The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-12-04
SUBSCRIPTION: Sl.O0 Per Year.

marble before he takes up the crayon
or the chisel. The architect plats ouk
the entire structure before he orders
the workmen to begin, and though
there may for long while seem to DO
nothing but blundering and rudeness,
he has in his mind every Corinthian
wreath and Gothic arch and Byzantine
capital. The poet arranRes the entire
plot before he begins to chime the first
canto of tingling rhythms. And yet
strange to say, there are men who at
tempt to build their character without
knowing whether in the end 1t shall
be a rude Tartar's tent or a st. Marks
OF Vince men who begin to write
the intricate poem of their lives
without knowing whether it shall be
a Homer's odyssey" or rhymester's
botch. Nine hundred and ninety-nine
men out of / 200 are living without any
great life-plot. Booted and spurred
and plumed, and urging their swift
courSer in the hottest haste, l ask,
Hallol man; whittier away?" Rush
into the busy shop or store of many
one, and, taking the plane out of the
mans hand, or laying down the yard
stick, say: What, man, is all this
about, Sc much stir and sweat?" The
reply will stumble and break down be-
tween teeth and lips. Every days
duty ought only to be the filling up of
the main plan of existence Les
men be consistent If they pre-
fer misdeeds to correct courses
of action then let them draw
out the design of knavery
and cruelty and plumber. Let every
days falsehood and wrong-doinR be
added as coloring to the picture. Let
bloody deeds red-stripe the picture,
and the clouds of wrathful God hang
down heavily over the canvas, ready
to break out In clamorous tempest.
Let the waters be chafed and froth-
tangled, and green with immeasurable
depths. Then take torch of burn
ing pitch and scorch into the frame the
right name for 1.-THE souls suicide.
If one entering upon sinfnl directions
would only, in his mind or on paper,
draw out in awful realty this dreadful
future, he would recoil from it and
say: "Am l a Dante, that by my own
life l should write another 'Infernal?'"
Many years ago word OSme TO me
that two imposters, as temperance
lecturers, had been speaking In Ohio,
in various places, and giving their ex-
perience, and they told their audience
that they had long been intimate with
me, and had become drunkards by
dining at my Ia BILE, where L always had
liquors of NIL sorts. Indignant to the
last degree, / went down to the chief
% III 1,af I
going to start that night for Ohio tG
have the villains arrested, and | want
ed him to tell me how to make the arr
rest. lie smiled and said: DO not
waste your time by chasing these men.
Go home and do your work and they
can do you no harm" / took his conn.
sci, and all was well. Long ago made
up my mind that if one will put his
trust in God and be faithful to duty,
he need not fear any evil. Have God
on your side, young man, and all the
com bined forces Of earth and hell can,
do you no damage.
You may now have enough strength
of character to repel the various
temptations to gross wiclsedness which
assail you, but / do not know in what
strait you may be thrust at some
future time Nothing short of the
grace Of the cross may then be able to
deliver You from the lions. You are
not meeker than Moses, not holier
than David, nor more patient than
Jacob, and you ought not TO con-
slider yourself invulnerable. You may
have some weak point of character
that you have never discovered, and in
some hour when you are unsuspecting
the Philistines will be upon thee, Sam
son. Trust not in your good habits, or
your early training, or your pride OF
character; nothing short of the arm OF
God will be sufficient to up-
hold you. You look forward to the
world sometimes with a chilling
Cheer up; l will
tell you how you may make
q fortune Seek first the King
dom of God and His righteous
ness, and all other things shall be
added unto you" know you do not
want to be mean in this matter. Give
God the freshness Of your life. You
will not have the heart to drink down
the brimmiDg cup Of life and then pour
the dregs on Gods altar. To Saviour
50 infinitely generous you have not
the heart to act like that. That is
not brave, that is not honora-
BILE, that is not manly. Your
greatest want in all the world Is
a new heart In Gods name. ] tell
you. And the blessed spirit presses
the sOlemnities and privileges
Of this holy hour. Put the cup of life
eternal to your thirsty lips. Thrust it
not back Mercy offers it.; bleeding
mercy, long-suffering mercy. Reject
all other friendships, be ungrateful
for all other kindness, prove recreant
TO all other bargains, but TO despise
Gods love for your immortal soul-do
not do that.
/ would like TO see some OF you this
hour press out the ranks of the world
and lay your conquered spirit at the
feet of Jesus. This hour is no wan
dering vagabond staggering over the
earth it is a winged messenger OF the
skies whispering mercy TO thy soul.
Life is smooth now, but after awhile
it may be rough, wild and precipi@
tate. There comes crisis in the his
tory of every man. We seldom under
stand that turning point until it is far
past. The road of life is forked, and
read on two sign boards: This is the
way to happiness" This is the way
TO ruin" How apt we are TO pass the
fork of the road without thinking
whether il comes out at the door OF
bliss or the gates of darkness.
Rejoice, o, young man. IN tny
youth, aud let thy heart cheer thee IN
the days of thy youth; but know .,I thou