The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-02-27

could not have expected. In some n.
spects the hardest decade of life il
the thirties, because the results are
generally SO far behind the anticipa-
tions. 1t is very rare indeed that
young man does as did the young
man one Sunday night when he came
to me and said: Il have been SO
marvelously prospered since I came
to this country that feel as a mat
ter of gratitude that ought to dedi-
cate myself to God" Nin,rtenths Of
the poetry of life has beIn knocked
out of you since you came into the
thirties. Men in the different profess
sions and occupations saw that you
were rising, and they must put an es-
toppel on you or you might somehow
stand in the way. They think you
must be suppressed. From 80 to 40
is an especially hard time for young
doctors, young lawyers, young mer-
chants, young farmers, young me-
chanics, young ministers. The strug-
gle of the thirties is for honest and
helpful and remunerative recognition.
But few old people know how to treat
young people without patronizing
them on the one hand or snubbing
them on the other. Oh, the thirties!
Joseph stood before Pharaoh at 80;
David was 80 years old when he be-
gan to reign; the height OF Solomon's
temple was 80 cubits; Christ entered
| upon his active ministry at 30 years
of age; Judas sold him for 80 pieces
| of silver. Oh, the thirties! What q
word suggestive of triumph or disas-
ter!
Your decade Is the one that will
probably afford the greatest oppor-
tunity for victory, because there is
the greatest necessity for struggle.
Read the worlds history and know
what are the thirties for good or bad.
Alexander the Great closed his career
at 80; Frederick the Great made Eu-
rope tremble with his armies at a5;
Cortes conquered Mexico at 80; Grant
fought Shiloh and Donelson when So;
Raphael died at 81; Luther was the
hero of the reformation at 35; Sir
Philip Sidney got through by SO.
| The greatest deeds for God and
lagainst Him were done within the
thirties, and your greatest battles
are now and between the time when
you cease expressing your age by
putting first figure 2 and the time
when you will cease expressing it by
putting first figure 8. As it is the
| greatest time of the struggle, ad-
jure you, in Gods name and by Gods
grace, make it the greatest achieve
ment. My prayer is for all those in
the tremendous crisis of the thirties.
The fact is that by the way you de-
eide the present decade of your his
tory you decide all the following
decades.
Next I accost the forties. Yours is
the decade of discovery. I do not
mean the discovery of the outside,
but the discovery of yourself. No
man knows himself until he is 40
He overestimates or underestimate
himself. By that time he has learned
what he can do or what he cannot do
He thought he. had commercial
genius enough to become a million.
aire, but he is satisfied to make a
comfortable living. He thought he
had rhetorical power that would
bring him into the United States
senate; now he is content if he can
successfully argue common case be.
fore petit jury. He thought he had
medical skill that would make him
a Mott or Crosse or Willard Par.
ker or Sims; now he finds his
sphere is that of family physician
prescribing for the ordinary ailments
that af1ict our race. He was sailing
on in a fog and could not take a
reckoning, but now it clears uI
enough to allow him to find out hii
real latitude and longitude. He has
been climbing, but now he has got te
the top of the hill, and he takes 9
long breath. He is half way through
the Journey at least, and he is in q
position to look backward or for
ward. He has more good sense thar
he ever had. He knows human ma
ture, for he has been cheated otter
enough to see the, bad side of it, ani
he has met SO many gracious ant
kindly and splendid souls he alst
knows the good side of it. Now, calm
yourself. Thank God for the pas
and deliberately set your compass.
for another voyage. You have chased
enough thistledown; you have blown
enough soap bubbles; you have seer
the unsatisfying nature of all earth
ly things. Open a new chapter will
God and the worldss This decade o
the forties ought to eclipse all it
predecessors in worship, in useful
ness and in happiness.
My sermon next accosts the fifties
How queer it looks when in writin,
your age you make the first of tn
two figures 5. This is the decad
which shows what the other decade
have been. If young man has sow
wild oats and he has lived to thi
time, he reaps the harvest of it in tn
ffties, or if by necessity he was com
, PEELED to overtoil in honest direction
/ he is called to settle up with exactin
nature some time during the fiftie.
lHopy boya II co hard in early lif