St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-03-25

ing, and the head man Of the firm said:
'Whs, your son stood here at this coun-
ter and pointed out fracture in the
silk, and of course the lady wouldn't
take it. We are not respor sible for the
| ignorance Of customers. Customers
/! must look out for themselves, and we
look out for ourselves. YoIr SON will
never make merchant" rs that all ?"
said the father. "Ah. am prouder of
my boy than l ever was. John, get
your hat and come home"
But it is almost night, and you go
back to the hotel. Now cones the
mighty tug for the commercial travel
er. Tell me where he spends his even
ings, and will tell you where he will
spend eternity. aad will tell you what
will be his worldly prospects. There is
an abundance of choice. There is your
room with the books. There are the
Young Mems Christian association
rooms. There are the week night serv-
ices of the Christian churches. There
is the gambling saloon. There is the
theater. There is the house of infamy-
Plenty of places to go to. But which.
Oimmortal man. which? OGod. which?
'.Well," you say, Il guess will guess
will 60 to the theater." Do you think
the tarryiEg in that place until IL
o'clock at night will improve your bod
lily health or your financial prospects
or your eternal fortune? No man ever
found the Path to usefulness or honor
or happiness or commercial success or
Heaven through the American theater.
'Well," you say. 81 guess. then, / will
go to-I guess 1 will go to the gambling
saloon" You will first 60 to look.
Then you will go to play. You will
make 500, you will make $500, youwiil
make 81 ,0C0 you will make 81, 50O-then
You will lose all. Then you will ber-
row some money so as to start anew.
You will make $50. you will make $500.
you will make $6oO-then you will lose
all. These wretches of the gambling
saloon know how to tempt you. But
mark this-all gamblers die poor. They
may make fortunes-great fortunes
but they lcse thef1.
"Wel." you say. "if can't go to the
theater, and if 1 can't go to the gamb-
ling saloon. then guess-I guess will
60 to the house of infamy." CONNER
cial travelers have told me that in the
letter box at the hotel within cne hour
after their arrival they have had letters
of evil solicitation in that direction. 1t
is far away from home. Nobody will
know it. Commercial travellers have
sometimes gone in that evil path. Why
not you? Halt! There are other gates
of ruin through which n man may go
ard yet come out, but that gate has .
spring lock which snaps him in forever.
He who goes there is damned already.
He may seem to be comparatively
free for a little while. but he is only on
the limits. and the satanic police have
their eyes upon him to bring him in at
any moment.
The hot curse of God is on that crime,
and because of it there are men whose
heaven was blotted out ten years ago.
There is no danger that they be lost
They are lost now. lock through their
glaring eyeballs down into the lowest
cavern of hell! Oh, destroyed spirit,
why comest thou in here to-day? Dost
think have the power to break open
the barred gateway of the penitentiary
of the damned? There is passage in
Proverbs, / some what hesitate to read,
but / do not hesitate long. AT the
window of my house looked through
my easement and beheld among the
simple ones, / GisceTned amcng the
youths. a young man void of under
standing. passing through the street
near her corner. and he went the way
TO her house, in the twilight. in the
evening. in the black and dark night.
He goeth after her strsightway, as an
OK goeth to the slaughter, or as fool
to the correction of the stocks. till
dart strikes through his liver"
But Iow the question is still open,
Where will you spend your evening?
Oh, commercial travellers, how much
will you give me to put you on the right
track? Without charging you farth-
ing will prescribe for you plan which
will save you for this world aud the
next If you will take it. Go before you
leave home to the Young Mems Chris
tian association of the city where you
live. Get from them letter. of intro
duction. Garry them out to the towns
and cities where you go. Ifthere be TO
association in the place you visit. then
present them at the door OF Christian
churches and hand them over to the
pastors. BE not slow to arise la the
devotional meeting and. soy: Il am a
commercial traveller. / am far away
from home, and come in here tonight
TO seek Christian society" The best
houses and the highest style of amuse-
nert will open before you, and instead
of your being dependent upon the
leprous crew who hang around the
hotels, wanting 10 show you all the
slums of the city on the one condition
that you will pay their expenses, you
will get the benediction OF God in every
town you visit. Remember this, that
whatever place you visit bad influences
will seek you out. Good influences you
must seek out.
O commercial travellers, / pray for
you the all sustaining grace of God!
There are two kinds of days when you
are especially in need Of Divine grace.
The one, the Cay when you have no sue
cess-when you fail to make sale, and
you are very much disappointed, ond
you go back to your hotel discounted.
That night you will be tempted to go to
strong drink and rush into bad siir-
rounLings. The other day When sou
will especially need Divine grace viii
be when you have 4 day of great success
and the devil tells you you must soand
celeb-ats. lat success. Then yois .i't
waTt she grace OF Cod 10 restrain J Cd
from ,i..cking iEGGlgene : Yes. .thsE Ee
Al. he 4 third day when you win nee!
10 be Christians. ard that viii be the
last day of your life. do not lnn,y
where you will spend it. Pefhaps L.
your house. more probably In Ta:Icar,
or steamer. or the straIgc hotel. 7
see you on your last commercial erTana
ioa hare bidt.en good By to the family
ut home for the last time. The train Of
your earthly existence is nearing to
depot of the grave. The brakesare fall
sr.v The t.csI rsucc nj fha fer,nsssux