The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-11-29

all sung:
'Tis point long to know;
B Oft it causes anxious thought:
Do love the Lord or no?
Am l his, or am not?
Why do you not find out whether
you are his or not? There are all the
broad invitations of the gospel. Ac-
cept them. There are all the assur-
ances Apply them. There are all
the hopes of pardon and heaven.
Adopt them. There is the Kings high
way. Start on it. Travelling any road,
you are not satisfied until you have
found out whether it is the right or
the wrong road, and you climb up in
the darkness to read the words on the
finger board at the roadside to see If it
be the right road. and If it be the
wrong road you cross over to the
right road. If you are on the sea. you
want to know into what port you will
run or upon what rocks you are in
danger of crashing. This moment you
have all the information pointing to
the road that terminates at the gate
of the Golden City and the voyage that
anchors in the haven of eternal rest.
Why go on guessing when you have
all the facts before you? You ought to
know by examination of chart and
compass and thermometer in what
latitude and longitude you are sailing,
whether in the arctic or the tropics. A
man who does not know whether or
not he is a Christian is like man who
does not know whether he is mil
llonaire or a pauper. Better go to the
records and find out. The Scriptures
are the records. If you cannot there
read your title. it is because you have
no title. and you ought to begin anew.
Start new prayer, sing new song,
open new experience.
So, alas, there are those who CAD
about among particular churches. No
pastor can depend on them for sim
gle service. At some time when he
has prepared sermon, after all pray
er and all research, putting nerve and
muscle and brain and soul into its
every paragraph. these intermittent
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 consecrated
or religiously oratoric in some other
pulpit, when the pastor of q church
with his eye calls the roll of attend
ance. by your presence in the old place
practically answer, saying: Il am
here to get the benefit of all the use
full thoughts you may utter and of all
the hymns that you may give out and
of all the prayers you may offer. 1,
a soldier of Jesus Christ, am in my
own place in the company, in the
battalion, in the regiment, and when
you command 'March!' 1 will march,
and when you command Halt l will
halt. and when you order Ground
arms!' will ground arms"
Neglecting Ones Homo.
| Among the race Of gadabouts are
those who neglect their homes in or
der that they may attend to institu-
lions that are really excellent and do
not SO much ask for help as demand
| 1T. I am acquainted, as you are, with
women who are members Of so many
| boards of direction of benevolent in
| situations and have to stand at booth
in so many fairs, and must collect
funds for so many orphanages and
pkgid at $50 Aapye philapthropic
meetings, and are expected to be IN
SO many different places at the same
time that their children are left to the
care of irresponsible servants, and If
the little ones waited to say their
prayers at their mothers knee they
would never say their evening prayers
at all. Such woman makes her own
home SO unattractive that the husband
spends his evenings at the clubhouse
or the tavern. The children Of that
house are as thoroughly orphan as any
of the fatherless and motherless little
ones gathered in the orphanage for
which that gadabout woman is toiling
SO industriously. BY all means let
Christian women foster charitable in
situations and give them as much of
their time as they can spare, but the
first duty Of that mother is the duty
she owes to her home.
Hired help is great advantage to
the homestead that can afford 1t, and
we have all had in our homes fidelity
on the part Of such employees as will
stir our gratitude as long as life shall
last. How they watched in time of
sickness and always gave the medicine
at the right time, and but for their
vigilance there are members of our
families now living who would long
ago have disappeared from the home
circle. Blessed the ships that brought
those employees to our shores! And
who will ever do Justice to those who
were affectionately called and be-
lieve are still called the "mammies"
of the south? l have had governors
and senators of the United States with
tears in their eyes talk to me about
those old colored women Of the south
who rocked them in their cradles and
bound up their wounds when they got
hurt. and wept with them at graves,
and looked in from the hall door at
the weddings, and greeted them home
from college or from the wars with
motherly endearment. Ask those
who know them best about those old
"mammies." We have all had in our
employment those SO near and dear
to us that we went to them in child
hood and told them all our griefs and
all orr lows and thew ymnathiZed