The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-08-24
BENTON. LOUISIANA. THURSDAY, AUGUST "a, 1899.

Asul in pew, with her fan. keeps the
Mes OF unconscious persons approx
mate. Now, say it is worse to sleep in
church than to smile in church, for the
latter implies at least attention, while
the former implies the Indifference Of
the hearers and the stupidity of the
speaker.
In old age, or from physical infirm-
ity. or from long watching with the
sick, drowsiness will sometimes over
power one, but when a minister of the
Gospel looks off upon an audience and
finds healthy and intelligent people
struggling with drowsiness it is time
for him to give out the doxology or
pronounce the benediction. The great
fault OF church services to-day is not
too much vivacity, but too much SOM
nolence. The one is an irritating gnat
that may be easily strained out, the
other is great sprawling and sleepy
eyed camel of the dry desert. In all our
Sabbath schools, in all our Bible
classes, in all our pulpits, we need to
brighten up our religious message With
such Christlike vivacity as we find in
| the text.
| Oh. how particular great many peo-
pie are about the infinitesimals while
they are quite reckless about the magni-
tndes! What did Christ say? Did He
not excoriate the people in his time who
were SO careful to wash their hands be-
fore meal. but did not wash their
hearts? 1t is a bad thing to have un-
clean hands. 1t is worse thing to have
an unclean heart. How many people
there are in our time who are very anx-
ious that after their death they shall be
buried with their faces toward the east
and not at all anxious that during their
whole life they should face in the right
direction. SO that they shall come up in
the resurrection of the just, whichever
way they are buried! How many there
are chiefly anxious that minister of
the Gospel shall come in the line OF
apostolic succession, not caring so
much whether he comes from Apostle
Paul or Apostle Judas! They have a
way of measuring gnat until it is
larger than camel.
| Again, my subject photographs all
those who are abhorrent OF small sins
while they are reckless in regard to
magnificent thefts. You will find
many merchant who. while he is SC
careful that he would not take yard
of cloth or spool of cotton from the
counter without paying for it. and who
if bank cashier should make mistake
and send in roll of bills five dollars toe
much, would dispatch messenger in
hot haste to return the surplus, yet who
will go into stock company, in which
after awhile he gets control of The
stock. and then waters the stock an6
makes 100000 appear like 100000
He only stole 100000 by the operation
Many of the men of fortune made theil
wealth in that way.
One of those men engaged in such un
righteous acts that evening, the evening
of the very day when he watered tn,
stock, will find wharf rat stealing /;
daily paper from the basement doorwa,
and will go out and catch the urchin b,
the collar and twist the collar so Tight,
the poor fellow has no power to say tha
it was thirst for knowledge that led hin
to the dishonest act, but grip the cola
tighter and tighter, saying: Il hav
been looking for you long while. Yo1
stole my paper four or five times
. haven't you, you miserable wretch? :?
And then the old stock gambler, with
voice they can hear three blocks, will
cry out: police, police!" That sam
man the evening of the day in which h
watered the stock wilI kneel with hi
family in prayers and thank God for tn
prosperity of the day, then kiss his chill
dren good night with an air whic
seems to say: II hope you all will gro,
up to be as good az your father" Pris
ons for sins insectile in size, but palace
for crimes dromedarian. No mercy 70
! sins animalcule in proportion, but grea
leniency for mastodon iniquity. Apoo
boy slyly takes from the basket of
market woman choke pear-savin
: some one else from the cholera-an
E you smother him in the horrible Al
}, mosphere of Raymond street Jail Q
l
has been skillful enough to steal $5O, ,OC
! from the city, you make candidate fc
Y the state legislature.
t There is a good deal of uneasines
9 and nervousness now among some pee
t ple in our time who have got unrigh
eous fortunes great deal of uneas
+ mess about dynamite. tell them ths
: God will put under their unrighteou
: fortunes something more explosive tha
: dynamite-the earthquake of His on
e nipotent indignation. 1t is time ths
: we learn in America that sin is not e,
i. cusable in proportion as it declare
: large dividends and has outriders
+ equipage. Many man is riding to pc
s dition, position ahead and lackey b.
Il hind. To steal enc copy of newsp'
It per is gnat; t. steal many Thousand
e of dollars is camel There is many
e fruit dealer who would not consent |
e steal q basket of peaches from neigl
h boris stall, but who would not scrup
- <n rienress the fruit market and as lon