The Anaconda standard., 1898-11-21


saved. but so a. BY fire-
Young people. study your building.
make the most Of your religious life.
Make the building q beautiful one.
Charm the world by the sweetness OF
your religion. Cultivate decision OF
character. but avoid being stubborn
not say II In a way that win disgust
the one you say 1t to with you and
your religion also.
You build for inspection. Not SIM
ply to be seen Of men. But you must
know that men will see you. and that
they will criticise you. 'Ye are the light
of the world said the Master. and you
are TO let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good
works. Man win inspect our building
and our weak points will doubtless re-
ceive prominent notice. and remember
we are no stronger than our weakest
point. Watch these weak places. l
remember when the great music hall
was being built in Cincinnati. There
was defect In the foundation. and
when the building was reared those
beautifully laid pressed brick over that
defect cracked and parts of them
sloughed on. and the otherwise beauti-
ful building was marred thereby. study
to show yourself a Christian gentleman.
Do not let your good be evil spoken Of.
The world viii Judge your Master by
the way you show Him to the world by
your life. Do not forget that character
building Is progressive. You cannot ex-
pect to step forth a strong. fully devel-
oped. stalwart man of God on the day
OF your conversion. You are first n
babe in Christ. and you grow to man
hood. There Is a difference between
purity and maturity. You may be pur-
flied by the blood OF Christ. and be
only a pure child. The stately building
grows up brick by brick. stone by
stone. Bad bricks may be put in. They
must be taken out and good ones placed
in their stead.
You have done nothing to this sta
tue since I was here months ago. said
a friend to Michael Angelo. as he stood
In the great sculptor's studio and looked
at the marble figure before him. oh.
yes.' replied that great genius. I have
removed the blemish from that limb,
softened the expression. given a gentler
lock to the eye. and carried 1t forward
some steps toward completion But
these are all trifies.' said the visitor.
Yes. said the sculptor. but trifies
make perfection. and perfection Is no
trifie.' And so the great artist toiled on
with patient devotion to what seemed
the petty details Of his work. until the
completed statue called for the praises
of an admiring world.
John Shlllito, the merchant prince of
the Queen City of the West, as Cincin-
natl used to be called. erected a build
ing covering a half square. He was
anxious for the completion and hurried
the workmen. When the walls were
almost up. many bad bricks revealed
themselves. So a large part OF the
building was torn away and built up
again. i remember at the same time
the government building was being
erected, and month after month and
xyaa httta af Ia
pletlon. and what building-beautiful.
strong and compact, the admiration OF
all beholders.
do your work well. Do no be in
hurry for official preferment. or any
such thing. but be strong In the lord
and grow in grace and increase in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You are building your house to live
in. I have said this before. but II is
worth repeating. You carry your char
acter with you. You can't get away
from IL. IL is yourself. Go through the
city and you will find different kinds of
houses. One house is built to rent, an
other for a home What a difference in
the two, You can live comfortably In
the well-built house. but you are miser-
able i'm the other. Build a Christian
character and you can be happy any
where. under any circumstances. Paul
and Silas were happy in the Phillipian
stocks and their backs were burning
with the stripes they had received.
while Felix is miserable on the throne
of state with everything that gold and
position could do for him. You cannot
be happy after a night of debauch. You
cannot be miserable II you are helping
others TO be good and to do good.
Satan would be miserable in heaven
with the redeemed and the saints would
be happy with Christ IL he led them
to hell, to lift the fallen spirits up TO
Him. Your character VIII make you
happy or miserable in this world and
in the world to come in proportion as
Il conforms to the law or love or yields
to the opposite.
do not mistake the mere scaffoldins
for the building. Wealth. position In
society. friends. employment. are great
conveniences. and may not be despised,
but they are only props. Let them be
scaffolding away from the well con-
structed building. and its beauty and
symmetry are revealed. But II the
building depends upon the props, re-
move them and IL will fall. The presi-
dent OF the bank at Emporia, Kan,
last week saw his bank closed. and his
property all gone. 1t was his prop
he could not stand without IL. He falls
by a pistol shot from his own hands
| Commodore Vanderbilt when on his
death bed called for DIR. Deems to sinl
| for him, and when asked what should
be sung. said: Sing
Come. ye sinners. poor and needy.
Weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you.
Full Of pity. love and power.
That was the wealthy Commodore
| Vanderbilt. with the scaffolding taken
away. standing for what he was.
"Old Job never appeared to greater
advantage than when deserted by his
| friends. He stood alone. crying
| Though He slay me. yet will I trust In
| Him. Young men of the city OF Butte
you who hear me tonight, stand fol
| the right. Build a character that vii
stand. Live in such way that YOU
can face the perils. resist the tempta'
tions, and when the props are taker
from you, you can stand upright.
beautiful building. without a blemish
that the Master win be pleased to ac'
| cept as His forever.