The morning news., 1896-12-27

course. is counted out of your life--is it?
How many times have you struck an in
offensive animal? How many times have
you hurt with bitter words? And what
have you killed in yourself? Your inno-
cence, your hope and your faith. You
| have murdered the best of yourself, and
you stand q murderer as great in the eyes
OF God as that one who killed his fellow
man. He DID it in the quick spasm of an
ger. You have killed gradually and slow
ly the good that was in you, and you have
buried what you killed so deep that ! won
der If, even now, it can be resurrected.
That seventh law. What about the book
you dropped from your hands an hour
ago? Would you like to offer it to the
pretty girl who made her debut this after
noon? What about the picture you dis
played to group of your fellows? What
about the foul story which caused the
club house to ring with laughter as you
told it? And then, what about the women
whose minds you have stained? You
pride yourself on never having led an in
nocent woman into committing absolute
evil. But you, and men like you, make
her steps to wicl1edness very easy.
You pay her the doubtful compliment
you murmur to her the jest that has
double meaning, and you urge her to cul-
tivate an easy manner with men that GER
tainly makes the descent to the devil very
much quicker How does that page look?
Take up another.
Are you innocent of stealing? Where is
the tithe you should have given to the
poor? How about the doubtful deal in
the stock market? What do you think you
would have been if your last investment
had failed and you had been discovered?
The polite world would have called you
an embezzler-the more crude people would
have said you were a thief, but as the
venture was a success and you did not
disturb the money that belonged to others,
you count yourself free from blame. Are
you? In the great judgment book intent
and act are synonymous. You have an
idea that you leave gossiping to women
there IS no feminine gossip who can com
pare with man like you. You say things
that women are afraid to hint. OF the
young woman who is overhowing with
happiness, who cannot keep her joy to
herself, and who believes that all men are
gentlemen ike her husband and her father
you speak with a shrug that means much
and a sneer that tells all that is in your
own wicked mind. You are always bear
ing false witness against good women. 1t
Is part of your mean, cynical belief to
deny purity to women 1t is part of your
dastardly unfaith to claim that no man
is decent. You are sure that every kind
ness shown has hidden motive. oh, how
smeared this page is! Soiled and smirched
until reading it becomes abominable.
Indeed, / drop the book who am hui
man. cannot try you any longer with those
stone tablets as the questioners. Put
you will be tried, and that book will
make or mar your future. But always
there is given TO you a choice. God is
more merciful than men. He gives you
this chance to read your Life Book, to
see, as in a looking glass, the story of
your life untold, and He says: Repent
and do better while there is yet time"
What are you going to do? Now the
time has come for you to decide. The
new Book is white and clean, and on, it
is written: 1.-THE Story of 1897" What
will it be? You are to write it, and it
is in your power to fill it with history
of kindness done, of mercies shown, of
good gifts given, of an increasing faith,
and of a sweet and pure life. How can
you long tor anything else? How can
you, originally kind of heart and strong
of brain, be satisfied to kill yourself for
the benefit of the brutal world? For after
all. even the world respects a good man.
1t may be cynical; ii may be bitter; it
may have very little faith; but it bows
with respect before that man who keeps
the Book of his Life clear one, a clean
one, and one full of faith, hope and
charity.
.
The New Year has come; 1 greet YOU
my friend and my neighbor. wherever YOU
| may be, 1 hope that this year will bring
to each one of US the greatest of al pos-
sessions-a true knowledge of ourselves
Then We will be sure to make better Life
| Book. You will forgive me for preach
| ing to you, my friend; cannot help it, AS
1 turn the tiny calendar that marked the
| last day of the year it read: Eye hath
not seen nor ear heard, neither have en-
tered into the heart of man the things
which God hath prepared for them that
love Him." And 1t seemed that 1 must
remind you, before the bells rang in an
other year. and before the fresh Book was
| opened, of the wisdom of reading the book
marked 1886" We have done it together;
we have clasped hands and promised each
/ to help the other, and so we will begin
with be.ief in humanity. faith in God, and
a great willingness to hold up whoever is
weak, and to lift up that one who falls
and give him another chance Then. If we
try, even If we do not succeed In it all we
may rest assured that on the black pages
of the Judgment Book there will not be
written your name, or that of your neigh
Dor, or that which belongs TO Bah.
| -e--ts-s--------