The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-12-13

another. "Will burst soon," says s|
third. Every stone in your new house
is laid on their hearts. Your horses
hoofs went over their nerves. Every
item Of your success has been to them
an item Of discontinue anl despair.
Just as soon as in any respect you
rise above your fellows, if you are
more virtuous, if you ere more wise,
if you are more influential, you cast
shadow on the prospects of others.
The road to honor anI success il
within reach of the enemy's guns.
Jealousy says: "s.ay down or I'll
knock you down." 81 do not like
you," says the snowflake to the snow
bird. "Wby don't you like me?" said
the snowbird. "Oh," said the snow
fake, you are going up and l am
coming down." Young merchants,
young lawyers, young doctors, young
mechanics, young artists, young farm
ers, at certain times there are those
to sympathize with you, but now that
you are becoming a master of your
particular occupation or profession,
how is it now, young lawyers, young
doctors, young artists, young farm
ers-how is it now? The greatest
crime that you can commit is the
crime Of success.
Again, my subject impresses me
with the value of decision CT char
acter in any department. Daniel
knew that if he continued his adher-
ence to the religion of the Lord he
would be hurled to the lions; but,
having set his compass well, he sailed
right on. For the lack of that ele-
ment of decision of character SO emil
nent in Daniel many men are ruined
| for this world and ruined for the
world to come. A great many at 40
| years of age are not settled in any
| respect, because they have not been
able to make up their minds. Per-
haps they will go west; perhaps they
will 60 east; perhaps they will not;
perhaps they will SO north; perhaps
they may 60 south; perhaps they will
not; perhaps they may make that in
vestlnent in real estate or in rail-
roads; perhaps they will not. They
are like a steamer that should go
out of New York haroor, starting for
Glasgow, and the next day should
change for Havre de Grace, and the
next for Charleston, and tie next for
Boston, and the next for Liverpool.
These men on the sea of life ever
lastingly tacking ship and making no
headway!
/ learn also from my subject that
men may take religion into their world
| ly business. This is most appropriate
! thought at this season of the year,
when so many men are starting out in
new enterprises. Daniel had enough
work to do to occupy six men. All the
affairs of state were in his hands; ques-
tions of finance, questions of war, OF
peace; all international questions were
for his settlement or adjustment. He
must have had a correspondence vast
beyond all computation. There was
not man in all the earth who had
more to do than Daniel, the secretary
Of state, and yet we find him three
times day bowing before God in
prayer. There are men in our day who
have not hundredth part of Daniels
engagements who say they are too
busy to be religious. They have an
idea somehow that religion will spoil
their worldly occupation, that it will
trip the accountants pen or dull the
carpenters saw or confuse the lawyers
brief or disarrange the merchants
store shelf. They think religion is i'm.
pertinent. They would like to have il
very well seated beside them in church
on the Sabbath, to find the place in the
psalmbook or to nudge them awake
when they get sleepy under the didac.
tic discourse, or they would like tc
!, leave it in the pew on Sabbath evening
as they 60 out, closing the door, say
ing: 'Good night, religion; I'll be bach
next Sunday" But to have religion
, go right along by them all through life
J to have religion looking over theil
shoulder when they are making bar
gain, to have religion take up bag
of dishonest gold and shake it and say
where did you get that?" They thinl
, that is an impertinent religion. They
| would like to have a religion to hell
tLCM NACA lAOy dAO SlGh, anu WAcl
the shadow Of death comes over then
, they would like to have religion as
. sort of nightkey with which to opeI
the door of Heaven, but religion unde
! other circumstances they take to b.
| impertinence.
Now, my friends, religion neve
{ robbed man of dollar. Other thing
= being equal, mason will build bet
: ter wall, q cabinet maker will make
better chair, plumber will make
! better pipe, lawyer will make bet
ter plea, merchant will sell bette
bill Of goods. say, other things be
I ing equal. OF course when religio
= gives a man new heart, it does no
1 propose to give him new head or I
E intellectualize him or to change
i, mans condition when his ordinar
: state is an overthrow of the philos<
e phical theory that total vacuum
8 impossible. out the more letters 70
!. have to write, the more burdens yo
J. have to carry, the more miles you hay
d to travel, the more burdens you have I