San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-01-12
THE GoBBLE-UNS LII GIT YOU
The children OF this present, and
MANY of ma children of a larger

THE GoBBLE-UNS LII GIT YOU
The children OF this present, and
many OF us children Of a larger
growth and an earlier day, will
remember that wonderfully real
poem of James Whitcomb Riley.
aThe Elf Child" with its never-to-
ba-forgotten refrain San the gobble-
uns III git you of you don't watch
OUT There is in that poem the
foundation and substructure of
more Of orr real theological, bio
logical, psychological and diaboli-
cal belief than may appear at the
first sight. There are So ssmany
applications Of this idea to the
many-sided conditions of humani-
~ that the LIGHT preacher has
concluded to take it for his theme
this morning, illustrating accord
ing to the light that is in him
how the great human family are
eternally iterating and reiterating
to themselves and to each other
that, the gobble-uns III git you eff
you don't watch out.
This idea, that the gobble-uns
III git you Of you don't watch out,
is as old as the morning Of time.
There is no tradition so old, no
myth so early, no hieroglyphics so
ancient, that in them may not be
traced the substance of this fear.
How this idea originated, why it
has become 80 widespread, under
what peculiar conditions it Ihas
become SO permanent an idea and
possession Of the human mind, is
not the purpose of the present
enqv{ry. Neither is it the inten-
tic of the LIGHT preacher at this
4eto set forth the uses and
abuses q the itsa, but the rather
to show how it b, interpe,etrated
all our life and Yind, until Its
Influence in some rm or another
II. selt in every department. OF hu-
man thought ass 4ctiyity.
The central idea OF this fear, that
the gobhle-uns will get us eff we
don't watch out, is born of the
belief that there is outside of US
and Independent Of US a something
q power, spirit, force, intelligence,
person, or whatever the Individual
conception pleases-that holds US
and our actions amenable to its
direction and will. That it is the
business Of the humanity to study
to know the mind Of this some
what or something and pay strict
attention to its demands upon us,
| or we will come under its dis
pleasure and must suffer the con-
earences. That is to say, "The
bble-uns III git you ef you don't
atch out"
That this idea is not confined to
child mind, or to the church
nd, is as plain as the simplest
Bachings of the elementary books.
Il is in our homes, it Is in our
business, it is in our pleasures, it
Ms the spectre that haunts the
Ives and poisons the cup OF solid
kjoyment In every land, under
kry condition of civilization. 1t
only saps tine springs OF pres
Measure, but it poisons those
pre- enjoyment. 1t turns the
current OF natural feeling
Pire and action into un.
ehaaasls, and dams up the
that flow from these
Is OF the natural and the I'M
ained.
is the ghost that stalks
Trough the corridors OF all our
yes, his sheeted face carrying
error to all timid hearts and
hrowing into physical and mental
nd spiritual commissions all those
no are under its spell. We do not
pre- tosindulge in this or that
flre, minister to this or that
oi our nature, give express
the life that is natural to
with desirs fer which we
Porn, for fear the gobble-uns
Hs. The whole movement
ery Of our natures are
fear the gobble,uns
awe bend all our
o be what nature