The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-08-17

nor write neither. God slr, don't want
me 10 read and write. Didn't lie take
member 20 have seen himy And haven't
! had 10 go along the streets 20 get some
thing 90 fetch home TO eat for the folksg
And didn't i, as soon as l could carry
basket, have 10 20 ont ard pick up cin-
ders. and never have nc. schooling, siry
God don't want me 20 read, sir. l can't
read nor write neither"
Oh these poor wanderers. They have
no chance. Born in degradation. as they
get up from their hands and knees 10
walk, they take their first step on the
road 10 despair. Let US 60 forth. lin the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, 70 rescue
them. Let MS ministers not he afraid of
soiling our black clothes while we 80
down on that mission. While we are tie
ing an elaborate knot in our cravat, OF
while we are IN the study rounding of
some period rhetorically, we might he saw.
ing a soul from death, and hiding a multi
tude OF SINS
In all cities, east. west, north, south, I
notice great temptations 10 commercial
fraud. Hoe is n man who starts in busi'
ness. He says, TIN going to be honest,
but on the same street, on the same
block, IN the same business are Shylocks.
Those men. 10 get the patronage of any
one, VIII break all understandings with
cost. putting their neighbors al great dis.
advantage, expecting 10 make up the de-
hclt IN something else. III an honest prln'
ciple could creep into that mans soul II
would die of sheer loneliness The man
twists about, trying 10 escape the penalty
of the law, and despises God, while he ~
Just a little anxious about the sheriff.
The honest man looks about him and
says "Well, this rivafr: is awful Per.
Aa,. l Ia
This little bargain | am about 10 enter is
a little doubtful but then / shall only do
as the rest" And SO ] had a friend who
started in commercial life and as a book
merchant. with a high resolve. He said,
I'm my store there shall be no books that
would not have my family read" Time
passed on. and one day ! went into his
store and found some iniquitous books on
the shelf. and | said to him, How is IL
possible that you can consent TO sell such
books as these" oh" he replied II
have got over those Purtanical notions.
4 man cannot do business in this day
unless he does Il in the way other people
do IT." 10 make a long story short. he
lost his hope of heaven. and i'm a little
while he lost his morality, and then he
went into a madhouse. In other words,
when a man casts off God, God casts him
off
One of the mlghtiest temptations in
commercial lite m all cities to-day is in
the fact that many prCfessed Christian
men are not square I'm their bargains
Such men are IN Baptist and Methodist
and Congregational churches, and our own
denomination Is as largely represented as
any of them. Our good merchants are
foremost in Christian enterprises; they
are patronizsrs OF art, philanthropic and
patriotic God will attend 10 them in
the day of His coronation | am not
speaking OF them, but of those in CONNER.
cIal life who are setting a ruinous exam
pie 90 our young merchants. Go through
all the flores and offices in our cities and
tell me IN how many of those stores and
offices are the principles OF Christ's reli.
gion dominant: In three-fourths of themt
No. In one-tenth of themy No. Decide
for yourself The impression is abroad
somehow that charity can consccrate ini
quitous gains, and that If man give TO
God a portion of an unrighteous bargain
then the Lord will forgive him the rest
The secretary of a benevolent society
came 10 me and said, Mr.. Soand So has
given a large amount of money 10 the mis-
sionaTy cause mentioning the sum. /
said, Il can't believe it," He said, 1T IL
So" Well, | went home, staggered and
confounded. | never knew the man to
give anything. But after a while ] found
out that he mad been engaged IN most
Infamous kind of a swindle, and then he
promised TO compromise the matter with
the Lord, saying: Nov. here is 80 much
for Thee, Lord. Please TO let me off -
Hundreds of men going down in our
cities every year through the pressure Of
politics.
That man in the tear and love of God
goes into politics with that idea and with
the resolution that lac will come out un.
contaminated and as good az when he
went in, but generally the case is. when a
man steps into politics, many of the news
papers try TO blacken his character and to
distort all his past history, and after a
little while has gone by instead of con
sidering himself an honorable citizen, he
Is lost m contemplation and IN admiration
OF the fact that he has 50 long been kept
out of jail
If man should go into politics TO re-
form politics, and with the right spirit,
he can come out with the right spirit and
unhurt. That was Theodore Frelinghuy.
sen, Of New Jersey. That was George
Briggs, OF Massachusetts,. That was
Judge Mclean, OF Ohio.
Then look around and see the allure.
ments 60 dissipated life. Bad books, un.
known 10 father aud mother, vile as the
reptiles of Egypt. crawling into some OF
the best Of families of the community
who may read them while the teacher IL
looking the other way or at recess or on
the corner Of the street when the groups
are gathered These books are read late
at night. Satan finds them a smooth
plank on which he can slide down into
peridltlon some OF your sons and daugh'
ters.
Reading bad books, one never gets over
it. The books may be burned, but there
10 not enough power IN all the apothe.
carys preparations 30 wash out the stair
from the soul. Fathers hands, mothers
hands. sisters hands will not wash it out
None but the hand Of the Lord can wash
It out.
And what is more perilous in regard TO
some OF these temptations we may not
mention them. While God in HIS Bible
from chapter 10 chapter thundered His
denuncatiOns against these crimes, people
expect the pulpit and the printing press
to he silent on the subject, and just IN
proportion a. people are impure are they
fastidious on this theme. They are ~
full OF decay and death they do not want
their sepulchers opened. God will turn
into destruction all the unclcan, and nc
-plendors OF surrounding can make de
cent that which He has smitten. God
viii not excuse SIN merely because u has
costly array and beautiful tapestry and
palatial residence any more than lie viii
excuse that which crawls, n blotch oi
sores, through the lowest cellar. Ever
and anon, through some lawsuit, there
flashes upon the people Of our great cities
what j. transpiring IN seemingly respecta
ble circles. You call II high life yOt
call II fast living you call u peoples
eccentricity." and while we kick of the
sidewalk the poor wretch who has not the
means 10 garnish his iniquity. these lord,
and ladies. wrapped in purple and "
linen, 20 unwhipped Of public justice. All
the most dreadful part Of the whole thins
~, that there are persons abroad WHOSE
whole business u - 30 despoil the young
What an eternity such a man viii have
A. the door opens 20 receive hIm thou
aauds Of voirea will cry out See hers