The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-10-05

y
school of energy that you might be de-
veloped for Christian work. If the un-
| developed talents in the Christian
| churches of to-day were brought out
and thoroughly harnessed. believe the
whole earth would be converted to God
| in twelvemonth. There are SO many
deep streams that are turning no mill
and that are harnessed to no factory
bands.
| DR.. Duff visited man who had in
herited a great fortune. The man said
to him: II had to be very busy for many
years of my life getting my livelihood.
| After awhile this fortune came to me,
and there has been no necessity that
toll since. There came time when
said to myself Shall l now retire from
business or shall go on and serve the
Lord in my worldly occupation?' He
said: Il resolved on the latter, and
| have been more industrious in CONNER
| cial circles than l ever was before. and
since that hour / have never kept a
farthing for myself. ] have thought it
to be great shame if l couldn't toll
as hard for the Lord as l had toiled
for myself, and all the products of my
factories and my commercial establish
ments, to the last farthing, have gone
for the building of Christian institu-
tions and supporting the church of
Cod Would that the same energy
put forth for the world could be put
forth for God. Would that thousand
men in these great cities who have
achieved fortune could see it their
duty now to do all business for Christ
and the alienation of the worlds suf-
fering!
| Again, I remark that business life is
school of patience. Ia your every
day life how many things to annoy and
to disquiet! Bargains will rub. Com
mercial men will sometimes fail to
meet their engagements. Cashbooks
and money drawer will sometimes quar-
rel Goods ordered for special emer-
gency will come too late or be damaged
in the transportation. People intend.
ing no harm will go shopping without
any intention of purchase, overturning
great stocks of goods and insisting that
you break the dozen. More bad debts
on the ledger. More counterfeit bills
in the drawer. More debts to pay fol
other people. More meannesses on the
part of partners in business. Annoy
ance after annoyance, veNation after
vexation. and loss after loss.
All that process will either break you
down or brighten you up. 1t is
school of patience. You have known
| men under the process to become petu
, liant. and choleric, and angry, and pug
nacious, and cross, and sour, and queer
and they lost their customers, and theil
name became detestation. Other meT
have been frightened up under tb'
process. They were toughened by thu
exposure They were like rocks, all th'
more valuable for being blasted. A
. first they had to choke down theil
wrath. at first they had to bite thei1
lip, at first they thought of some sting
ing retort they would like to make, bu
they conquered their impatience. The.
I have kind words now for sarcastic
, fiings. They have gentle behavior nov
! for unmannerly customers. They arr
patient now with unfortunate debtors
They have Christian reflections now fo
J sudden reverses. Where did they ge
:. that patience? By hearing a ministe
preach concerning it on Sabbath? Oh
no. They got it just where you will ge
tiff you ever get it at all-selling hats
discounting notes, turning banisters
plowing corn, timing roofs, pleading
causes. Oh, that amid the turmoil an
anxiety and evaporation of everyda
life you might hear the voice of Go
y saying: "In patience possess your sou
:, Let patience have her perfect work"
/ remark again that business life
school of useful knowledge. Mel
y chants do not read many books and
: not study lexicons. They do not div
into profounds of learning, and ye
n nearly all through their occupation
/ come to understand questions {
finance. and politics, and geograph,
= and Jurisprudence, and ethics. Bus
is ness is severe schoolmistress. If p,
II pills will not learn, she strikes them owe
'e the head and the heart with sever
It losses. You put $1,000 into an ente
g prise. It is all gone. You say: "Ths
N is a dead loss" Oh, no. You are payin
ID the schooling. That was only tuition
n very large tutition-I told you it was
e severe schoolmistress-but it was wort
Z it, You learned things under that pro
1t ess you would not have learned in an
K, other way.
c l remark also that business life is
school for integrity. No man know
at what he will do until he is temple
oil There are thousands of men who ha
in kept their integrity merely becau
We they never have been tested. A m;
IL was elected treasurtr of the state
p Maine some years ago. He was dist
d. guished for his honesty, usefulness al
a uprightness, but before one year HI
p passed he had taken of the public fun
IN for his own private use and was hurl
ly out of office in disgrace. Distinguish
in for virtue before. Distinguished +
lis crime after You can call over the nam
L L