
body, bur It makes tdiotic the intellect
Yet, my friends, l have given YOU only the
miider phase of this evil. IL shuts q great
multitude out Of heaven. The first peal OF
thunder that shook Sinai declared Thou
shalt have no other God before Me-" and
you will have 10 choose between the go idess
OF fashion and the Christian God. There
are a great many seats In heaven, and they
are all easy seats, but not one seat for tho
deyotee OF fashion. Heaven il Tor meek and
quiet spirits. heaven Is IOt tuOSt VINO think
more OF their souls than OF their bo dies.
Heaven is for those who have more Joy In
Christian charity than in dry goods religion
Why. II you. with yorr idolatry OF fashion,
should somehow ger into heaven, you would
be for putting French roof on the 'house
OF many mansions" Give up this idoatry
OF fashion or give up heaven. What would
you do standing beside the Countess OF
Huntington, whose Joy II was To build
chapels for the poor, or with that Christian
woman OF Boston who fed 1900 children OF
the street at Faneuil Hall ON New Years
day, giving ont rs a sort OF doxology at the
end OF the meeting a pair of shoes to each
one OF them, or those Decreases OF modern
society who nave consecrated their needles
10 the Lord, and who will get eternal reward
for every stitch they take?
oh, men and women, give up the idoatry
OF fashion The rivalries and the competi-
tions OF such a lifp are IA stupendous wretch
edness. You will always find some one with