The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-09-16

INDISPENSABLE. There are men to-day as
notorious for their libertinism as the night
is famous for it's darkness who move in
what is called high social position. There
are hundreds of out and out rakeS in
American society whose names are men
toned among the distinguished guests at
the great levees. They have annexed all
the known vices and are longing for other
worlds of Giaoolism 20 conquer, Good
morals are not necessary il many OF the ex-
alted ciicles Of society.
Neither is intelligence necessary. You
find in that realm men who would not know
an adverb from an adjective IL they met it
hundred times in n day, and who could
not write letter Of acceptance or regrets
without the aid OF a secretary. They buy
their libraries by the square yard, only
anxious to have the binding Russian. Their
ignorance is positively sublime, making
English grammar almost disreputable. And
vet the finest parlors open before them.
Good morals and intelligence are not neces-
sary, but wealth or snow OF wealth Is
positively Indispensable. 1t does not make
any difference how you got your wealth, IL
YOU only got it. The best way for you to
get into social position is for you to buy a
large amount on credit, then put your
property in your wife's name, have q few
preferred creditors, and then make an as
signment. Then disappear from the COM
munity until the breeze Is over and come
back and start in the same business. Do
you not see how beautifully that will put
out all the people who are in competition
with you and trying to make an honest liv-
ing? How quickly it will get you into high
social position? What is the use Of toiling
forty or fifty years when you can by two or
! hi otr nEas 10 fnrtnnpo
All, my friends, when you really lose your
money how quickly they will let you drop,
and the higher you get the harder you will
drop.
There are thousands to-day in that realm
who are anxious to keep in it. There are
thousands in that realm who are nervous
for fear they will fall out Of it, and there
are changes going on every year, and every
month, and every hour which involve heart
breaks that are never reported. High So
cial life is constantly in fiutter about the
delicate question as to whom they shall let
in and whom they shall push out, and the
battle is going on-pier mirror against pier
mirror, chandelier against chandelier, wine
cellar against wine cellar, wardrobe against
wardrobe, equipage against equipase. I'm
certainty and insecurity dominant In that
realm, wretchedness enthroned, torture at
q q
A life Of sin, life Of pride, life OF in
duigence, life OF worldliness. life de-
voted to the world the flesh and the devil,
is failure. dead failure, an infinite
failure. care not how many presents you
send to that cradle or how many garlands
you send to that grave, you need to put
right under the name on the tombstone
this inscription: Better for that maH II he
had never been born"
But shall show you life that is worth
living. A young man says: 81 am here.
I am not responsible for my ancestry.
Others decided that. / am not responsible for
nv temperament. God gave me that. But
here am in the evening OF the nineteenth
century; at twenty years OF age. l am
here, and must take an account OF stock,
Here have body. which is divinely con-
structed engine. must put 1t to the very
best uses, and must allow nothing to
damage this rarest OF machinery. Two
feet, and they mean locomotion. Two
ewes, and they mean capacity to pick out
nv own way. Two ears, and they are tel
ephones Of communication with all the out
side world, and they mean capacity to
catch the sweetest music and the voices OF
friendship-the very best music. A tongue,
with almost infnity Of articulation. Yes,
hands with which to welcome or resist or
lift or smite or wave or biess-hands TO
hely myself and help others.
Here is a world which after 5000 years OF
battling with tempest and accident Is still
crander than any architect, human or an
gelic. could have drafted. have two
lamps to light me-a golden lamp and q
silver Tampa golden lamp set on the
sapphire mantel Of the day, a silver lamp
set on the Jet mantel Of the night. Yea, l
have that at twenty Of age which defies all
inventory Of valuables-a soul with capac-
ity to choose or reject, to rejoice or to
suffer, to love or to hate. Plato says 1t is
immortal. Seneca says it Is immortal.
Confucius says it is immortal. An old
book among the family relics, a book with
leathern cover almost worn out and pages
almost obliterated by oft perusal, joins the
other books in saying I am immortal. 1
have eighty years for lifetime, sixty years
vet to live I NAV not live an hour, but
then must lay out my plans intelligently
and for a long life. Sixty years added
to the twenty / have already hved-that
will bring me to eighty. / must remember
that these eighty years are only brlef
preface to the Ave hundred thousand mill
ions OF quintiIlions Of years which will be
nv chief residence and existence. Now,
understand my opportunities and my re-
sponsibilities, II there Is any being In the
universe all wise and all benehcent who can
help man in such juncture, want him. !"
The young man enters life. He Is buf-
feted, he is tried he Is perplexed. grave
opens on this side and grave opens on
that side. He falls, but he rises again. He
gets into hard battle, but he gets the VIC
tory. The main course of his life Is in the
right direction. He blesses everybody he
comes in contact with. God forgives his
mistakes and makes everlasting record OF
his holy endeavors, and at the close OF 1t
God saws to him; "Well done, good and
faithful servant. Enter into the Joy OF thy
Lori" My brother, my sister, I do not
care whether that man dies at 80, 40, so, 60,
20 or so years Of age; you can chisel right
under his name on the tombstone these
words, '.His life was worth living"
Amid the hills OF New Hampshire, in
olden times, there sits mother. There are
six children in the househo.d-four boys
and two girls. Small farm. Very rough,
hard work to coax living out Of it. Mighty
tug to make the two ends OF the year meet.
The boys go to school in winter and work
the farm in summer. Mother Is the chief
presiding spirit. With her hands she knits
all the stockings for the little feet, and she
is the mantua maker for the boys. and she
is the milliner for the girls. There Is only
one musical instrument in the house, the
spinning wheel. The food Is very plain,
but 1t is always we'll provided. The winters
are very cold, but are kept out by the
blankets she quilted. On Sunday, when