The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-31
vay he should 20, and when he is old he

May you alt nave tne S'oiioEE'
ton Of seeing your children walk in paths
of righteousness and peace! One with
them on earth; may you be one With them
in heaven,
But | learn also from this subject the
beauty of Christian sobrletS. The meat
and the wine that were to come to Dam
iels table were to come from the king 8
table. Well. Daniel had no right to take
that food. The king was heather ana,
like all the heather, wGs accustomed TO
ask a blessing before he partook OF 1000,
and in that blessing they always dedl.
Gated the food to the gods. So That If
Daniel had taken this food he would have
broken the law which forbade the taking
Of food dedicated to idols. He chose
nulsc 1t was a miracle that he did not
dwindle away. There is nothing IN pulse,
such a poor herb, to make man ruddy
and healthful. Some people talk as
though that were a kind OF diet when
would make a man swarthy and compe-
tent to do the duties Of this life. That Is
not the lesson at all. But for a positive
miracle Daniel would have dwindled away,
and when God, for his self denial, puts
upon him this benedictioa He puts bene:
diction upon all Christian sobriety. L
would not have you class your preacher
among those who would put unnecessary
restraint upon lawful appetites. There
are those in this day who dispute the
grant which God gave to man for animal
food, and they make religion OF their
hunger rs the Pharisees expected heaven
for their fasting. Daniel did not always
live on pulse. lie was not Grahamlten,
he was not vegetarian. He went through
that self denial because the food offered
him was idolatrous food. When see 0od
filing the earth with all varieties OF food,
I have not much confidence in the teach
ing OF those who would put us, on severe
regimen. There are parents who, with
wong theory in this respect, deny their
children all;harfhIess luXuries and without
sufficient inquiry send them out to board.
ing schools where their intellects are cul.
tured 10 the disadvantage of their starved
bodies, so that from many a boarding
school a class of 20 will graduate, 10 OF
them Ghosts. Now, when | see the three
anrek eating the calf which Abraham
slew Ind when I find Christ eating broiled
FISH even after His resurrection l come to
the conclusion that the theories OF the veg
etarian are not, from religious stand
point, well founded.
I was told at Des Moines OF train OF
cars going through very stormy night
over one Of The western prairles. Ihe
Young man who was present told us the
story. In the night there was a little child
in the sleeping car fretful and worrying
and CRYING hour after hour. A man on the
opposite side of the car lost his patience
and said, Either NAL that child shut
UP or take it to its mother!" Then ano'h1er
man on the opposite side of the sleeping
car. a man with3a a broken heart, pushed
back the curtain and looked out and said.
"Young man, that child's, mother is dead
in the baggage car. and the little thing is
wailing for herr. Then the man who had
committed the affront rose and offered his
services for the night and took care OF the
child until the morning. and all the pas
sencers in the car wcr, broken down with
emotion.
Oh, if the cry of one child could arouse
so many symrath;cs. what ought to be the
effect of the ten. thousand voiced shrek
of orphanage and widowhood from the iner
brate's grave! God save this country
from the peril$ of strong drink.
Ny subject also impresses me with the,
beauty of youthful character remaining
incorrupt away from home. If Daniel had
of Babylon the old folks at home would
never have heard Of it. If he had gone
through all the rounds Of iniquity. it would
have cast no shadow on his early home.
There were no telegraphs, there were no
railroads But Daniel l;new that Gods
eye was on him.
That was enough. There are young men
not so good away from home as at home.
Frederick tending his fathers sheep among
the hills or thrashing rye in the barn IS
different perhaps from Frederick on the
Stock Exchange Instead of the retiring
disposition there is bold effrontery. In
stead of an ohliging spirit there is perhaps
oppressive selfshness.
Instead of open handed charity there IS
tight fsted stinginess. Instead OF reason
to many Young men on this matter-you
who may have left your fathers house and
others who, though still under the par
entail roof, are looking forward to the
time when you will go forth to conflict,
alone in this world. will: It's foundations
and its sorrows, and when you will build
I'D your own character. Oh,- that the God
OF Daniel might be with YOU in Babylon!
, I think the most thrilling passage OF a
young mans life is when he leaves home
to make his fortune. The novelty and the
romance of the thing may keep him from
any keen sorrow, but the old people who
have seen the destruction Of so many who
have started with high hope cannot help
but be anxious. AS long as he was in his
fathers house his waywardness was kindly
the restraint rather bitter and rather Sc
we're in his calmer moments. he acklowl-
edged it was salutary and righteous.
Through the influence 'of metropolitan
friends the father has obtained a situation
for his son in the city. The comrades of
The young man come the night before his
departure to bid farewell to the adven-
turer. The morning OF his going away he
walks around the place to take last look
at things, perhaps comes upon some OBJ
ject that starts a tear. some old familiar
place. but no one sees the tear. The
trunk is put upon the wagon. the young
man is off for the city. fie is set down
amid excitements and amid associates who
ire not overcareful about their words and
thoughts and actions. Morning comes.
No family altar. Sabbath comes: No
tural quiet. The sanctuary comes, but all
the faces, are strange. and no one cares
whether he comes to church or does not
= ZONE. On his way from the store he sees
a placar1 announcing a rare and vicious
amusement. He has no greeting at the
door of the boarding house. He has no
hppetite for the food. No one cares
Sbethcr he eats or does not eat Rather
Re would not eat. 1t is cheaper. After the
Ia he goes into the parlor, Ia kes up q
- |ook, finds it dull, no sister to look over
with him. Goes unstairs to his room
h the third story, finds it cold and unin-
$itng, and in despair he rushes ont, caring
br NOTHING but to get something to ma Ike
J. lin stop thinking. He is caught in the
rst whirl of sin. He las started out on
he dark sea where the gleam Of the Joy
the flashing of the pit and the laughter
the creaking of the gate OF the lost.
Oh. how many graves there are in the