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

penmanship In writing somebody else's
name at the foot OF 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 clothesi
/ Will you forgive me II say in tersest
shape possible that some OF the men have to
| forge and to perjure and TO swindle TO pay
for their wives dresses. I will say II whether
you forgive me or not
Again. inordinate fashion is the foe OF all
Christian almsyiving. 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
his Palais Royal glove across the back by
shutting up his hand TO 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
II was s10 goldpiece One hundred do-
lars for incense to fashion two cents for
God God gives us ninety cents out ofevery
dollar. The other ten cents by command OF
His Bible belong to HIN. Is not God liberal
according to His tithing system laid down
In the Old TESTAMENT Is not God liberal in
giving as ninety cents out OF dollar when
He takes but ten2 We do not like that. We
! want 10 nave ninety-nine cents Tor ourselves
and one for God.
Now, would a 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 THIS divlne rule.
God says, "well. II that man Is not satisfied
\ with ninety cents of n dollar. then / will
! take the whole dollar and I will give II to
/ the man or woman who is honest with Me-"
The greatest obstacle to charity In the Chris
tian church to-day IL 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. Tamage how are
we to give literally TO those grand and glori-
J Gus causes when our families dress as they
/ doT' l did not answer that question. IL
was the only time In my life when had
nothing to say.
Again, inordinafe fashion Is distraction TO
public worship. You know very well there
/ are n good many people who come to church
+ Just as they go to the races-,o see who will
come out first. What a hutter II makes In
church when some woman with extraordi-
nary display OF fashion comes in "What u
/ love OF a bonnet : says one. what per-
feet fright - 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
patronizes.
In many Of our churches tho preliminary
exercises are taken up with the discussion
OF wardrobes. II Is pitiabe. Is II not won
derful that the Lord does not strike the
meeting houses with lightningp What dis.
traction OF public worship Dying men and
and women, whose bodies are soon TO DO
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 and long fan train
skirt, long enoug to drag up the church
aisle, the husaand'J store, office. shop, fac.
tory fortune and the admiration OF half the
people In the building Men and women
come late to church to show their clothes.
People sitting down in pew or taking up
hymnbook, all absorbed at the same time in
personal array, 10 sing.
,alse. my ,N,t;,. and issfsssa 'iny wings. -,
Thy better portion trace
Rise from traustory things
Toward heaven. tiny native place
adopt the Epscopslian prayer and say,
"Good Lord, deliver us /"
Insatiate fashion also bellttles the intel
lect. Our minds are enlarged or they dwln-
die Just In proportion 10 the Importance OF
the subject on which we constantly dwell.
Can you imagine anything more dwarflng TO
the human intellect than the study OF fash.
ionP / 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 TO make the mans charac-
ter visible2 They all land in idiocy.
have seen men at the summer watering
II. 49,. ....k Naatt Ian NA..
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. SlmperinR
along the corridors the same compliments
they simpered twenty years ago. A New
York lawyer at United States Hotel, Sara
toga, within our hearing, rushed across u
room TO say TO u sensible woman, "You arc
as sweet as peaches !! The fools OF fashion
are myriad Fashion not only destroys the
body, but IT makes idiotic the intellect.
Yet. my friends, have given YOU only tho
milder phase OF this evil. IL shuts a 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 to 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 the
devotee of fashion. Heaven Is Tor meek and
quiet spirits. Heaven is for those who think
more OF their souls than OF their boz dies.
Heaven is for those who have more Joy In
Christian charity than in dry goo Is religion
Why. II you. with yorr idolatry OF fashion.
should somehow get into heaven, you would
be for putting a French roof ON the "house
OF many mansions" Give up this idolatry
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
..fn no tat -
the street at Faneuii Hall on New Years
day, giving out AS a sort OF doxology at tho
end OF the meeting pair OF shoes 10 each
one of them, or those Decreases OF modern
society who nave consecrated their needles
to the Lord, and who will get eternal reward
Tor every stitch they takeP
oh, men and women, give up the idoatry
OF fashion The rivalries ana the competi-
tons OF such lifs are stupendous wretch.
sdness. You will always find some one with
- .rtth II