The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-09-06
RELIGION IN TRADE.
Dr.. Talmage Shows How Busi-
ness Trials Refine the Spirit.
COUNTING HOUSE MARTYRS.
How a Merchant Finds His Office
a School of Industry, Pa
tience, integrity and
Upright Living.
Upright Living.

that religion may be taken into all tne
affairs of l:fe, and instead Of being a
hindrance, as many think, is re-en-
forcement. The text is Romans, XII,
II, Not slochful in business; fervent IN
spirit; serving the Lord"
Industry, devoutness and Christian
seryice-all commended in that short
text. What, is it possible that they
shall be conjoined? Oh, yes. There
is no war between religion and business,
between ledgers and Bibles, between
iurches and counting houses. On the
contrary, religion accelerates business,
shsrpens mems wits, sweetens accer0lo
ty of disposition, fllips the blood OF
phleSmaties and throws more velocity
into the wheels Of hard work. 1t gives
better balancing to the judgment, more
strength to the will, more muscles to IN
dustry and throws i nto enthusiasm a
more consecrated fire. You cannot IN
ali the circle of the world show me a
man whose honest business has been de-
spoiled by religion:
The industrial classes are divided IN
to three groups-producers, manufac-
tusers, traders. Producers, such as
farmers and miners. Manufacturers,
such as those who turn corn into food
and wool and fax into apparel. Ira
ders, such as make profit out Of the
transfer and exchange Of all that which
is produced and manufactured. A busl-
ness man may belong TO any one or all
of these classes, and not one is indepen-
dent Of any other.
When the prince imperial Of France
fell on the Zulu battlefield because the
strap fastening the stirupto the saddle
broke as he clungto it, his comrades all
escaping, but he falling under the lances
of the savages, great many people
blamed the empress for allowing her son
to go forth into that battlefield, and
others blamed the English government
for accepting the sacrifice, and others
blamed the Zulus for their barbarism.
The one most to blame was the harness
maker who fashioned that strap Of the
stirrup out Of shoddy and imperfect ma
terial, as it was found to have been al
terward. If the strap had held, the
prince imperial would probably have
been alive today. But the strap broke.
No prince independent Of harness
makerl High, low, wise, ignorant, you
in one occupation, I in another, all
bound together.
So that there must be one continuous
line Of sympathy with each other $
work. But whatever Wour VOCATION, II
you have multiplicity of engagements,
{ ato your life there come losses and
annoyances and perturbations as well
as percentages and dividends, II you
are pursued from Monday morning un-
til Saturday night, and from January
to January by inexorable obligation and
duty, then you are business man, or
you are business woman, and my SUBJ
jectis appropriate to your case.
In the first place, remark that ousl-
ness life was intended as school Of en-
ergy. Goo gives us certain amount
of raw material out of which We are to
hew our character. Our faculties are
to be reset, rounded and sharpened up.
Our young folks having graduated from
school or college need a higher educa-
non, that which the rasping collision
Of everyday life alone can effect. En-
ergy is wrought out only in the fire. Al
ter man has been in business activity
10, 20, 80 years, his energy is not to be
measured by weights or plummets or
ladders. There is no height it cannot
scale, and there is no depth it cannot
fathom, and there is 10 obstacle it can
not thrash.
Now, my brother, why did God put
you in that school Of energy? Was 1t
merely that you might be yardstick to
measure cloth, or steelyard to weigh
-four? Was it tmerely that you might
be better qualified to chatter and higgle?
No. God placed you in that school OF
energy that you might be developed for
Christian work. If the undeyeloped
talents in the Christian churches Of to-
day were brought out and thoroughly
harnessed, I believe the whole ea-th
would be converted to God in twelve
month. There are so many deep
streams that are turning no mill wheels
and that are harncssed to no factory
bands.
Now, God demands the best lamb out
Of every flock. He demands the rich
est sheaf of every harvest. He de-
mands the best men Of every genera
tion. 4 cause in which Newton and
Locke and Mansfield toiled you and
I can afford to toll in. Oh, for
fewer idlers in the cause Of Christ,
and for more Christian workers,
men who shall take the same energy
that from Monday morning to Saturday
night they put forth for the achieve
ment Of livelihood or the gathering
Of fortune, and on Sabbath days put
itforth to the advantage Of Christ's
kingdom and the bringing Of men to
the Lord.
Dr.. Duff visited a man who had in
herited great fortune. The man said
to him: II had to be verv busy for
many years of my life getting my live
lihood. After awhile this fortune
came to me, and there has been no ne
cessity that toll since. There came
time when I said to myself, Shall I
now retire from business or shall I go
on and serve the Lord in my worldly oc-
cupation?" He said; II resolved on
the latter, and l have been more indus
trious in commercial circles than | ever
vas before, and since that hour | have
never kept farthing formyself. have
thought it to be a great shame if |
couldn't toll as hard for the Lord as |
had toiled for mysel { and all the pro-
ducts Of my factories and my CONNER
cial esta blishments, to the last farthing
have gone for the building Of Christian
institutions and supporting the church
Of God" Would that the same energy
nut forth for the world could be put