The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-17

ttOnS. nave known 6ocn cases. QaVe
known family after family blasted IN that
preached. Father and mother turning their
backs upon all quiet culture and al the
amenities Of home. leading forth
their entire family In the wrong direc-
don. Annihilated-worse than annihilsted,
for there are some things worse than anni-
hilation. give you the history Of more
than one family when say they went on In
the designations OF social life until the father
dropped into lower style OF dissipation,
society q honentity, and after awhile the
daughter eloped with French dancing mas
ter, and afteS awhile the mother, getting on
further and further IN years. tries to hide
the wrinkles, but fails In the attempt, trying
all the arts OF the belle-an old flrt, poor,
miserable butterfly without any wings.
II there IS anything on earth beautiful to
me, It 1s an aged woman, her white locks
flowing back over the wrinkled brow-looks
not white with frost, as the poets say, but
white with the blossoms Of the tree Of life,
in her voice the tenderness Of gracious
memories, her face a benediction. As grand
mother passes through the room the grand
children pull a: her dress, and she almost
falls in her weakness, but she has nothing
but candy or cake or o kind word for the
little darlings. When che gets out OF the
wagon In front Of the house, the whole
family rush out and cry, "Grandma's
comer' And when she goes away from Us,
never to return, there Is a shadow on the
table, and shadow on the hearth, and
shadow on the heart.
There Is no more touching scene on earth
than when grandmother sleeps the last slum-
ber and the little child is lifted up to the
casket to give the LAST kiss, and she says,
"Goodby, grandma" Oh, there Is beauty
in old age. God says SO. "The hoary head
Is crown Of glory" Why should people
decline to get old2 The bes: things, the
greatest things, know of are aged-old
ty. But If there Is anything distresstnl It Is
to see an old woman ashamed OF the fact
that she Is old. What with all the artificial
appliances she Is too much for my gravity.
laugh even In church when see her COM
ing. The worst looking bird on earth Is o
peacock when It has lost its feathers.
would not give one lock Of my old mothers
gray hair for 90, 900 such caricatures OF hu-
manity. And II the life OF worldling, II
the life OF disciple given to the world, Is
sad the close ofsuch q lifeis simply tragedy.
Let me tell you that the dissipations ofsocial
life are despoiling the usefulness OF vast
multitude OF people. What do those people
care about the fact that there are whole ma
tions In sorrow and suffering and agony
when they have for consideration the more
important question about the size Of glove
or the tie OF q cravate2 Which one Of them
ever bound up the wounds Of the hospitalS
Which one Of them ever went out to care for
the poor2 Which Of them do you find In the
baunts OF sin distributing tracts? They Live
on themselves, and It Is very poor pasture.
Sybaris was great city, and 1t once sent
out 800 horsemen In battle. They had q
minstrel who had taught the horses of the
army q great trick, and when the old min
strel played certain tune the horses would
rear and with their front feet seemed to beat
time to the music Well, the old minstrel
was offended with his country, and he went
over to the enemy, and he said to the enemy,
.sYou give me the mastership OF the army,
and 7 will destroy their troops when those
horsemen come from Sybaris."
So they gave the old ministrelthe manage
ment, and he taught all the other rninstrels
certain tune. Then wher the cavalry
troop came up the old minstrel and all the
other minstrels played certain tune, and
at the most critical moment In the battle,
when the horsemen wanted to rush to the
conflict, the horses reared and beat time to
the music with their fore feet, and In dis
grace and rout the enemy fed. All, my
friends, have seen 1t again and again-the
minstrels Of pleasure, the minstrels Of dissi.
est fight Of lie! Frlvolity has
lost the battle for 10000 folk.
Oh, what belittling process to the human
mind this everlasting question about dress,
this discussion Of fashionable inf1nitesimals,
this group, looking askance at the glass,
wondering with an infnity Of earnestness
how that last geranium leaf does look, this
shriveling of mans moral dignity until 1t Is
~la1 10 - kha nd {n
ish inquisition of q tight shoe. this binding
up Of an immortal soul In ruf1e, this pitch
ing off Of an immortal nature over the rocks
when God created 1t for great and everlast-
Ing uplifting!
With many life IS q masquerade ball, and
as at such entertainments gentlemen and
ladies put on the garb Of kings and queens
or mountebanks or clowns, and at the close
put of the disguise, so great many pass
their whole life in a mask, taking off the
mask at death. While the masquerade ball
of life goes on they trip merrily over the
floor, gemmed hand Is stretched to the
gemmed hand, and cleaning brow bends to
cleaning brow. On with tho dance! Flush
and rustic and laughter OF immeasurable
merrymakjng!
But after awhile the languor o. death
comes on the limbs and blurs the eyesight.
Lights lower. Floor hollow with sepulchral
echo. Music saddened into wall. Lights
lower. Now the maskers are only seen in
the dim light. Now the fragrance OF the
flowers is like the sickening odor that comes
from garlands that have lain long IL the
vaults of cemeteries. Lights lower. Mists
gather In the room. Glasses shake as though
quaked by sullen thunder. Sigh caught in
the curtain Scarf drops from the shoulder
OF beauty shroud! Lights lower. Over
the slippery boards in dance OF death glides
jealousies, envies, revenges, lust, despair
and death. Stencil the lamp wicks almost
extinguished. Torn garments will not half
cover the liberated feet. Choking damps.
Chilliness. Feet still. Hands closed. Voices
hushed. Eyes shut. Lights out.
Oh, how many ofyou have floated far away
from God through social dissipstions, and it
Is time you turned, for I remember that
there were two vessels on the sea In storm.
It was very, very dark, and the two vessels
were going straight for each other, and the
captains knew It not. But after awhile the
man on the lookout saw the approaching
ship, and he shouted, lizard a-larboard p
and from the other vessel the cry went up,
lizard a-larboard" and they turned Just
enough to glance by and passed in safety to
their harbors. Some of you are In the storm
OF temptation, and you are drying on and
coming toward fearful collisions unless you
change your course. Hard a-larboard Turn
ye, turn ye, for "why will ye die, o house
of Israeli"
FARM HANDS KILLED,