The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-14

ing to ruin. ALI Hleu tnu Wolueu hlo pau VI
are going to be. Society and the church are
on the down grade. Tell them OF an act OF
benevolence, and they say he gave that to
advertise himself. They do not like the
present fashion Of hats for women or OF coats
for men. They are opposed to the admins
tration, municipal and State and National.
Somehow food does not taste as it used to.
and they wonder why there are no poets or
orators or preachers US when they were boys:
Even Solomon, one OF the Wlsest and
at one time one OF the worst OF
men, falls into the pessimistic mood and
cries out in the twenty-irst chapter OF Pro-
verbs. "Who can find virtuous woman"
II he had behaved himself better and kept IN
good associations, he would not have written
that interrogation point implying the scarcity
of good womanhood. Cynicism, If habit,
az II is with tens OF thousands OF people,
writes itself all over the features hence 30
many sour visages all up and down the
street, all up and down the church and tho
world, One good way to make the world
worse is to say it Is worse. Let depressed
and foreboding opinion OF everything take
possession of you for twenty years, and you
will be sight to behold. It is the chastlse-
ment OF God that when man allows his
heart to be cursed with cynicism his face be-
comes gloomed and scowled and lachrymosed
But let Christian cheerfulness try its chisel
upon mans countenance. Feeling that all
things are for his good, and that God rules.
and that the Bible being true the worlds
fioralization is rapidly approaching, and the
dsy when beer mug and demijohn and distil-
lery and bombshell and rife pit seventy-four
Founders and roulette tables and corrupt
book and satanic printing press will have
quit work, the brightness that comes from
such anticipation not only gives zest to his
work. but shines In his eyes and glows in his
entire countenance. Those are the facts I
look for in an audience. Those ecountenances
are sections of millennial glory. They are
heaven impersonated. They are the sculp-
turing Of Gods right hand. They are ho-
sannas in human flesh. They are halleluiahs
aligbted. They are Christ reincarnated. I
do not care what your features are or whether
you look like your father or your mother or
look like no one under the heavens, to God
and man you are beautiful.
! Michael Angelo, the sculptor, visiting
Florence, some one showed him in back
yard piece OF marble that was 80 shapeless
that It seemed Of no use. and Angelo was
asked If he could make anything out OF it,
and If so was told he could own It. The
artist took the marble, and for nine months
shut himself up to work, first trying to make
Hath, but the marble was not quite long
enough at the base to make the prostrate
form Of the giant, and 80 the artist fashioned
the marble into another figure that is 80 IA
nous for all time because OF its expressive
ness. A critic came in and was asked by
Angelo for his criticism, and he said 1t was
beautiful but the nose of the statute was
not of right shape. Angelo picked up
from the floor some sand and tossed
it about the face Of the statue pretend
ing he was using his chisel to make the
"What do you think OF 1t now" said the
artist. "Wonderfully improved" said the
critic. 'Wen," said the artist, "I have not
changed st at ALL" My friends, the grace OF
God comes to the heart of man or woman
and then attempts to change forbidding
and prejudicial face into attractiveness. Per-
haps the face Is most unpromtsing for tie
Divine Sculptor. But having changed the
heart 1t begins to work on the countenance
with celestial chisel, and into all the Inca
ments Of tbs face puts gladness and an ex-
pectation that changes 1t from glory to glory,
and though earthly criticism may disspprove
Of this or that in the appearance Of the face
Christ says Of the newly created countenance
that which PLATE said OF Him, "Behold the
man.
Here Is another nightly chisel for the
couutenance, and you may call 1t revenge or
hate or maleyolence. This spirit having
taken possession Of the heart, 1t encamps
seven devils under the eyebrows. It puts
cruelty into the compression OF the lips.
You can tell from the mans looks that he is
pursuing some one and trying to get even
with him. There are suggestions OF Nero
and Robespierre and Diocletian and thumb
screws and racks all up and down the feat
Tn farnaI nrticts ypifh Ourdararq' dac.-
gers have been cutting away at that visage.
The revengeful heart has built Its perdition
in the revenSeful countenance. Disdgura-
tion Of diabolic passion!
But here comes another chisel to shape the
countenance, and it is kindness. There
came moving day, and into her soul moved
the whole family of Christian graces, with
all their children and grandchildren, andthe
command has come forth from the heavens
that that woman's face shall be made to cor.
respond with her superb soul. Her entire
face from ear to ear becomes the canvas on
which all the best artists of heaven begin to
put their finest strokes, and on the small
compass of that face are put pictures OF sun
rise over the sea, and angels OF mercy going
up and down ladders ali afash, and mount
aims OF TRANSPORTATION and MONDAY In
heaven. Kindness! x Is the most magnia-
cent sculptor that ever touched human
countenance.
No one could wonder at the unusual
geniality in the face Of William Window, Sec
retary of the Treasury OF the United States,
after seeing him at the New York banquet
Just before he dropped dead, turning his
wineglass upside down. saying, 81 may by
doing this offend some. but by not doing it
might damage many" Be kind to your
friends. Be kind to your enemies. Be kind
to the young. Be kind to the old. Be kind
to your rulers. Be kind to your servants.
Be kind to your superiors. Be kind to your
interiors. Be kind to your horse. Be kind
to your dog. Be kind to your cat. Morn
OF It will be written in the language of your
face. That is the gospel OF physiognomy.
A Bayonne merchant was in the south OF
Europe for his health, and sitting on the ter.
race one morning in his inva!idism he saw q
rider flung from q horse into river, and
without thinking Of his own weakness the
merchant flung of his invalid's gown and
swan to the drowning man, and clutchng
him as he was about to go down the last
time bore him In safety to the bank, when
glancing into the face Of the rescued man he
cried, my God, I have saved my own son."
All kindness comes back to US In one way or
another; if not in any other way, then In
your OWN face. Kindness! Show It to
others, for the time may come when you will
need it yourself. People laughed at the lion
because he spared the motse that ran over
him when by one motion OF his paw the mon
ster could have crushed the Insignificant dis
turber. But 1t was we'll that the lion had
mercy on the mouse, for one day the lion was
caught in a trap and roared fearfully because
he was held fast by ropes. Then the mouse
knawed off the ropes and let the lion so free.
You may consider yourself lion, but you
cannot afford to despiss a mouse.
When Abraham Lincoln hardened q N0nno