The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-01-12


en- to death with ball players bat, or
cut amidsl,ips by the front prov of the
regatta, or going down under the swift
hoofs of the fast horses, or drowned in
large pntations of cognac and Monon-
gahela Their club house was the
''Loch Earn" Their business house
was the ''Ville du Havre." They struck,
and the "Ville du Havre" went under.
Which would you rather havepressed
to your lips in the closing moment, the
cup of Balshazzarean wassail or the |
chalice of the Christian communion? |
Who would you rather have for your
the elders of a Christian |
church, or the companions whose con-
versation was full of slang and innu- |
endo? Who would you rather have for
your eternal companions, those men
who spend their evenings betting,
gambling, swearing, crousing and tell
ing vile stories, or your little child, that
bright little girl whom the Lord took?
Oh! you would not have been away so
much nights, would you, if you had
known she was going away so soon?
Dear me- your house has never been
the same place since. Your wife has
never frightened up She has not got
over it; she never will get over it. How
long the evenings are, with no one to
put to bed, and no one to tell the beau
tiful Bible story! What pity it is
that you cannot spend more evenings
at home in trying to help her bear that
sorrow! You can never drown that
grief in the wine cup. You can never
break away from the little arms that
used to be flung around your neck
when she used to say; Papa, do stay
home tonight stay home tonight
You will never be able to wipe away
from your lips the dying kiss of your
little girl. The fascination of a dissi-
pating club house is so great that
sometimes a man has turned his back
on his home when his child was dying
of scarlet fever. He went away. Be
fore he got back at midnight the eyes
had been closed, the undertaken had
done his work, and the wife, worn out
with three weeks watching, lay uncon-
sclous in the next room.
Then there is rattling of the night
key in the door, and the returned fa-
ther comes upstairs and sees the empty
cradle and the window up. He says:
"What is the matter?" In Gods judg-
ment day he will find out what was the
matter. o man astray, God help you!
Let me say to fathers who are be-
coming dissipated, your sons will fol-
low you. You think your son does not
know. He knows all about it. l have
heard men who say, IL am profane,
but never in the presence of my chill
dren." Your children know you swear.
have heard men say, Il drink, but
never in the presence of my children"
Your children know you drink. de-
scribe now what occurs in hundreds of
households in this country. The tea
hour has arrived. The family are
seated at the tea table. Before the
rest of the family arise from the table,
the father shoves back his chair, says
he has an engagement, lights cigar,
goes out, comes back after midnight,
and that is the history of 365 nights of
the year. Does any man want
to stultify himself by saying that
that is healthy, that that is right, that
that is honorable? Would your wife
have married you with such prospects?
Time will pass on, and the son will
be 16 or II years of age, and you will
be at the tea table, and he will shove
back and have an engagement, and he
will light his cigar, and he will go out
to the club house, and you will hear
nothing of him until you hear the night
key in the door after midnight. But
his physical constitution is not quite SC
strong as yours, and the liquor he
drinks is more terrifcally drugged
than that which you drink, and so he
will catch up with yoL on the road tc
death. though you got such long start
of him, and so you will both go to he'll
together.
The way to conquer wild beast is tt
keep your eye on him, but the way fol
you to conquer your temptations, my
friend, is to turn your back on then
and fly for your life.
Oh, my heart aches! I see mer
struggling against evil habits, and they
want help. have knelt beside them
and l have heard them cry for help
and then we have risen, and he has pu
, one hand On my right shoulder, and tn,
! other hand on my left shoulder, anC
looked into my face with an infinity O
, earnestness which the Judgment da,
will have no power to make me forget
as he has cried out with his lip
! scorched in ruin, God help me!
q For such there is no help except il
7 the Lord God Almighty. / am goin,
to make very stout rope. You know
= that sometimes rope-maker will
a take very small threads and win
n them together until after awhile the
9 become ship-cable. And | am going t
a take some very small, delicate threads
= and wind them together until the
e make very stout rope. will take al
e the memories of the marriage day.
! thread of laughter, thread of light
y thread of music thread of banquet
4 ing, thread of congratulation, and
" twist them together, and l have on
q strand Then, take thread of tn
" hour of the first advent in your house;
. thread of the darkness that preceded
q and a thread of the light that followed
= and thread of the beautiful scarf tina
i little child used to wear when sh
, bounded out at eventide to greet yo,
"a and then thread Of the beautif,
4 dress in which you laid her away fc
NJ the resurrection. And then l twist a,
these threads together and have al
14Io,, rT1,o,, ALL =,