The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-06-27
BENTON, LOUISIANA. THU RSDAY, JUNE p,

York missions and expected the SAL
walton of our American cities until
recent developments showed that
the police were in completely with
crime, and now these Christian work
ers are despairful, as though all were
lost. OF what worth is such a mans
faith? When weighed, will they have
what the chemists call atomic weight
the weight of an atom? No. Such
faith is no faith at all. g.. -.-
But there is another man who by
repentance and prayer has put him
self into alliance with the Almighty
God. Made all right by the Saviour's
grace, this man goes to work to make
the world right. He says to himself:
God launched this world, and He
never launched a failure. The Gar
den of Eden was a useless morass
will be when it blossoms and leaves
and flashes and resounds with its
coming glory. God will save it any
how, with me or without me, but l
want to do my share. l have some
equipment--not as much as some
have power to frown, and / will
frown upon iniquity. l have power
to smile, and 1 will smile encourage
ment upon all the struggling. l have
q vocabulary not SO opulent as the
vocabulary of some others, but
hov cf~ @f
and l mean to scatter them in help
fulness. l will ascribe right motives
to others when it is possible. If I can
say anything good about others, l
will say it. If I can say nothing but
vile of them, / will keep my lips shut
as tight as the lips of the sphinx.
which for 5000 years has looked off
upon the sands of the desert and
uttered not one word about the desc
lation. The scheme of reconstruct
ing this world is too great for me
to manage, but 1 am not expected to
boss this job. have faith to believe
that the plan is well laid out and will
be well executed. Give me brick
and trowel and / will begin now
to help build the wall. l am not a
soloist, but 1 can sing Rock of Ages
to sick pauper. I cannot write a
great book, but I can pick cinder
out of child's eye or a splinter
from under his thumb nail. 1 now
enlist in this army that is going to
take the world for God, and l defy
all the evil powers, human and satan
fc, to discourage me. Count me into
the service. 1 cannot play upon
musical instrument, but I can polish
a cornet or string harp or applaud
the orchestra"
All through that mans experience
there runs faith that will keep him
cheerful and busy and triumphant.
I like the watchword of Cromwelrs
Ironsides, the men who feared moth
ing and dared everything, going into
battle with the shout: 1.-The Lord OF
hosts is with US, the God of Jacob is
ou refuge! Selah!" No balance that
human brain ever planned or human
hand ever constructed is worthy of
weighing such spirit. Gold and
precious stones are measured by the
carat, which is four grains. The
dealer puts the diamond or the pearl
on one side of the scales and the
carat on the other side and tells you
the weight. But we need something
more delicately constructed to weigh
that wonderful quality of faith which
I am glad to know will be recognized
and rewarded for all time and all
eternity. The earthly weighman
counterpoises on metallic balances
the iron, the coal, the articles of HUI
man food, the solids of earthly mer-
chandise. but he cannot test or an
nounce the amount of things spirit
ual. Here is something which the
Attic and Babylonian weighing sys-
TENS of the past and the metric
weighing system of the present can
not manage. ''The Lord weigheth the
spirits" ~5
Put also into those royal scales the
ambitious spirit. Every healthy man
and woman has ambition. The lack
of it is a sure sign of idiocy or i'm
morality. The only question is, what
shall be the style of our ambition?
To stack up stupendous fortune, to
acquire resounding name, to sweep
everything we can reach into the
whirlpool of our own selfishness-that
is debasing, ruinous and deathful. If
in such spirit we get what we start
for, we only secure gigantic discon-
tent. No man was ever made happy
by what he got. 1t all depends upon
the spirit with which we get it, and
the spirit with which we keep it, and
the spirit with which we distribute it.
Not since the world stood has there
been any instance of complete happi-
ness from the amount of accumula-
ton. Give the man of worldly ambi-
tion 60 years of brilliant successes.
He sought for renown, and the nations
speak his name. He sought for afflu-
ence, and he is put to his wits end
to find out the best stocks and bonds
in which he may make his investments,
He is director in banks enough and
trustee in enough institutions end
president of enough companies to
bring on paresis, of which he is now
dying. The royal balances are lifted