Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-09

slightest injury. The man SO singled out
was the cruel man who had evaded mans
justice, but could not escape.
Descriptive OF Murder.
"a man and his wife conspired to rob and
murder their friend and constant guest.
Determined to escape detection, they coldly
prepared for the deed of blood. Long be-
fore the murder they dug hole in the pas
sage leading from their parlor to their din
ing room, and this hole was to receive the
| corpse of the man with whom, meantime,
these heartless wretches ate bread day after
day, and drank his health at their own
board. Several times the unfortunate man
walked with his host and hostess over the
concealed hole his destined tomb At last
they murdered him and buried him in the
grave they had prepared for him. The deed
done, spite all their precautions, fear fell
upon them. and they fled from the house
where the corpse was and from each other.
one to the north and one to the south. JUS
tice followed to the north, justice followed
to the south. and dragged the miscreants
together again and flung them into one
prison. They were convicted and condemned
to death 1t so happened that the direct path
from the chapel to the gallows was torn up
by some repairs that were going on in the
prison; so the condemned were obliged to
make a long circuit. Hence, it befell that
in certain passage of the Jail the con-
demned and their attendants came suddenly
upon new-made grave dug in the passage
The workmen had but just completed it.
The grave filled up the passage, which was
narrow and but little used. The men who
accompanied the murderers paused abashed
and chilled. The murderers paused and
looked at one another. No words can de-
scribe that look. Planks were put down.
and they walked over their own grave to
their death. Is there skeptic who tells me
this was chance? In this astounding fact
of extra retribution 1 see nothing that re-
sembles chance. l see the arm of God and
the fingers Of God.
Abuse of Woman.
"a man who is cruel to a woman is called
brute, but If the brutes could speak they
would appeal against that phrase as unjust
to them. What animal but man did you
ever see maltreat a female Of his species?
The brutes are not such beasts as bad,
cruel men are. Fancy a true and tender
picture of wife, the narrow and virtuous
great and little. No need to be cruel to her.
she suffers so much without that. God
made her weaker that man might have the
honest satisfaction and superior joy of pro-
tecting and supporting her. To torture her
with the strength SO intrusted him for good
Is to rebel against heavens design-is to be
monster, coward and fool!
There Is one more kind of cruelty which
should be mentioned. Harsh treatment of
those unhappy persons to whom it has not
pleased God to give a full measure of
reason. In some countries these unfortu-
mates are venerated. and. being little able
to protect themselves, are held to be under
heavens especial protection. This is
beautiful belief and honors our fallen ma
ture Yet in this Christian land, I grieve
and blush to say, cruelty often falls upon
their unprotected heads. Who has not seen
the village boys follow and mock these af-
ficted persons? Youth is cruel, because the
great parent of cruelty is general ignorance
and inexperience of the class of suffering
we infict. Men who have come to their full
reason have not this excuse
Moral and Social Evils.
His other paper on the subject of "Thefts
and Shades of Dishonesty" treats of various
forms of moral and social evil. He says:
THE tendency of theft is to destroy all
moral and social good. For. were it once
to prevail so far as to make property inse-
cure, industry would lose heart, enterprise
and frugality be crushed. and at last the
honest turn to be thieves in self-defense
Nearly every act of theft has baneful in
fGence on the person robbed. There are
many Industrious frugal persons whose
savings have been stolen. They have lost
courage and the good habits of years and
have ended i'll. These great crimes are like
trunk railways. They create smaller ones
some flow into them: some out of them
Drunkenness generally precedes act of
theft, drunkenness always follows it: lies
flow from it into streams and perjury PUSHES
to its defense. 1t breeus too, other vices
that punish it, but never cure it. The thief
ia never the richer by this vile act which
irpoverlshes his victim, for the money OBJ
tanned by this crime is wasted in others.
The folly of theft is its ill economy. What
high qualities are laid out to their greatest
disadvantages by the thief-acuteness,
watchfulneSa sagacity. determination. tact.
These virtues. coupled with integrity. enrich
thousands every year How many thieves
do they enrich? How many thieves are a
dollar a year the better for the hundreds
THAT come dishonesty into their hands?
Appeals to His Brethren.
Some of you profess attachment to me.
some talk of gratitude. There are some of
my poor brothers and sisters that say to
me- oh, / wish l could do something for
you. sir Perhaps you have noticed that !
have never answered these professions.
Well. ! will answer them now, once for all:
Would you make me very, very sad? Re
nIain impatient. Would you make ne hap
Ply? Repent and turn to God-not tomor-
rev. or next day, but on your knees in
yourselves the moment you go hence. You
don't know, you can't dream what happi-
hess you will confer on me if you do this!
THE COMING INAUGURATION