The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-03-30
Of Naomi and take up "Ariel" or San

OF the firm that you are TO start on Il
long excursions. You have your pat
terms all assorted and prepared. Iou
have them put up in bundles or cases
and marked. You have full instruc-
,ions as to prices. You know on what
prices you may retreat somewhat. You
have your valise or trunk. or both,
packed. If | were a stranger, l would
have no right to look into that valise,
but as | am your brother. will take
the liberty. look into the valise, and
congratulate you on all these COM
, Portable articles of apparel. The sea-
sons are so changeable you have not
taken single precaution too many.
Some night you will get out in the snow
bank and have 10 walk three or four
miles until you get to the railroad sta
tion. and you will want all these COM
forts and conveniences. But will you
excuse me if make suggestion CIR two
! about this valise? You say: Certain
ly; as we are having plain. frank talk
| ! will not be offended at any honorable
suggestion
Put in among your baggage some
carefullyselected, wholesome reading.
Let it be history, or poem. or book
of pure fiction. or some volume that will
give you information in regard to your
line of business. Then add to that
f., Bible in round. beautiful type--small
type is bad for the eyes anywhere, but
! peculiarly killing in the jolt of a rail-
train. Put your railroad guide and
your Bible side by side-the one to show
you the route through this world and
the other to show you the route to the
| next world. 'Oh." you say, "that is SUI
perfluous. for now in ali the hotels. in
Tie paTlor. you will find a Bible, and in
nearly ali the rooms of the guests
You will find one!" But, my brother,
that is not your Bible. You want your
own hat. your own coat. your own blan-
ket, your own Bible. But" you say.
Il am not Christian, and you ought
not to expect me to carry a Bible" My
brother, great many people are not
Christians who carry Bible. Besides
that. before you get home you might
| become a Christian. and you would feel
you might get bad news from home.
see you with trembling hand opening
the telegram. saying: George is
dying" or Fannie is dead; come
ho:ne!" Oh. as you sit in the train,
| stunned with the calamity, going home,
you will have ls) taste for fine scenery,
or for conversation, and yet you must
keep your thoughts employed or you
will go stark mad. Then you will want
Bible whether you read it or not. 1t
will be a comfort TO have it near you
that book full of promises which have
comforted other people in like calamity.
| Whether you study the promises or not
you will want that Book near you. Am
| not wise when say put in the Bible?
| Now. you are all ready to start. You
have your valise in the right hand and
you have your blanket and shawl strap
in the left hand. Good-by! May you
have prosperous journey. large sales,
great percentages. Oh, there is one
thing ! forgot to ask you about-what
train are you going to take? We'll"
you say, II will take the five o'clock
Sunday afternoon train" Why? 'Oh, :"
you say. II shall save Il day by that and
on Monday incoming | will be in the dis
tant city in the commercial establish
ment by the time the merchants come
down.. My brother. you are starting
wrong. lfy you clip off something from
the Lords day. the Lord will clip off
something from your lifetime sue
cesses. Sabbath breaking pays no better
for this world than it pays for the next.
| Young man. the dollar that you earn
on the Sabbath is a red-hot dollar. and
il you put it into a bag with 5000 hon.
est dollars that redhot dollar will burn
a hole through the bottom of the bag
and let out all the 5000 honest dollars
with ii.
| But / see you change your mind, and
you are going on Monday morning, and
l see you take the train-Pennsylvania
or the Baltimore & Ohio, or the Hudson
River. or the Erie. or the Harlem, or the
New Haven train. For a few weeks
now you will pass half of your time in
the rail train. How are you going to
occupy the time? Open the valise and
take out book and begin to read.
Magnificent opportunities have our
commercial travellers for gaining infor-
| nation above all other clerks or mer-
chants. The best place in the world
to study is rail train. Iknow it by ex-
perience. Do not do as some CONNER
cial travellers do-as many of them do,
as most of them do-sit reading the
same newspaper over and over again
! ard all the advertisements through and
| through. then sit for two or three
hours calculating the profits they ex-
pect to make. then spending two or
three hours looking listlessly out of the
window, then spending three or four
hours in the smoking car, the nastiest
place in ChTistendom. talking with men
who do not know as much as you do.
Instead of that. call William Shake
speare, the dramatist. and John Rus
kin. the dramatist. and Tennyson, the
poet, and Bancroft and Macaulay. the
| ,s1I De-, H,1