Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-11-02

decrepit, and the congregation are so
goes with elbows out, then there will
always be Christian people in churches
who say, WHAT pity! what pity"
But let the day of prosperity come to
a Christian church, and let the music
be triumphant, and let there be vast
assemblages, and then there will be
even ministers of the Gospel critical
and denunciatory and full of misrepre-
sentation and Justification, giving the
impression to the outside world that
they do not like the corn because it Is
not ground in their mill. Oh, my
friends, let us in all departments of
life stand back from deception.
But some one says, THE deception
that / practice is so small that it don't
amount to anything" All, my friends,
1t does amount to great deal. You
say, When l deceive, it is only about
a case of needles, or box Of buttons,
or row Of pins" But the article may
be SO small you can put it in your vest
pocket. but the sin is as big as the
pyramids, and the echo of your dis
honor will reverberate through the
| mountains of eternity. There is no
such thing as a small sin. They are
all vast and stupendous, because they
will all have to come under inspection
in the Day OF Judgment. You may
boast yourself Of having made a fine
bargain-a sharp bargain. You may
carry out what the Bible says in re-
gard to that man who went in to
make purchase and deprecated the
value of the goods, and then after he
had got away boosted of the splendid
bargain he had made. 1T is naught,
1t is naught, saith the buyer; but when
he is gone his way, then he boasteth."
1t may seem to the world a sharp bar
gain, but the recording angel wrote
down in the ponderous tones of eter-
nifty, Mr. So-and-so, doing business
on Pennsylvania Avenue, or Broadway,
or Chestnut Street, or State Street,
told one lie'
May God extirpate from society all
the ecclesiastical lies, and all the social
lies, and all the mechanical lies, and
all the commercial lies, and all the az.
ricultural lies, and make every man to
speak the truth of his neighbor. NV
friends, let us make our life CORE
spond to what we are. Let us Danish
all deception from our behavior. Let
us remember that the time comes when
God will demonstrate before an as
sembled universe just what we are.
The secret will come out. We may
hide it while We live, but we cannot
hide it when We die. To many life is
a masquerade ball. AS at such enter
tainment gentlemen and ladies appear
in garb of kings or queens, or noun
tain bandits, or clowns, and then at
the close of the dance put off their
disguise. SO many all through life are
in mask. The masquerade ball goes
on, and gemmed hand clasps gemmed
hand, and dancing feet respond to
dancing feet, and cleaning brow bends
TO cleaning brow, and the masquerade
ball goes bravely on. But after a
while languor comes and blurs the
sight. Lights lower. Floor hollow
with sepulchral echo. Music saddens
into wall. Lights lower. Now the
masquerade is hardly seen. The fra
GRANGE is exchanged for the sickening
odor of garlands that have lain a long
while in the damp of sepulchres. Lights
lower. Mists fill the room. The scarf
drops from the shoulder of beauty, a
shroud. Lights lower. Torn leaves
and withered garlands now hardly COW
er up the ufcered feet. Stencil of lamp
wicks almost quenched. Choking damp
ness. Chilliness. Feet still. Hands
folded. Eyes shut. Voice hushed.
Lights out.