Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-08-11


of merchandise. mid the consequence Is
that all along the business streets OF
nil our cities there are merchants or
small cnpitnl who are In terrific strug-
gle to keep their heals above water. |
The ocean liners run down the New
fonndland fishing smacks. This is |
nothing against the man who has the |
big store. for every man has as large |
a store and as great Il business ms he
can manage.
il TO feel right and do right under all
this pressure requires martyr grace,
requires sdiyines support, requires &C.
lestial reinforcement Yet there are
tens Of thousands of such men getting
splendidly through. They see others
going up and themselves going down,
but they keep their patience and cour'
age and their Christian consistency
and after awhile their SUCCESS VIII
come. There Is generally retribution III
some form for, greediness. The owners
OF the big business will die, anil their
boys will get possession of the Dusl'
ness. and with q cigar In their mouths
and full to the chins with the best
liquor and behind a pair of spanking
BAYS they will pass everything on the
turnpike road to temporal AMI etcrhai
perdition. Then the business VIII break
up and the smaller dealers will have
fair opportunity, or the spirit OF con
tentment and right feeling will take
possesslon OF the large firm. as recently
with a famous business house, ana the
firm will say: 1--WE have enough money
for all our needs and the needs or our
children. Now let US dissolve busi'
ness and make way for other men In
the same line" Instead Of being star
tied at solitary instance Of mag
nanlmIty II will become com
mon thing know Of scores of great
business houses that have had their op-
portunIty Of vast accumulation ana
who ought to quit But perhaps for
all the days of this generation the
struggle of small houses to keep alive
under the overshadowing pressure OF
great houses will continue. Therefore,
taking things as they are, you Will be
wise to preserve your equilibrium ana
your honesty and your faith and throw
over all the counters and shelves and
casks the measuring line Of divine
right "And the Lord said unto me,
Amos, what seest thou? And said,
! A plumb line" t,l'i , /
TbeoIoaies Need Rectifyfng. \ /
In the samcsway we need to rectlfy
our thcologies. All sorts Of religions
are putting forth their pretensions.
Some have spIrltualistic religion,
and their chief work Is with ghosts
and others a religion of political econo-
nv. proposing to put al end to human
misery by a new style Of taxation. ana
there Is n humanitarian religion that
looks after the bodies of men and lets
the soul look after itself, and there Is q
legislative religion that proposes to
rectify all wrongs by enactment or Det-
ter laws. and there Is an aesthetic re-
ligion that by rules of exquisite taste
would Eft the heart out Of It's deformi-
! ties. and religions Of all sorts, religions
by the peck, religions by the square
foot and religions by the ton, all OF
them devices of the devil that would
take the heart away from the only re-
ligion that will ever effect anything
for the human race. and that Is the
straight up and down religion written
in the book which begins with Genesis
md ends with Revelation. the religion
of the skies. the old religion, the God
given religion. the everlasting religion
which SAYS. Love God above Oil anC
your neighbor as yourself" All re
ligIons but one begin at the wrong enc
and In the wrong place. The Bible re
ligIon demands that we first get righ
with God, 1t begins at the top. ane
measures down, while the other re
ligIons begin at the bottom and try t
measure up. They stand at the foot o.
the wall, up to their knees in the muC
of human theory and speculation, ant
have a plummet and a string tied fas
to II, and they throw the plummet thu
way and break head here ana throw
the plummet another way and breai
a head there, and then they throw !
up and 1t comes down upon their owl
pate. Fools! Why stand at the ZOO
of the wall rectifying up when yo'
ought to stand at the top r0ctifylni
down? | was In the country, thirst,
after a long walk, and came In. ant
my child was blowing soap bubbles
| and they rolled out OF the cup, blu
and gold and green and sparkling an,
beautiful and oblcular, and In sc, smal
. q space | never saw more splendo
!. concentrated. But she blew once 70
often end all he<glory vanished Int
suds. Then l turned and took glas
. OF water and was refreshed. And
far as soul thirst Is concerned | pu
against all the blowing, gltterlng soa
bubbles of worldly reform and huma
speculation one draft from the -four
. tain from under the throne OF Goo
. clear as crystal. Glory be to God 70
: the religion that drops from above, nc
: coming from beneath. "And the Lor
: said unto me. Amos, what seest thou
: And l said, A plumb line."
p d Religions to Suit Conditions.
q l want you to notice this fact, thi
\ when man gives up the straight u
q and down religion of the Bible for an
newfangled religion 1t Is generally
A suit his sins. You first hear OF b
change OF. religion, and then you hei
4 of some swindle he has practiced IN
y special mining stock, telling some or
= II be will put In $4,000 he can tax
II out 100000. or he has sacrificed n
70 integrity or plunged into irremedlao
70 worIdIiness.s His sins are so bToaa !
~ has to bfoaden bis religion, and he b
Q comes as broad as temptation
q broad as the souls darkness, as brof
o as hell. They want a religion that w
ID allow them to keep their sins and the
= at death say to them, well done goo
AN