The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1901-07-05

earning it. But it is . haggard
transgression that comes down to Us
from the past biighting all its way.
I have seen in the archives Of the
nation in this national capital large
book in which one of the early pres
idents of the United States kept an
account in his own handwriting of
gains and losses at playing cards
on one page the gains and on the
other the losses, and there are many
pages. In other days many Of ma
tional reputation went from the halls
of congress and the senate chamber
to spend the night in notorious gam
bling saloons. One of the ablest men
Of the centuries, Charles Fox, got
ready for his speech against "The
Petition of the Clergy" by spending
% hours at the gambling table. Irv-
ing's life of Oliver Goldsmith says
that the great poet lost ESQ, all his
earnings, in a short tour to see the
world. Gibbon, the author of "The
Decline and Fall Of the Roman EN-
pre-" came to his own decline and
fall through gaming practices and
in letter in 1776 said: 81 have un-
done myself, and it is to no purpose
to conceal from you my abominable
madness and folly. have never lost
so much in five days as I have to-
night, and am in debt to the house
for the whole"
One act of fraud told of in big head
lines in the morning papers rightfully
arouses the nations wrath. It is the
interest of every. good man and good
woman who reads of the crime to have
it exposed and punished. Let it go un-
scathed, and you put a premium on
fraud, you depress public morals, you
induce those who are on the fence be-
tween right and wrong to get down on
the wrong side, and you put the bust
ness of the world on a down grade.
The constabulary and penitentiary
must do their work. But while the
merciless and the goddess cry: "Good
for him!" 81 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
business life under a tricky firm, who
gave him wrong notions of business
integrity; perhaps there was combi-
nation of circumstances almost un-
paralleled for temptation; perhaps
there were alleviations; perhaps he
was born wrong and never got over it;
perhaps he did not realize what he was
doing, and if you are a merciful man
you will think of other perhapses
which, though they may not excuse,
Ui11 ofo
ready repented and is washed in the
blood of the Lamb, and is as sure of
Heaven as you are. What an opportu-
nifty you have for obeying my text.
You were angry at the misdemanor,
but you are hopeful for the recovery
of the recalcitrant. Blessed all prison
reformers! Blessed are those gov
errors and presidents who are glad
when they have a chance to pardon!
Blessed the forgiving father who well
comes 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. It
snatches the life preserver from the
man af1oat and affords not so much
as spar or plank as substitute. It
would extinguish the only light that
has ever been kindled for the troubled
and the lost. Let the spirit of inf
deity take hold of neighborhood,
and in that town the marriage rela-
ton is farce and good morals give
place to all styles of immorals. Let it
take possession of this earth, and
there will be no virtue left in all the
worlds circumference. 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 infidel-
ity and agnosticism, 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 belittle 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 i
To find that all the sages said
Is In the book our mothers read. !
Have lightning in your eye and a /
flush in your cheek and .frown on
your brow for bastard that would |
blot out the sun and moon and stars !