St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-07-23

when you are destroyed. They will
not give one cent to support your chill
dren when you are dead. They will
weep not one tear at your burial
They will chuckle over your damna-
ton. But the day comes when the
men who have exerted evil influence
upon their fellows will be brought to
judgment. Scene: The last day. Stage:
The rocking earth. Enter dukes, lords,
kings, beggars, clowns. No sword.
No tinsel. No crown. For footlights,
the kindling flames Of q world. For
orchestra, the trumpets that wake the
dead. For gallery, the clouds filled
with angel spectators. For applause,
the clapping floods of the sea. For
curtains, the heavens rolled together
as scroll. For tragedy, the doom Of
the destroyed. For farce, the effort to
serve the world and God at the same
time. For the last scene of the fifth
act, the tramp OF nations across the
stage-some to the right others to the
left. Et
Let me say to all young men, your
style of amusement will decide your
eternal destiny. One night l saw q
young man at q street corner evident
ly doubling as to which direction he
had better take. He had his hat lifted
high enough SO you could see he had
an intelligent forehead. He had a
stout chest; he had robust develop
ment. Splendid young man. Cul.
tured young man. Honored young
man. Why did he stop there while
SO many were going up and down?
The fact is that every man has a
good angel and bad angel contending
for the mastery of his spirit. And
there was good angel and a bad angel
struggling with that young mans soul
at the corner of the street. Come
with me-" said the good angel, II will
take you home. l will spread my
wing over your pathway. l will Low.
ingly escort you all through life.
will bless every cup you drink out of,
every couch you rest on, every door.
way you enter. / will conse.
crate your tears when you weep,
your sweat when you toll, and at the
last will hand over your grave into
the hand Of the bright angel of q Chris
tian resurrection. In answer to your
fathers petition and yolr mothers
prayer l have been sent of the Lord
out of Heaven to be your guardian
spirit. ''Come with mel" said the good
angel in a voice of unearthly sym
phony. 1t was music like that which
drops from Lutte of Heaven
when q seraph breathes on it.
mo, no." said the bad angel, 'come
with me; have something better
to offer; the wines pour are from
chalices of bewitching carousal; the
dance 1 lead is over floor tessellated
with unrestrained indulgences; there
is no God to frown on the temples OF
sin where l worship. The skies are
Italian. The paths tread are through
meadows daisied and primrosed; come
with me-" The young man hesitated
at time when hesitation was ruin,
and the bad angel smo.e the good
angel until it departed, spreading
wings through the starlight upward
and away until q door flashed
open in the sky and forever
the wings vanished. That was the
turning point in that young mans his
tory; for, the good angel flown, he
hesitated no longer, but started on q
pathway which is beautiful at the
opening, but blasted at the last. The
bad angel, leading the way, opened
gate after gate, and at each gate the
road became rougher and the sky more
lurid, and what was peculiar, as the
gate slammed shut it came to with q
jar that indicated it would never
open. Passed each portal, there
was q grinding of locks and q
showing of bolts, and the scenery ON
either side the road changed from gar
dens to deserts, and the June air be-
came q cutting Demcember blast, and
the bright wings Of the bad angel
turned to sack-cloth and the eyes of
light became hollow with hopeless
grief, and the fountains, that at the
start had tossed wine, poured forth
bubbling tears and foaming blood,
and on the right side of the
road there was q serpent, and the
man said to the bad angel, What
is that serpent?' and the answer was,
THAT is the serpent of singing re-
morse" On the left side of the road
there was lion, and the man asked
the bad angel: What is that lion?"
and the answer was: THAT is the lion
of all-devouring despair" A vulture
flew threw the sky, and the man asked
the bad angel: What is that vulture?''
and the answer was: THAT is the vul-
ture waiting for the carcasses of the
slain" And then the man began to try
to pull off of him the folds of some
thing that had wound him round and
round, and he said to the bad angel:
What is it that twists me in this aw.
full convulsion?' aud the answer was:
THAT is the worm that never dies!"
and then the man said to the bad an
gel: What does all this mean? l trust
ed in what you said at the corner of the
street that night; trusted it all, and
why have you thus deceived me?' Then
the last deception fell of the char mer,
and it said: Il was sent forth from the
pit to destroy your soul; watched my
chance for many long year; whenyou
hesitated that night on the street l
gained my triumph; now you are here.
liza! ha! You are here. Come, now,
let US fill these two chalices of fire
and drink together to darkness and
woe and death. Hail! hailI" Oyoung
man, will the good angel sent forth
by Christ, or the bad angel sent forth
by sin, get the victory over your soul?
Their wings are interlocked this mo-
ment above you, contending for your
destiny, as above the Aponnincs eagles
and condor fight nidsky. This hour
may decide your destiny. God help
YOU! 70 hesitate is to die!
Hope for Society.