The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-10-20
SOME PRETTY TRUTHS
R.v. DR.. Talmage Says All Persons
are Bound to Have Enemies.
The Making and Retention OF Friends
Not Il Matter OF Happy Accident,
But the Result of Wise and
Intelligent Selection.

look upon as matter OF happy accl-
dent, is really a matter Of intelligent
selection. The text is: "a man that
hath friends must show himself friend
ly.'-Provcrbs xviii, "a.
About the sacred and divine art of
making and keeping friends speak
a subject on which l never heard Of
anyone preaching-and yet God
thought it of enough Importance to put
it IN the middle of the Bible, these
writings of Solomon, bounded on one
side by the popular Psalms of David,
and on the other by the writings Of
1t seems all matter of haphazard
how many friends we have, Or whether
we have any friends at ALL but there is
nothing accidental about it. There is
a law which governs the accretion and
dispersion Of friendships. They did
not ''just happen So any more than
the tides just happen to rise or fall, or
the sun just happens to rise or set. 1t
is science, au art, God-given regu-
lation.
Tell me how friendly you are to 9TH
ers, and l will tell you how friendly
pthers are to you. l do not say you
will not have enemies; indeed, the best
way to get ardent friends is to have
ardent enemies, if you get their enmity
in doing the right thing. Good men
and women will always have enemies,
because their goodness is u perpetual
rebuke to evil; but this antagonism of
foes will make more intense the love of
yonr adhereuts. Your friends will
gather closer around you because of
the attacks of your assailants. The
more your enemies abuse you the bet
ter your coadjutors will think of you.
The best friends we have ever had
appeared at some juncture when we
were especially bombardci. There
have been times in my life when un-
just assault multiplied my friends, as
near as l could calculate, about fifty
minute. You arc bound to some
people by many cords that neither time
nor eternity can break, and l will
warrant that many OF those cords
were twisted by hands malevolent.
Human nature was shipwrecl1ed about
fifty-nine centuries ago, the captain of
that craft, one Adam, and his first
mate running the famous cargo
aground on a snag in the River Hid
dekel; but there was at least one good
trait of human nature that waded
safely ashore from that shipwreck,
and that is the disposition to take the
part of those unfairly dealt with.
When it is thoroughly demonstrated
that some one is being prosecuted, al
though at the start slanderous tongues
were busy enough, defenders finally
gather around as thick as honey bees
on trellis of bruised honey-suckle.
If, when set upon by the furies, you
can have grace enough to keep your
mouth shut, and preserve your equi-
poise, and let Others fight your battles,
you will fnd yourself after awhile
| with a whole Gordon of allies. Had
not the world given to Christ on His
arrival at Palestine very cold should.
er, there would not have been one-hnl1
as many angels chanting glory out OF
the hymn books of the sky, bound in
black lids of midnight. Had it no,
been for the heavy and jagged and
tortuous cross, Christ would not have
| been the admired and loved of more
people than any being who eve,
touched foot en either the eastern OF
western hemisphere. Instead. there
fore, of giving up in despair because
you have enemies, rejoice in the fact
that they rally for you the most help.
full and enthusiastic admirers Ii
other words, there is no virulence thai
can hinder my text from coming true
IA man that hath friends must show
himself friendly"
1t is my ambition to project espe
cially upon the young thought whicl
may benignly shape their destiny 70
the here and hereafter. Before yo'
show yourself friendly you must b
friendly. do not recommend dram
atized geniality. There is such
thing as pretending to be en- rappor
with others, when we are their dir
destructants, and talk against them
and wish them calamity. Judas GOV
cred up his treachery by resoundin|
kiss, and caresses may be demonica1
Better the mythological Cerbcrus, tn
three-headed dog of hell, barking a
US, than the wolf in sleeps clothing
its brindied hide covered up by decor
tive wool, and it's deadful howl ca
denced into an innocent bleating. Di.
raeli writes of Lord Manfred, who
after committing many outrages upo
the people, seemed suddenly to becom
friendly, and invited them to bar
quet. After most of the courses {
food had been served he blew a horr
which was in those times a signal fc
the servants to bring on the desser
but in this case it was the signal fc
assassins to enter and STAY the guest
His pretended friend.iness was a cruz
fraud; and there are now people who's
smile is 4 falsehood.
. Before YOU begin to show youzse
friendly lou mus. b friendly, e.