The Elbert County tribune., 1899-01-26
HOW TO DO THE RIGHT
BEGIN WITHIN THE PRECINCTS
OF HOME.
Story OF the Nan who MADE . New
fs.rs Hsseiutien-st.rssd ost by
Joining Drafting ciabs a.a weura
Up With n so-eaiisd Anarchisa


good sense In It. It reads as follows:
The new year had come. and he re-
solved to do good. He had heard II
preached. and he had heard II talked
ABOUT In prayer meeting. and all other
religious meetings which he had ever
attended. 1t had been ringing in his
ears all his life. and now he was going
to do good. He spoke to some OF the
other members of the church about II
and invited them to Join the band.
members who like himself had been
In the habit OF admitting pulpit mes
sages at one ear and politely dismiss
ing them at the other. But they shrug-
ged their shoulders. and remarked that
some things were better for prayer
meeting expression than for practical
purposes. What is correct sentiment
is not always convenient you know.
As sentiment doing good is time
honored. familiar and fine but
However he had set out tc do good,
and he was going to do II. He soon
had chance, for the annual meeting
came few evenings later. and there
was move to raise the PASTORS salary
He put his shoulder to the wheel and
gave II boost He was doing good
me next summer the pastor went to
Europe and came back looking re-
freshed- He stayed at home. and
looked a little tired. But he was do
ing good. Then they raised more
money to have better music to draw
more people to raise more money to
get bigger minister to build a big
ger church to draw more people: and
he kept up with the procession. He
was doing good. But sometimes he
sighed.
Then he Joined a mutual benevolent
society. and he met with the rest OF
the members for mutual admiration.
He was doing good. He paid his dues
like man. hut when the members
began to die the society went to pieces.
and he quit. He was doing good.
He met tramp on the street who
begged for money. He gave II. and
followed the tramp around the corner
where he went into a saloon. He was
doing good-to the snloon-kceper. He
went to the primary election to help
purify politics and voted a ticket
which the gang had 1xed up In back
room the night before. There was moth
ing else for him to vote He was doing
good. He gave money to help elect a
good. honest alderman, and six months
later he was sitting up at night, along
with other good citizens, to keep the
fellow from stealing the streets of the
ntfV 40 WI
send another honest man to the leg
islature and then helped to send a
delegation to the state capital to keep
him from selling out. bag and baggage.
He was doing good.
He gave a thousand dollars to a col
lege to promote higher education. and
the students dislocated his boys
shoulder, broke his leg and smashed
three fingers, at a game OF football. He
was doing good. He helped organize
a social club to keep his neighbors
from going to worse places, and to
make a safe resort for young men; and
| the members drank wine and beer. and
| in clouds of tobacco smoke cracked
jokes at religion and at other men who
were too pious to leave the prayer
| meeting for the club. He was doine
good. but he was getting very tired.
He thought about 1t through the
night, and In the morning he got 20
with change of plan. He was going
| to try doing good nearer home. He
spoke kindly to his boys. asked after
their lessons. patted the little girl on
| the head, and looked sweet at his wife
across the table. The poor woman
smiled, but looked troubled. She was
afraid that he was not going to live
long. He came home earlier that
evening and stayed at home. He was
| taking some interest in his family now.
He remarked that It was the first
great human institution in the world
before the state and the church, and
that II was likely to be the last In
heaven. where all are at home in their
Fathers house.
Then he went to hear Mayor Jones
of Toledo, Mayor Jones is trying to
do good in his business, and as he was
trying to do good nearer home. he took
notes. Mayor Jones had some An
archistic" ideas. but he jotted them
all down. The mayor was paying his
employees higher wages than he could
hire them for in the market. He had
set up the Golden Rule In his factory.
At Christmas he wrote each man a
letter and sent him an extra check.
He took his people down the river on
an excursion and invited them to
parties at his big house He made
them a park. put in seats and swings.
and did not say: Keep of the grass"
He furnished music and made every
body happy, and made money too. And
the people made him mayor. He even
had the hardihood to say that success
full men ought not to want the earth.
and that Christian business men could
do the things which Christ COM
manded.
But what troubled him was that
Mayor Jones is considered crank and
an anarchist, II man works com
bination, makes millions and marries
his daughter TO bankrupt nobility, he
is not a crank: he is all right. But II
he has some new notions, which are
as old as the gospel. about this worlds
goods. he is crank. socialist, an
anarchist. anything but safe citizen.
Next he went to an old-fashioned
church. The minister was holding
revival meeting. and some men and
women were actually confessing that
they were sinners and asking the Lord
to forgive them. The tears melted him.
the fervor thawed him out. the music
broke him up. his heart unloosed. and
he said. Amen" Praise the Lord"
He was doing good and getting good.
He saw young woman going away
to China. She was talented and con-
secrated. He gave her a check. He
was doing good to the heather.