Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-09-05

stricken widow than 1t has for you?
Mark you, for what most men fool
ishly squander every year, for the
money they spend for cigars and lux
uries. for theater tickets, fishing ex-
curslons and baseball games, clubs
and parties, they could get their lives
insured for enough, and more than
enough, to support and educate their
children long after they are dead. Fur
thermOre, my brother, If you are not
willing to economic in your selfish in
dulgences for the physical maintenance
and mental development of your chill
dren by insuring your life, then your
professed love for your wife and chill
dren is a mere insincere profession Of
the lips and not Of the heart. ''Set
thine house in order"
But" l hear some one saying, 1.-The
temporal aspects Of this text do not
affect me at all. do not have to get
my life insured. am not poor. am
one Of the wealthiest merchants Of this
city. / am building up a fortune,
which is growing larger every day. If
my wife or children wish to buy any
thing. all that they have to do is to go
down to the city stores and charge the
same to me. l pay for all their lux
uries without murmur. Besides that,
have made last will and testament
and left them everything"
Yes; your statement may be all true.
But. my successful merchant friend,
have you literally set your temporal
house in order? Have you taken your
wife into your business confidence so
that she knows your plans and ideas?
Have you ever made her your business
confidant so that she would be able to
take care OF the money and the bust
ness after you are dead? Have you
taught her the difference between the
stability Of government bond and
Wall street speculation in stocks?
Have you ever taught her the neccs-
slty Of taking n receipt? Why, the wife
and the mother of your children may
be as helpless as a little child in refer
| ence to business matters after you are
dead. She might be so helpless that
the executors could swindle her out of
her money as easily as you could cheat
in business Il five-year-Old lad. Leave
your wife sense as well as cents; leave
her brains as well as bonds. "Set
thine house in order"
Make Wise PrOvisiOns.
One of the dearest friends Of our
family some years ago was left
widow with 100000. Her executor
persuaded her to invest the same in
railroad stocks so that she might have
a million dollars. She went into Wall
street and speculated. Today she is
absolutely penniless. Make no such
mistake in reference to your wife as
| that husband made in reference to his
wife, who was our family friend. The
old prOverb trenchantly teaches that
''any fool can make money, but it takes
a very wise man to keep it." When
you set your temporal house in order
see that your loved ones will be able
to care for the money which you will
bequeath them. See that the money
which you will leave will not be able
to slip through their fingers as water
can run through a sieve.
But my text has wider scope than
the mere fixing up of the temporal
house In anticipating his earthly dc
mise common sense man should set
his spiritual as well as his temporal
house in order. He should prepare for
his own eternal journey over the river
Of death, besides looking after the tenn
pOral interests Of the members of the
household he is going to leave behind.
Unless man has taken a long journey
away from home, a journey which
runs up into the months and perhaps
into the years, he can have no cOncep-
ton of the immense amount of prep
aratiOn necessary. In the first place,
he must get his letter of credit drawn
up and signed. 1t would be practically
impossible to start on journey around
the world as did some years ago, and
carry enough gold and silver with you
to pay all your necessary expenses
Why. the gold and silver would be as
heavy as a satchelful Of lead. Besides
the gold and silver that are stamped in
the American mint would not be &C
ceptable in foreign lands. Every cOun
|
rency. Further, If a traveller should be
weighed down with a satchelful OF
coin he would in all probability bC
waylaid by some thief and murderer
and slain for his gold. So 1t is the Gus
tom of the traveller about to start on q
long journey to buy n letter of credit
He pays to the cashier of any one Of
I I,,
like Brown Bros. or j. p Morgan &
: Co. certain amount of money. Tha
bank gives him letter of credit, an(
he can get the money noted in the let
ter Of credit caShed bv the agents o
l | that bank in almost every city of tn
: world. If you are going into any dan
} | gerOus region it is also very importan
| for you to have u passport. This pass
: port. signed by the secretary of stat
at Washington, is Il notification tina
you are an American citizen. If an
: foreign nation insults or maltreats you
4 that nation will have to answer for tn
e insult TO the United States government
Getting an Eternal Passport.
! Now, my friend, as you have to tax
= an eternal journey, as PERHAPS in til
very near future you will have t
. leave this old planet and so into tn
endless life beyond, what spiritua
= preparation have you made for til
mOmentOus embarkation? Have yO
made the proper spiritual preparatiO
:. for the journey which shall take 70
into country where you would like I
;. live through endless eternity, whel
- you would like to live until time itse
. shall he no longer? Have you in read
4, ness for this eternal journey a lettC
. of credit made out ut the Bank of ID
I vine Grace? Have you an eternal pas
- port written in red ink-written in IL
a blood which flowed out of the wOundC
q side of dying and an atOning Christ
If you have not such letter of credi
~ you are i'll prepared, you are lost Il
d deed, even though In this world yC
l. had all the wealth of a ROthsehild.
e. Vanderbilt, a Rockefeller or an AstO
even though you once on earth live
in as magnificent a mansion as d
h Dives Of old, at whose gate the do;
st were licking the sores of a dying be
TO gar. ShrOuds have no pockets, and
ny skeletons bony fingers can hold
of gold, and all your worldly riches W
e. then be but drOss. which you cam
st carry with you on that last journe
IT. But, If you have the letter OF credit
tit divine grace and the passport stamp
with the crimson seal of Calvary, tn
nd the long journey will be accomplish