The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-03-30

, saloon. Ou Will nrSt go TO look.
Then you will go to play. You will
make 500, you will make $500, you will
make $1,000, you will make 81, ,5OO-then
you will lose all. Then you will bcr-
row some money SO as to start anew.
You will make $50, you will make $500,
you will make $6O0-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 lose them.
''Well," you say, ''if I can't go to the
theater, and if / can't go to the gamb-
ling saloon, then l guess-I guess will
go to the house of infamy." CONNER
cial travellers 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 man may go
and yet come out, but that gate has a
spring lock which snaps him in forever.
He who goes there is damned already.
He may seem to be comparatively
free for 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. l look through their
glaring eyeballs down into the lowest
cavern of hell! Oh, destroyed spirit,
why comest thou in here to-day? Dost
think l have the power to break open
the barred gateway of the penitentiary
of the damned? There is passage in
Proverbs l somewhat hesitate to read,
but l do not hesitate long. 'At the
window of my house / looked through
my easement and beheld among the
simple ones, l discerned amopg the
youths. young man void Gf 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 strai ghtway, as an
OK goeth to the slaughter. or as fool
to the correction of the stocks, till a
dart strikes through his liver"
But now 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 a farth-
ing will prescribe for you plan which
will save you for this world and 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 letters of intro
| duction. Carry them out to the towns
and cities where you go. If there be no
| 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 in the
devotional meeting and say: II am a
commercial traveller. l am far away
from home. and 1 come in here tonight
to seek Christian society The best
houses and the highest style of amuse-
ment will open before you. and instead
| of your being dependent upon the
leprous crew who hang around the
hotels. wanting to show you all the
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 SUIT.
% commercial travellers, l 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 day when you have no sue
cess-when you fail to make sale, and
YOU are very much disappointed, and
| you go back to your hotel discomfi ed
| That night you will be tempted to go to
strong drink and rush into bad sur
| roundings. The other day when you
will especially need Divine grace will
| be when you have day of great success
| and the devil tells you you must GO and
| celebrate that success. Then you will
| want the grace of God to restrain you
from roilicking indulgences. Yes. there
viii be third day when you will need
| to be Christians, and that will be the
last day Of your life. do not know
where you will spend it. Perhaps in
your house, more probably in rail car
or a steamer. or the strange hotel.
see you on your last commercial errand
You have bidden good-by to the family
at home for the last time. The train o1
your earthly existence is nearing the
depot of the grave. The brakes are fall.
ing The bell rings at the. terminus
The train stops. All out for eternity
Show your ticket now for getting into
the gates of the shining city-the red
ticket washed in the blood of the Lamb