The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-11-08
that you can commit is the crime Of
Decision of Character.


Again, my subject impresses me
with the value of decision of character
In any department. Daniel knew that
II ne continued his adherence to the
religion Of the Lord he would be
hurled to the lions; but, having set his
compass we'll. he sailed right on. For
the lack Of that element Of decision
OF character so eminent in Daniel
many men are ruined for this world
and ruined for the world to come. A
great many at 40 years of age are not
settled in any respect, because they
nave not been able to make up their
minds. Perhaps they will go west
perhaps they will go east; perhaps
they will not; perhaps they will go
north; perhaps they may go south;
perhaps they will go east; perhaps
may make that investment in real es-
| tate or in railroads; perhaps they will
not. They are not like steamer
that should go out of New York har-
Dor, starting for Glasgow, and the
next day should change for Havre
de Grace, and the next for Charleston,
and the next for Boston, and the next
for Liverpool. These men on the sea
of life everlastingly lacking ship and
making no Roadway! Or they are like
man who starts to build house in
the Corinthian style and changes it to
Doric, and then completes it in the
Ionic, the curse of all styles of archi-
lecture. Young man, start right, and
keep on. Have decision of character.
Character is like the goldfinch of Ton
quin. 1t is magnificent while stand
ing firm, but loses all it's beauty in
flight. How much decision of chraac-
ter in order that these young men may
be Christians! Their old associates
make sarcastic filings at them. They
go on excursions, and they do not
invite them. They prophesy that he
will give out. They wonder if he is
not getting wings. AS he passes they
grimace and wink and chuckle and
say, There goes saint" O young
man, have decision of character! You
can afford in this matter of religion
to be laughed at. What do you care
for the SCOTS of these men, who are
affronted because you will not go to
ruin with them? When the grave
cracks open under their feet, and
grim messengers push them into it,
and eternity comes down hard upon
their spirit, and conscience stings, and
hopeless ruin lifts them up to hurl
them down, will they laugh then?
Christianity for Busy Men.
Again L learn from this subject that
man may take religion into his poll
tics. Daniel had all the affairs OF
state on hand, yet servant of God.
He could not have kept his elevated
position unless he had been thorough
politician, and yet all the thrusts of
officials and all the danger of disgrace
did not make him yield one iota in his
high toned religious principle. He
fore all ages, specimen of godly
politician. So there have been in our
day and in the days of our fathers
men as eminent in the service of God
as they have been eminent in the ser
vice of the state. Such was Benjamin
F. Butler, attorney general Of New
York in the time of your fathers Such
was John Mclean of the supreme court
of the United States. Such was George
Briggs Of Massachusetts. Such was
Theodore Frelingne lysen of New Jer-
sey-men faithful to the state, at the
same time faithful to God 1t is abb
surd to expect that men who have been
immersed in political wickedness for
thirty or forty years shall come to
reformation, and our hope is in the
young men who are coming up, that
they have patriotic principle and
Christian principle side by side when
they come to the ballot box and cast
their first vote and that they swear
allegiance to the government of hea-
ven as well as to the government CT
the United States. We would have
Bunker Hill mean less to them than
Cavalry, and Lexington mean less to
them than Bethlehem, but because
there are bad men around the ballot
box is no reason why Christian men
should retreat from the arena The
last time you ought to give up your
child or forsake your child is when it
is surrounded by company of Choc-
taws, and the last time to surrender
the ballot box is when it is surrounded
by inpurity and dishonesty and all
sorts of wickedness.
Religion in Politics.
Daniel stood on most unpopular
platform. He stood firmly, though
the demagogues of the day Kissed at
him and tried to overthrow him. We
must carry our religion into our poll
tics. But there are great many men
who are in favor of taking religion
into national politics. who do not see
the Importance of taking it into city
politics, as though a man were intelli-
gent about the welfare of his neigh
borhood and had no concern about
his own home.
My subject also impresses me with
the fact that lions cannot hurt a good
man. No man ever got into worse
company than Daniel got into when
he was thrown into the den What
rare morsel that fair young man
would have been for the hungry mon
sters! If they had plunged at him
he could not have climbed into a
niche beyond the reach of their paw
or the snatch of their tooth. They
came, pleased, all around about him,
as hunteres' hounds at the well known
whistle come bounding to his feet.
You need not go to Numidia to get
MANY lions You all have them after