El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-30
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
a Sermon on "HaIf Way Attain
ments."
Last night at the Presbyterian
church the pastor Rev. 81. w: Moore
preached from the text: "And Terah
died in Haran.'' The subject was:
"Half way attainments. Below Is
given part of the discourse:
One of the saddest sights in the world
Is shipwreck-broken hulks. battered
sails, splintered masts. When living
on the Atlantic coast often have l seen
five, ten, fifteen drowned sailors buried
at once-poor fellows who went down
in the bowling, merciless tempest of
the Virginia cspes. IT'S p1tlful even
to see wounded lion dying In the
greatness of his strength or an eagle
fall from q crippled wing. But, oh, the
saddest sight In all the world 1s to see
young man or q young woman die
wreck at the very time manhood and
wOmanhOOd should be fullest; TO see
them go down with every high hope
and glorious vision of youth blasted
forever. Think of it, Harry Clay,
grandson Of Henry Clay. being shot IL in
Cyrus Fields son locked up in New
York Jail. Talk not of the ruin OF
Melrose Abbey. There is no sadder
sight than a ruined life.
Abraham is one of the grandest men
the world has produced. There is no
figure in the worlds history vested
with such q simple grandeur. God
idolatry and GO to Canaan. God told
him to throw himself over on the I'M
seen God. God promised to make
great nation out of him.
So Abraham and his wife
aud Lot and his wife and
Abraham's old father Terah set
out for Canaan. On the way they
weakened. His enthusiasm cooled
down. He lacked resolution to con-
tinue the journey. He chung to lido
latry, and while Abraham moved on
toward Canaan, beautiful Canaan.
Terah stayed behind and died at Haran
there amid his idols
wish 1 could thrill you young men
tonight, you young women. l wish
could get you to this-to be satisfied
with no half way attainments. l wish
you would determine to reach the Ca
naan of your hopes, your dreams. Oh,
the people who start out we'll but who
end up ruinously. A man told me the
other day that he was college grad
uate, a graduate in medicine, but had
had taken hold on hell. He stopped
at Haran. 1t is estimated that
500 college graduates have become
cowboys-many drifting into gambling,
drunkenness. They stopped at Haran.
Many q pure sweet girl has started In
life to reach Canaan but stopped at
Haran, got into q goddess society, mar
ried an idolater and by and by died OF
q broken heart. Think of it, young
Scotchman in Pittsburg getting q
salary of $50, 600 year, went to the
gutter through drink, lost position,
broke his wife's heart and afterwards
worked for two dollars q day. He stop
ped at Hsran.
Young men, do not make haste to get
your business. Deserve success.
Many q boy has gone to gambling to
get rich quickly, aud has been sucked
into the gurgling vortex and lost, for
ever lost. There are men walking
the streets of New York city
wearing greasy clothes with
one button on their coats who once
controlled the money markets of Am
erica. There is something better in
this world than money-it is charac-
ter. A great New York merchant
said. IflArthur Tsppsn will allow me to
put his name on my sign and sit In an
arm chair in my counting room 1 will
give him $4,000 year. Here is ltv-I
Ing salary for character.
Oh, the begin nings that come to
nothing. Resolutions to be some one
carried no further than Haran. There
is not soul wreck on the street, not
q prisoner behind the bars, not a debas-
ed fallen one anywhere in whose soul
there were not once visions of beauty,
high resolutions, holy prophecies. Oh,
the wrecked manhood and wrecked
womanhood of the world. Young men
and women, the battle of Waterloo
was won because the English held fast.
They never lost an inch. The battle
of life is won by holding fast. The
world don't want smart people SO
much as those who still stand fast. pass
by Hsran, determine to reach the
Canaan of their hopes.
ESIn religious life especially is all this
true. How many enter the Christian
life enthusiastically and end up in cru
cifying Christ afresh. One by one,
prayer, the bible, church attendance,
is flung aside for wine suppers, Sunday
bull fights, the ball room, immodest
dress that shocks responsibility. Stop
ping at Haran and dying among, the
goddess idols of this world. A young