Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-07-03
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were born with a tendency TO reckless
ness and experiment and hazard. The.T
inherited a disposition to tempt chance.
Do not heap on them additional discour-
. agements; DO not deride their losses.
Help them to start again. Show them
that there are more fortunes yet TO be
gained than have yet been gathered and
that with God for their friend they viii
be provided for here and through the
Saviout's mercy they may reign forever
in the land where there are no losses and
infinite gains. While you may redden in
the face at the fact that gambling is the
disgraeeful mother of multitudinous
crimes. of enyies, jealousies, revenges,
quarrels. cruelties, falsehoods, forgeries.
suicides, murders and despair, be careful
what you say of the victim of the vice
and what you do. He needs more sym
pathy than the man who came up from
inebriety and debauch and assassination,
for many such repent and are saved, but
confirmed gamblers hardly ever reform.
Be angry at the sin. but sympathize with
its victims.
Indignation Over Frauf.
There is another SIN that we are often
times called to be angry with, and that
is fraud. We all like honesty. and when
1t is sacrificed we are vehement in de-
nunciation. We hope that : detectives
viii soon come upon the track of the
abscondrng bank official. of the burglar
who blew up the safe, of the clerk who
skillfully changed the figures in the ac-
count book, of the falsifer who secured
the oan on yalueless property, of the
H. n.,ta ~,
wrongfully admits a man TO the benefit
of life insurance policy when his heart
is ready TO stop and who comes from an
ancestry Enthusiastically short lived.
One act of fraud told of in big head
lines in the morning pa ers rightfully
arouses the nation swrath. 1t is the in-
terest of every good man and good wom-
an who reads of the crime to have it
exposed and punished. Let it go I'M
scathed, and you put a premium on fraud,
you depress public morals. you induce
those who are on the fence between right
and wrong to get down on the wrong
side, and you put the business OF the
world on a down grade. The constabu-
larry and penitentiary must do their work.
But while the merciless and the goddess
cry: Good for him! | am glad he is
within the prison doors! be it your work
to find out if that man is worth saving
and what were the causes of his moral
overthrow. Perhaps he started in bust
ness life under a tricky firm, who gave
him wrong notions of business integrity;
perhaps there was combination of cir
cumstanees almost unparalleled for temp
tation; perhaps there We're alleviations,
perhaps he was born wrong and never
got over it; perhaps he did not realize
what he was doing, and if you al ner-
ciful man YOU will think of other per-
hapses which, though they may not ex-
cuse, will extenuate. Perhaps he has
already repented 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 It the misdemeanor, but you
are hopeful for the recovery of the re-
calcitrant. Blessed all prison reformers!
Blessed are those governors and presi-
dents who are glad when they have a
chance to pardon. Blessed the forgiving
father who welcomes home the prodigal.
Blessed the dying thief whom the Lord
took with him to glory, saying, This day
shalt thou be with me in paradise"
There is another evil that we ought to
abhor while We try TO help the victim,
and that is infidelity 1t snatches the life
preserver from the man aiioat and affords
not so much as a spar or plank as sub
stitute. 1t would extinguish the only
light that has ever been kindled for the
troubled and the lost Let the spirit of
infdelity take hold of a neighborhood.
A. IL ,Iofs 10,
a farce. and good morals give place to all
styles of immorals. Let it take possess
sion of this earth. and there would be no
virtue left in all the worlds clrcum-
ference. All the sins rebuked in the Ten
Commandments would be dominant. The
torch that shall kindle the confagration
of the earth in its last catastrophe will
not do as much damage as would intidel-
ity and agnosticisn if they got the
chance. Be angry with such theories Of
unbelief and hatred of God. Never laugh
at the witticisms of those who would be-
little the Bible with their popularity,
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 our mothers read.
Help Tor the Unbeiiever.
Have lightning in your eye and a
flush in your cheek and frown on your
brow for dastardy that would blot cot
the sun and mlpon and stars of Chris
tianity and leave all things in an arctic
night, the cold equal TO the darkness.
You do well to be angry but how about
those who have beeI. flung of scepticism,
and that is more millions than you will
ever know of until the judgment day re-
veals everything. All. here comes your
opportunity for gentleness. kindness and
SYM thy. The probability is that II you
had been piled with the same influences
as This unbelever there would not be a
Bible in all your house from cellar to
attic Perhaps he was in some important
transaction swindled by member of the
church whose taking of the sacrament
was sacrilege. Perhaps he read agnos-
tic books and heard agnostic lectures
and mingled in agnostic circles until he
has been befogged and needs your Chris
ton help more than any one that yor
know Of Do not get into any lahore
argument about the truth of Christianity.
He may beat you at that. He has Il
whole artillery of weapons ready to open
fire.
Remember that no one was ever r.
formed for this life or saved for the lie
to come by an argument, but 4 humblest
and gentlest way, your Vol, subdueG,
ask him few questions. Ask him if he
had a Christian parentage, 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 rap