St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-12-29

Yes, my friends, that is the secret
not fight from obstacles in the way
but "who can pound the longest
The child had it right when attempt.
ing to carry ton of coal, shovelful
at a time. from the sidewalk to the
cells. and some one asked her: IsDe
YOU expect to get all that coal in with
that little shovel?" And she replied:
'.Yes. sir, if I work long enough" BY
the help OF God choose your calling
and stick to it. The gadabouts. are
failures for this life, to say nothing
Of the next.
There are many who exhibit THU
frailty In matters of religion. They arr
not sure about anything that pertains
to their soul or their eternal destiny
Now they are Unitarians, and now they
are Universalists, and now they are
Methodists. and now they are Presby-
terians, and now they are nothing al
all. They are not quite sure that the
Bible was inspired or. if inspired
whether the words or the ideas were
inspired or whether only part OF the
Book was inspired. They think at one
time that the story in Genesis about
the garden of Eden is history, and the
month after they think it is an ale
CORY. AT one time they think the book
of Job describes what really occurred
but the next time they speak of it they
call it drama. Now they believe all
the miracles, but at your next inter
view they try TO show how these
scenes had nothing in them supernat-
ural, but can be accounted for by nat
ural causes. Gadding about among re-
ligious theories and never satisfied. All
the evidence is put before them, and
why do they not render a verdict? II
they cannot make up their mind with
all the data put before them, they
never will. There are all the archaeo-
logical confrmations of the Bible
brought to view by the Palestine Ex-
ploration society,"" there are the bricks
of Babylon, the letter IN" impressed
upon them-"N'' for Nebuchadnezzar
showing that he was not myth-and
the farther the shovel of the antigua
rian goes down the more is revealed OF
that most wonderful city of all time.
Prof. Heilprecht. of the University OF
Pennsylvania, presents us tablets found
in the far east ratifying and explain
ing Scriptural passages which were be-
fore in mystery. AS the builders in
Jerusalem to-day dig for the founda-
tion of new houses they turn up with
their pickaxes the ashes Of the ami
mals that were used for burnt offer.
ingsi in the temple ages ago, demonstrate
ing the truth of the Bible story about
the sacrifices of lambs and heifers an6
pigeons. There is the history by Jo-
sephus. described on nninspiring pages
scenes which the Bible depicts. On the
banks of the Dead sea there are pieces
of the very birthstone that fell in the
storm that destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah. Make up your mind
whether the Bible is a glorious revela-
tion of God or the worst imposition of
the centuries. Why go gadding about
among infidels, atheists and deists ask
ing questions and surmising and guess
ing about the authority and value of 4
book which involves the infinities? I.
is either good book or bad book.
IL it be a bad book. you do not want
it in your house nor have your children
contaminated with its teachings. II
it is n good book, your eternal happi-
ness depends upon the adoption of its
teachings. Once and forever make up
your mind whether it is the book of
God or the book of villainous pretend
ers.
So. alas, there are those who CAD
about among particular churches. No
pastor can depend on them for a sim
gle service. At some time when he
has prepared sermon, after all
prayer and all research, putting nerve
and muscle and brain and soul into
its. every paragraph, these intermit-
tent attendants are not there to hear
it. While an occasional absence Is ex-
cusable for the qualification of some
wish to hear that which is consc-
Grated or religiously oratoric in some
other pulpit, when the pastor of a
church with his eye calls the roll of
by your presence in the
old place practically answer, saying:
Il am here to get the benefit of all
the useful thoughts you may utter
and of all the hymns you may give
cut and of all the prayers you may
offer. !. a soldier of Jesus Christ, am
in my own place in the company, in
the battalion, in the regiment. and
when you command March, / will
and when you command Halt!
I will halt, and when you order
Ground arms!' 1 will ground arms"
But, oh, how the gadabouts injure
the churches! Instead of staying in
their own prayer meeting or Sunday
school they affiict other prayer meet
ings and Sunday schools. l meet them
on the street going the wrong way
on Sunday morning or evening. and
| accost them in the words Of the
text: 'Why gaddest thou about %
much to change thy way?"
My text also addresses those WHO
in search of happiness are going
hither and yonder looking for that
which they find not. Their time is all
taken up with "musicales," and "pro-
yressive euchres." and teas, and yell
low luncheons, and ''at homes" and
and operas. and theaters; and.
instead of finding happiness, they get
pale cheeks, and insomnia, and indi-
yestion, and neuralgia, and exhaus-
lion, and an abbreviated lifetime.
There is more splendid womanhood
sacrificed in that way in our cities
than in any other way. The judg-
ment day only can reveal the awful
holocaust Of tangled nerves and the
suicidal habits of much of our social
ife. The obituary of such reads well,
'or the story is suppressed about how
hey got their death while standing
n attire of gauze, waiting for the
on a raw night, on the front
steps. While in their lifetime they
all the ability for the relief
II pain and impoverishment, yet they
rave no time for visitation of the
Door. or to win the blessing of such
IS comes upon those who administer