The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-08-31

cumstances from which you cannot be
extricatcd by any ingenuity of your
own or any help from others, and the
tides will roll over you as they have
over many. When Pompey, the war
rior, wanted to take possession of
city and they would not open the gates,
he persuaded them to admit sick SOL
dier. But the sick soldier after awhile
got well and strong, and he threw open
the gates and let the devastating army
come in. One wrong admitted into the
soul may gain in strength until after
awhile it filings open all the gates to the
attack of sin. and the ruin is complete.
tempted to throw off personal respon-
sibilities, shifting it to the institution
to which they belong. Directors in
banks and railroad and insurance COM
panies sometimes shirk responsibility
underneath the action of the corpora
tion, and how often, when some bank
ing house or financial institution ex-
plodes through fraud, respectable men
in the board of directors say: why, l
thought all was going ON in an honest
way, and am utterly confounded with
this demeanor!" The banks and the
fire and life and marine insurance COM
panies and the railroad companies will
not stand up for judgment in the last
day, but these who in them acted
righteously will receive, each for him
self, reward, and those who acted the
part of neglect or trickery will, each
for himself, receive condemnation.
Unlawful dividends are not clean be
fore God because there are those assoc
ciated with you who grab just as big a
pile as you do. He who countenances
the dishonesty of the firm or of the cor
poration or association takes upon him
self all the moral liabilities. If the
financial institution steals, he steals.
If they go into wild speculations, he
himself is a gambler. If they needless
ly embarass a creditor, he himself is
guilty of cruelty. If they swindle the
| uninitiated, he himself is defrauder
No financial institution ever had a
money vault strong enough, or credit
stanch enough, or dividends large
enough. or policy acute enough to hide
the individual sins of it's members. The
old adage that corporations have no
souls is misleading. Every corpora
tion has as many souls as it has mem.
| bers.
Again, many business men have been
tempted to postpone their enjoyments
and duties to future season of entire
leisure. What a sedative the Christian
religion would be to all our business
men if instead of rostponing it's uses
to old age or death they would take it
into the store or factory or worldly en-
gagements now! It is folly to go amid
the uncertainties Of business life with
no God to help. A merchant in New
England village was standing by a
horse, and the horse lifted its foot to
stamp it in pool of water, and the
merchant, to escape the splash, stepped
into the door of an insurance agent,
and the agent said: II suppose you
have come to renew your fire insur.
ance." "Oh!" said the merchant. II
had forgotten that" The insurance
was renewed, and the next day the
house that had been insured was
burned. Was it all accidental that the
merchant, TO escape splash from q
horses foot, stepped into the insurance
office? No, it was providential. And
what mighty solace for business
man to feel that things are providen.
tial! What peace and equilibrium in
such consideration, and what grand
thing if all business men could realize
| it!
| Many, although now comparatively
Strengthened in worldly circumstances
have goodly establishment in the flu
ture planned out. They have an inn
agination built, about 20 years ahead
house in the country not difficult o1
access from the great town, for the,
will often have business or old account.
to settle or investments to look after
The house is large enough to accommo
date all their friends. The halls ar,
wide and hung with pictures of hunt
!. ling scenes and a branch of antlers ant
l
. be rolled out on the veranda when tn,
, weather is inviting or set out unde
, some of the oaks that stand sentine
about the house, rustling in the COO
. breeze and songful with the robins
. There is just land enough to keep then
/ interested, and its crops of almost fab
ulous richness springing up under ap
! plication of the best theories to b.
5 found in the agricultural journals. III
! farm is well stocked with cattle an,
|, horses and sheep that know the voic
: and have kindly bleat when one goe
!, forth to look at them. In this blissfu
: abode their children will be instructe,
: in art and science and religion. Thi
{ shall be the old homestead to which tn
3 boys at college will direct their letter,
land the hill on which the house stand
/ will be called Oakwood or Ivy hill o
/ / Pleasant Retreat or Eagle Eyrie. Ma
i the future have for every business ma
: here all that and more besides. Blu
i 4 =