The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-08

ana the Q6aQ In0u Ol tuo AIu odlu. why,
YOUR son stood here at this counter and
pointed out fracture In the silk, and Of
course the lady wouldn't buy 1t. We are
not responsible for the ignorance OF GUS
toners. Customers must look for them
selves, Your son will never make a mer-
chant" "Is that all?" said the father.
"Ahl lam proudsr Of my boy that I ever
was. John, get your hat and come home"
But 1t is almost night, and you go back
to the hotel. Now comes the mighty tuS
for the commercial traveller. Tell me where
be spends his evenings, and will tell Ton
where he will spend eterDir.,', and wllltell
YOU what will be his worldly prospects.
There Is an abundance OF choice. There Is
your room with the books. There are the
Young Mems Christian Association rooms.
There are the week night services OF the
Christian churches. There Is the Ramb.
ling saloon. There is the theatre. There
IS the house OF tnfamy. Plenty OF places
to 20 to. But which, o immortal man,
which2 God, which2 "Well," you say,
II guess I will guess will go to the
theatre" Do you think the tarrylng In
that place until II o'clock at night will i'm.
prove your bodily health, or your financial
prospects, or your eternal fortunes? No
man ever found the path to usefulness, or
honor, or happiness, or commercial sue
cess, or heaven through the American the
atre. "Well," you say, 81 guess, then, l
will 20 to-I guess will go to the gambl'
ing saloon" You will first go to look.
Then you will go to play. You will make
$1,000, you will make $500. Then you will
lose all. Then you will borrow some
money so as to start anew. You will make
$50, you will make 800, you will make
$500. Then you will lose oil. These
wretches Of the gambling saloon know how
to tempt you. But mark this: All gamblers
die poor. They may make fortunes
great fortunes-but they lose them.
"Well," you say, "lf can't go to the
theatre, and II can't go to the gambling
saloon, then I guess-I guess will go to
the house Of infamy." Commercial trav-
elers have told me that in the letter box ut
rival, they have had letters OF evil soliclta-
ton In that direction. 1t is far away from
home. Nobody will know 1t. Commercial
travellers have sometimes gone In that evil
path. Why not you? Haiti There are
other gates Of ruin through which a
man may 20. and yet come out, but
that gate has a spring lock which snaps
him In forever. He who goes there is
damned already. He may seem to be
comparatively free for little while, but
he is only on the limits, md the sa-
tanic police have thoir eyes upon him to
bring him in at any moment. The hot
curse Of God is on that crime, and because
of 1t there are men whose heaven was
blotted out ten yeurs ago. There Is no
danger that they be lost; they are lost now.
I look through their glaring eyeballs down
into the lowest cavern OF hell. o destroyed
spirit, why comest thou In here to-dny2
d ost think I have the power to break open
the barred gateway OF the penitentiary
OF the damned2 There Is q passage In
Proverbs I somewhat hesitate to read,
but do not hesitate long: cat the win
dow OF my house looked through my
easement and beheld among the simple
ones, discerned among the youths a
young man, void OF understanding, pass
ing through the street near her corner,
and he went the way. to her house IN the
twilight, In the evening, In the black and
dark night. Ho goeth after her straight
way, as an OK goeth to the slaughter or as
fool to the correction OF the stocks, till
dart strikes through his liver"
But now the question Is still open
Where will you spend your evening? o
commercial travellers, how much will you
give me to put you on the right track?
Without charging you farthing l Will
prescribe for you q plan which will save
you for this world and the next, IL you will
take 1t. Go, before you leave home, to the
Young Mems Christian Association OF the
city where you live. Get from them letters
OF Introduction. Garry them out to the
no such association In the place you visit,
then present them at the door OF Chris
tian churche, and hand them over to
the pastors. Be not slow to arise In the
devotional meeting and say: II am com.
mercial traveller. I am far away from
home, and I come in here tonight to seek
Christian society" The best houses and
highest style Of amusement will open be-
fore you, and instead OF your being de-
pendent upon the leprous crew who hang
around the hotels, wanting to show you all
the slums OF the city, on the one condition
that you will'pay their expenses, you will
get the benediction OF God IN every town
YOU visit. Remember this, that whatever
place you visit bad influences will seeky you
out. Good influences you must seek out.
While I stand Lere bethlnk myself OF
commercial traveller who was O member CT
nv church in Philadelphia. He was q
splendid young man, the pride OF his wild.
owed mother and OF his sisters. It was his
Joy to support them, and for that purpose
he postponed his own marriage. day. He
thriyed In business, and after awhile
set up his own household. Leaving that
city for another city, had no oppor-
tunity for three or four years OF making
such inquiry, I was told that he was
dead. TIE story was, he was largely
generous and kind-hearted and genial and
social, and he got into the habit OF "treat-
ing" customers and of showing them all
the sights OF the town, and he began rapid
" 20 70 down, and he lost his position in
the church OF which he was member, and
he lost his position In the comr ,rc'',
house OF which he was the best ag d
his beautiful young wife and his s..A
mother and his sisters went into destitu-
tion, and he, as a result Of his dissipation,
died in Kirkbride Insane Asylum.
o commercial travellers, pray for you
the all sustaining grace OF God. There are
two kinds OF days when you are especially
in need of divine grace. The one, the day
when you have no success-when you fail
to make sale-and you are very much
disappointed, and you go back to your ho-
tel discounted. That night you will be
tempted to 20 10 strong drink and rush In
to bad surroundings. The other day,
when you will especially need divine grace,
will be when you have had day Of great
success and the devil tells you you must
60 and celebrate that success. Tnen you
will want the grace OF God to restrntn
YOU from rollicking indulgences. Yes,
there will be q third day when you will
need to be Christians, and that will be the
last day OF your life. do not know where
you will spend 1t. Perhaps In your house,
more probably in rail car, or a steamer.
or the strange hotel. I see you on your
last commercial errand. You have bidden
goodby to the family ut home for the last
time. The train OF your earthly y existence
is nearing the depot Of the grave. The
brakes are falling. The bell rings at the
terminue. The train stops. All out for
eternity. Show your ticket now TOR get
ting into the gaze OF the shining city-the
red ticket washed In the blood OF the Lamb.
NO DRINK AT NAVY YARDS.