The age-herald., 1901-11-17

ther's genial disposition. What wave of color has dashed blue into the sky, and greenness into the mountain foliage, and the glow of sapphire Into the sunset7 ? What enchantment has lifted a world of beauty and joy on his soul? He has re- stunned tobacco.
 The fact is, we all know in our own experience that habit Is a tasknaster. As long as we obey 1t 1t does not chas- tise us; but let us resist and we find that we are dashed with scorpion whips and bound with ship cable and thrown into the track of bone breaking Juggernauts.
 Suppose a man of five or ten or twenty years of evildoing resolves to do right. why are all the forces of darkness allied against him7 He gets down on his knees in the midnight and cries, God help mel! He bites his lips. He grinds his teeth He clinches his fist in a deter mination to keep to his purpose. He dare not look at the bottles in the win dow of 8 wine store. It Is one long bit- ter, exhaustive, hand to hand fight with inlamed, tantaiizing, merciless habit When he thinks he is entirely free the old inclination pounces upon him like pack of hounds. all their muzzles tearing away at the Hanks of one poor reindeer.
 In Paris there is a sculptured represen- tation of Bacchus, the god of revelry. TIC IS TiulnB On d PohitiCi ob huiA iONNPs Oh, how suggestive! Let every one who is speeding on bad ways understand he Is not riding a docile and well broken steed, but that he is riding a monster wild and bloodthirsty and going at death leap.
 I have also to say if a. man wants to return from evil practices society re- pulses him. The prodigal, wishing to re- turn. tries to take some professor of re- ligion by the hand. The professor of re- ligion looks at him. looks at the faded ap- parel and the marks of dissipation, and inst cad of giving him a firm grip of the hand offers him the tip end of the longer fingers of the left hand, which Is equal to striking a man in the face. Oh, how few | Christian people understand how much gospel there is in a good, honest hand | shaking! Sometimes when you have felt | the need of encouragement and some l Christian man has taken you heartily by the hand, have you not felt thrilling through every fiber of your body, mind and soul an encouragement that was just what was needed?
 The ProdigaI's Return. | The prodigal, wishing to get into good | society. enters a prayer meeting. Some l good man without much sense greets him by saying: Why. are you here? | I Ou are aDOut the iaSL peTSOn eXpcCteu | to see in a prayer meeting. We'll, the dying thief was saved, and there Is hope | for you" You do not know anything 1 about this unless you have learned that 1 when a man tries to return from evil | courses of conduct he runs against repul- | sions innumerable
 | We say of some man, He lives a block
 or two from the church., or, half mile | from the church." In all our great cities 1 there are men who are 5000 miles from | church-vast deserts of indifference be-
 tween them and the house of God. The l fact is we must keep our responsibility
 though thousands perish. Christ sat
 with pubiicans and sinners, but if there
 come to the house of God man with
 marks of dissipation upon him people | are almost sure to put up their hands in | horror, as much as to say, "Is it not I shocking?"
 How these dainty, fastidious Christians in all our churches are going to get into
 heaven I do not know, unless they have | an especial train of cars cushioned and | upholst cred, each one car to himsen I They cannot go with the great herd oi