The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-07-10

snd folly. | have never Gost Sc much
IN 6ys days as I bsve tonight, and |
am IN debt to the house for the whole.
There isanother sia that We sre ofteu-
times called to be angry with, and that
is fraud. We all like honesty, aud
when it is sacrificed we sre vehementin
denunciatioo. We hope that the detec.
tives will soon come upon the tracks OF
the sbs;onding bank official, Of the
burglar who blew up the ssfe, OF the
clerk who sk:llEuliy charged the figures
in the account book, Of the fslsiher who
secured tha loan on valueless property,
Of the agent who because Of his per
centsse wronsfuIly admits man to the
bene6s of life Insurance policy when
his heart IS ready to stop and who comes
from an ancestry Enthusiastically short
lived.
Oae art Of frsud told Of IN big head
lires il the morrirg papers rightfully
a-oases tie nations wrath. 1t IS the
interest Of every good man and good
w9nsu who reads Of the crime to have
it exposed and punished. Let it go u:
scsthed, srd you put a premium OF
fraud, you deprass public morals, you
induse those who are on the fence Be-
tween right aud WroIg 10 get 6cTn on
the #roag side, ard you put the busi-
ness Of the verld on down grade. The
coastabulsry and peniseatisry must do
their work. But while the me-ciless
and the goddess cry: Good for him!
I am glad he is within the prison
doors!' be it your work to find out if tha.
mau is worth saving and what we're the
causes of his moral overthrow. Per.
haps be started in business life under a
tricky finn, who gave him wrong notions
of business integrity; perhaps there vas
8 con bination OF circumstances almost
unparalleled for temptation; perhaps
there we're alIeviations; perhaps he was
born wrong snd never got over 1t; per
haps he did not realize Whist he was 90
ing, and if you are a msrciful man you
will think Of other perhaps Rhlch,
though they may not excuse, will ex-
teruste. Perhaps be has already re.
pens and is washed in the blood of the
Lamb and is as sure of heaven as you
are. What an opportunity you have now
for obeying my text. You were angry
st the misdemesor, but you are hopeful
for the recovery CT the recslcitrant:
Blessed all prison reformer5. Blessed
are those governors aad presidents who
are glad when they have chance to
pardon! Blessed the forgiving father
VITO welcomes home the prodigsl
Blessed the dying thief whom the Lord
took with him to glory; saying. This
day shslt thou be with me in psridisel'
There is another evil that We ought
to abhor, while We try to help the vic
tim, snd that is in6delity. 1t snatches
the life preserver from the man afoat
and affords not so much as spar or a
plank IS substitute. Il would exsin-
guish the only light that has ever been
kindlsd for the troubled and the lost.
Lat the spirit Of inddelity take hold Of
a neighborhool, and in that town the
marriage relation !, a farce, and good
morals give plsce to all styles Of
immorsls. Let it tske possession Of
this esrtb, ani there would be no 7ir-
tue left in all the worli's circumference.
All the sins rebuked in the Ten Com
nsndnents would be dominant. Tbs
torch that shall kindle the con6agration
Of the earth in its last catastrophe will
not do as much damage IS would inf.
deity srd asnos:icism If they got the
chance. Be angry with such, theories
Of unbelief and hatred Of God. Never
laugh at the Titticisms Of those who
would bel;ttle the Bible with their jocu
lsrity. Quote to them the four lines Of
Whittier:
And weary seekers of the best
We come back laden with our quest
To find that all the sages said
Is in the book cur mothers read.
Hsvs lightning in you eye and s
flsh in your cneek and a froRn on your
brow for dastsrdy that would blot out
the sun and moon and stars Of Chris
tianity snd leave all things l. su arctic
night, the cold equa.. to the darkness.
You 90 we'll to be angry, but how about
those who have been flung Of scsptic-
ism, and that is more millions than you
will ever know Of until the Judgment
day reveals everything. All, here com IS
your opportunity for gentleness; kind
ness and sympathy. The probability
is that if you had been piled with the
sane Influences as this unbelie7er there
would not be Bible in al your house
from cellar TO st!io. Perhaps he was in
some important transaction swindled By
a member Of the church whose taking
Of the sacrament was sacrilege. Per
haps he read agnossic books and heard
agDostic lectures and mingled iu sgoos-
tic circ es until he has been bsfogged
a2d needs your Christian help mora
than any one that you know Of. Do
not get into sny labored argument
about the truth Of christianity. He
may beat you at that. He has whole
aTlii4SIy " HSdpVAS 4SSeS " VpSA AAS'
Remember thst no one was ever re-
formed for this life or saved for the life
to cone by an argument, but in hum
hlest and gsntlest way, your voice
sr5dued, AK him few questions. ASK
him if he had a Christian ps-en1age,
and if he says yes ask him whether the
old folks died happy. Ask him if he
has ever heard Of any one going out Of
this life in raptures Of in6Gelity and
sgnostici=m. Ask him if it is not a
somewhat remarkable fact that the
Bible, sitter 50 many years, sticks to-
gether and that there are more copies
Of it in existence than ever before. Ask
him if he knows Ct any better civiliza
ton than Christian civilization and
whether he thinks the teachings Of
Confucius Of fChrist are preferable. Ask
him if he thinks it would be fair thing
in the Creator Of all things to put IN
this world the human race and give