Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-07-11


tear Of the body and mind to which our
merchants are subjected, when they do not
know but that their livelihood and their
business honor arc dependent upon the un-
eertainties of the next hour. This excite
ment Of the brain, this corroding care of
the heart, this strain Of effort that exhausts
the spirit, sends groat many of our best
men, In middle life, into the grave thoir
life dashed out against money safes. They
go with their store on their backs. They
trudge like camels, sweating, from Aleppo
TO Damascus. They make their life n
crucinxion. Standing behind desks and
counters, banished from the fresh air,
weighed down by carking cares, they are
so many suicides. Oh, wish could to-
day rub out some Of these lines OF care;
that could lift some of the burdens from
the heart; that / could give relaxation to
some Of these worn muscles. 1t Is time
for you to begin to take it little easier.
Do your best, and then trust God for the
rest. Do not fret. God manages all the
affairs of your life, and he manages them
for the best.
Consider the lilies-they always have
robes Behold the fowls of the air-they
always have nests. Take long breath.
Bethink betimes that God did not make
you for pack horse. Dig yourselves out
from among tho hogsheads and the shelves
and in the light of the holy Sabbath day
resolve that you will give to the winds
| your fears and your fretfulness and your
distresses. You brought nothing into the
world, and it is very certain you can carry
| nothing out. Having food and raiment,
bo Herewith content. The merchant came
home from the store. There had been d
| great disaster there. He opened the front
| door and said in the midst of his family
circle: ~ am ruined. Everything is gone
am all ruined" His wife said, 81 am
left" And the little child threw up its
hands and said, Papa, am here" The
aged grandmother, seated in the room,
said, "Then you have all tho promises of
God besides, john And he burst into
tears and said: "God forgive me that /
have been SO ungrateful find l have q
great many things left. God forgive me. T"
Neglect Of Home Duties.
Again I remark that many Of our bust
ness men are tempted to neglect their
home duties. How often 1t Is that the
store and the home seem to clash, but
there ought not to be any collision. 1t is
often the case that the father is the mere
treasurer Of the family, sort Of agent to
see that they have dry goods and groceries.
The work Of family government he does
not touch. Once or twice In a year he
calls the children up on a Sabbath after
noon when he has half hour he does not
exactly know what to do with, and in that
half hour he disciplines the children and
chides them and corrects their faults and
gives them great deal Of good advice, and
then wonders all the rest of the year that
his children do not do better when they
have the wonderful advantage of that
semiannual castigation.
The family table, which ought to be the
place for pleasant discussion and cheerful
ness often becomes the place Of perilous
expedition. If there be any blessing asked
at all, it Is cut off at both ends and with
the hand on the carving knife. He counts
on his fingers, making estimates In the in
terstices of the repast. The work done,
the hat goes to the head and he starts
down the street, and before the family have
arisen from the table he has bound up an
other bundle Of goods and says to the Gus
toner, Anything more can do for you
today, sir?" A man has more responsible
tiles than those which are discharged by
putting competent instructors over his
children and giving them drawing mas
ter and music teacher. The physical cul-
| ture of the child will not be attended to
unless the father looks to 1t. He must
sometimes lose his dignity. He must un-
| timber his joints He must sometimes
lead them out to their sports and games
The parent who cannot forget the severe
duties of life sometimes, to fly the kite, and
trundle the hoop, and chase the ball, and
| jump the rope with his children, ought
never to have been tempted out Of a crusty
and unredeemable solItariness. If you
want to keep your children away from
places of sin, you can only do 1t by max
| ing your home attractive. You may preach
sermons and advocate reforms and de-
nounce wickedness, and yet your children
will be captivated by the glittering saloon
of sin unless you can make your home q
brighter place than any other place on
earth to them. Oh, gather all charms into
your house! If you can afford 1t, bring
| books and pictures and cheerful entertain
ments to the household. But, above all,
teach those children, not by half an hour
twice year on the Sabbath day, but day
after day and every day teach them that
religion Is great gladness, that 1t throws
chains Of gold about the neck, that 1t takes
no spring from the foot, no blitheness
from the heart, no sparkle from the eye
no ring from the laughter, but that "her
ways are ways Of pleasantness, and all her
paths arc peace" sympathize with the
work being done In many Of our cities, by
which beautiful rooms are set apart by our
Young Mems Christian associations, and /
pray God to prosper them In all things.
But I tell you there Is something back of
that and before that--wo need more happy,
consecrated, cheerful Christian homes ev-
erywhere.
| Value Of the Soul.
Again I remark that great many of
our business men arc tempted to put the
| attainment Of money above the value of
the soul 1t is q grand thing to have
plenty of money. The more you get of
1t the better, If it come honestly and go
usefully. For the lack of 1t sickness dies
without medicine, and hunger finds its
co&n In the empty bread tray, and naked
ness shivers for lack of clothes and fire.
When / hear q man in eanting TRADE
against money! Christian man-as
though 1t had no possible use on earth
and he had no interest in 1t at all, come
almost to think that the heaven that would
be appropriate for him would be an ever
lasting poorhouse. While, my friends, we
do admit there is such thing as the law
full use Of tnoney-a profitable use Of
money--let us recognize also the fact that
money cannot satisfy mans soul; that
1t cannot glitter In the dark valley; that
1t cannot pay our fare across the Jordan Of
death; that 1t cannot unlock the gate Of
heaven. There are men in all occupations
| who seem to act as though they Aought
that pack Of bonds and mortgages could
be traded of for title to heaven, and as
though gold would be lawful tender in
that place where 1t Is SO common that they
| make movements out of IL, Salvation by