The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1898-07-16

nifty Through GODS command.
copyright, 1885, by American Press Asso-
CiatiOnI
WASHINGTON, July lO.-This sermon of
DR. Tamngc which we send out today
seems startlingly appropriate to this theme
when 20 many are leaving this life by
their own hand, an evil about which all
reasonable people are agreed; text, Acts
xvi, %, "Do thyscIf no harm.
Here is u would be suicide arrested in
his deadly attempt. He was a sheriff, and,
according to the Roman law, a bailitf
himself must suffer the punishment due
an escaped prisoner, and if the prisoner
breaking jail was sentenced to be cndun-
geoncd for three or four years then the
sheriff must be cndungconcd for three or
four years and if the prisoner breaking
jail was to have suffered capital punish
mcnt then the sheriff must suffer capital
punishment The sheriff had received
especial charge to keep a sharp lookout for
Paul and Silas. The government had not
much confidence In bolts and bars to keep
safe these two clcrgymGn, about whom
there seemed to be something strange and
supernatural Sure enough, by miracu
lous power they are free, and the sheriff,
waking out Of a sound sleep and suppOs-
Ing these ministers have run away and
knowing that they were to die for preach
ing Christ and realizing that he must
therefore die, rather than go under the
executioncr's AK on the morrow and suffer
public disgrace resolves to preCipitato his
own deccasc But before the sharp, keen,
glttering dagger of the sheriff could
strike his heart one of the unlOosened pris-
oners arrests the blade by the command,
ado thyself no harm. "
Suicide Among the Ancients.
In oldcn times and where Christianity
had not interfercd with it suicide was con-
sidered honorable and Il sign Of courage.
Demosthenes poisoned himself when told
that Alexander's ambassador had demand
ed the surrender of the Athenian orators
Isocrates killed himself rather than sur
render to Philip Of MaCedon. Cato, rather
than submit TO Julius Caesar, took his
own life, and three times after his wounds
had been dressed tore them open and per-
ished. N1thridates killed himself rather
than submit to Pompey, the conqueror.
Hannibal destroyed his life by poison from
his ring considering life unbearable Ly
curgus suicide Brutus q suicide. After
the disaster of Moscow Napoleon always
carried with him preparation of poison,
and one night his servant heard the ex
emperor arise put something in glass
and drink it, and soon after the grOans
aroused all the attendants, and it was
only through utmost medical skill that he
was resuscitated. Times have changed,
and yet the American conscience needs to
be toned up on the subject Of suicide,
Have you seen paper in the last month
that did not announce the passage out of
life by ones own behest? Defaulters,
alarmed at the idea Of exposure, quit life
preciptately. Men losing large fortunes
so out of the world because they cannot
endure earthly existence. Frustrated af-
lection, domestic infelicity, dyspeptic i'm
patiencCT anger, rcmorse, envy, jealousy,
restitution, misanthropy, are considered
sufficient causes for absconding from this
life by paris green, by laudanum, by bel
ladonna, by Othello's dagger, by halter,
by leap from the abutmcnt OF bridge, by
firearms More cases of felo de sc in the
last two years than any two years of the
worlds existence, and more in the last
month than in any II months. The evil
Is more and more spreading.
A pulpit not long ago expressed some
doubt as to whether there was really any
thing wrong about quitting this life when
it became disagreeable, and there are found
in respectable circles people apologize for
the crime which Paul in the text arrested.
! shall show you before get through that
suicide is the worst of all crimes, and l
shall lift warning Hnmistakable. But
in the carly part of this sermon wish to
admit that some of the best Christians