The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-09-21

and to be saved by the same supreme
mercy. 1t does not make the slightest
difference how much money you have,
you cannot buy your way into the king
dom of Heaven. If you have the grace
OF God in your heart you will enter
Heaven. So you see it is democratic
religion. Sat.irate our populations
with this gospes, and labor will be re-
spectful, labor will be rewarded. labor
will be honored. capital will be Chris
tian in ali its behavior. and there 'Till
be higher tides of thrift set in.
Let me say word to all capitalists:
be your own executors. Make invest
ments for eternity. Do not be like some
OF those capitalists know who walk
around among their employees with a
supercilious air or drive up to the fac
tory in manner which seems to indi-
cate they are the autocrat Of the uni
verse, with the sun and moon in their
vest pockets, chiefly anxious when they
go among laboring men not to be
touched by the greasy or smirched hand
and have their broadcloth injured. Be
Christian employer. Remember those
who are under your charge are bone of
your bone and flesh of your flesh. that
Jesus Christ died for them and that
they are immortal. Iivide up your
estates, or portions of them, for the
relief of the world before you leave it.
Do not get out of the world like that
man who died in New York leaving in
his will $4o.oOO,OOO, yet giving how
much for the church of God, how much
for the alienation OF human suffering?
He gave some money little while be-
fore he died. That was welt but in all
this will of $4,000, 900 how much? One
million? No. Five hundred thousand?
No. One hundred dollars? No. Two
cents? No. Ore cent? No. These
great cities grooming in anguish, ma
tions crying out for the bread of ever
lasting life. A man in a will giving $40,-
100000 and not one cent to God! It is
disgrace to our civilization.s Or, as IL
lustrated in letter which have con-
cerning man who departed this life
leaving between $4,000, 600 ard $s,O00,-
900. Not ono dollar was left, this writer
says. to comfort the aged workmen
and workwomen, not one dollar to ele-
vate and instruct the hundreds of pale
children who stifled their childish
growth in the heat and clamDr of his
factory. Is it strange that the curse of
the children of toll follows such in
gratitude? How well could one Of his
many millions have been disbursed for
the present and the future benefit Of
those whose hands had woven literally
the fabric of the dead mans princely
fortune. o capitalists of the United
States, be your own executors! Be
George Peabody, if need be, on small
scale. God has made you steward.
Discharge your responsibility.
My word is to all laboring men in this
country: l congratulate you at your
Frightening prospects. I congratulate
you on the fact that you are get
ting your representatives at Al
bany, at Harrisburg and at WASH
ington. 1 have only to mention such
a man of the past as Henry Wilson,
the shoemaker; as Andrew johnson,
the tailor; as Abraham Lincoln, the
boatman. The living illustrations
easily occur to you. This will go on
until you have representatives at all the
headquarters, and you will have full
justice. Mark that. congratulate you
also at the opportunities for your chill
dren. I congratulate you that you have !.
to work and that when you are dead
your children will have to work.
l congratulate you also on your OPP
portunities for information. Plato paid
81 300 for two books. Jerome ruined
himself financially by buying one
volume Of "Origen." What vast oppor-
tunities for intelligence for you and
your children! A workingman goes
along by the show window Of some
great publishing house, and he sees
book that costs five dollars. He says:
81 wish l could have that information.
l wish / could raise five dollars for that
costly and beautiful book" A few
months pass on, and he gets the value
of that book for 25 cents in a pamphlet.
There never was such day for the
workingmen of America as this day and
the day that is coming.
l also congratulate you because your
work is only predatory and introduce
tory. You want the grace Of Jesus
Christ, the Carpenter Of Nazareth. He
toiled Himself, and He knows how to
sympathize with all who toll. Get His
grace in your heart, and you can sing
on the scaffolding amid the storm, IN
the shop showing the plane, in the mine
plunging the crowbar, on shipboard
climbing the ratliDes. He will make
the drops Of sweat on your brow gilt
tering pearls for the eternal ccronet.
Are you tired? He will rest you. Are
YOU sick? He will give you help. Are
YOU cold? He will wrap you in the
mantle of His love. Who are they be-
fore the throne? "Ah," you say, their
hands were never calloused With TOLL"
Yes, they were. You say: ''Th:ir feet
were never blistered with the long jour-
ney." Yes, they were, but Christ raised
them to that high eminence. Who arc
these? "These are they that came out
of great tribulation and had their
robes washed and made white In the