The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-06-27
SECRET FAULTS.

feet upon society as we'll as individ
ual character because of the custom
OF belittling them and softening the
terms by which we express them, are
the things the world never sees, things
which may never even find expression
IN act at all-the "secret faults
against which the psalmist prays.
Would that all might pray and strive
to be cleansed from the secret faults
which pull down character faster
than public piety and worshipful
spirit can build it up The "secret
sins" which perhaps no human being
ever knows of save the perpetrator
himself, are the real venom of hell
the poison virus to the soul, which
tants @l5 and p0Sops tfhaar tGfharaGter .GoHd
even think without those about know
ing his thoughts. Our thoughts
would be cleaner, my brothers and
sisters, if this were the case. If we
could read the thoughts of those about
us-nay, if we were willing to read
Our own minds and hearts and analyze
what we find there, no argument
would be needed to show us that a
Savior is needed by the best of us.
Many young woman allows the
company of man she thinks perfect,
yet often, if she could read his
thoughts, even with regard to herself,
she would feel that his very presence
was a r1enance to her character.
Many young man keeps the COM
pany of woman who is we'll nigh
perfect in his eyes, yet often he would
be Mortified if her secret heart could
be laid bare before him.
Beware of that book, my young
brother, which you would not have
father, mother, sister or sweetheart
see for the world One of the devils
keenest daggers is hidden in its pages.
Beware of the stories, boys and girls,
that you would not tell to the family
around the home freside. Their very
rottenness will eat its way into your
soul and life in spite of you, if you
allow them place in your conversa-
tion or Thoughts. Beware of the read
ing, fathers and mothers, that gets
into the hands of the family. The
poison of an asp is in it, if it in the
smallest sense caters to evil thoughts
and imaginations in the hearts of the
boys and girls, yes, or in the hearts
of the middle aged as well. A very
large percentage of what we see in
the average daily paper is unfit for
family use at all. Beware, my young
brother or sister, of the secret vices
which the world doesn't see, it is
true, but which can be read i'll your
faces, that sap the vitality, and rot
out the manhood and womanhood of
which you should be proud bye and
hHe~o-Reware euen-nf ~thAstke,-qtsta
them in your mind. Gas man think
eth in his heart, so is he," said Solo
mon of old, and he spoke the truth.
Negroes are lynched every year for
heinous crimes which are but the
crop reaped where evil thoughts were
sown, and petted, and fostered, and
cultivated, until they became a ruling
passion. Men see only the crime in
its fully developed maturity, but God
sees the heart, and knows the
thoughts, and will hold each respon-
sible for his own.
Thousands of our best citizens,
those whose records are clean, and
their characters unimpeached, yet
commit hundreds of crimes in their
hearts, which if committed in fact,
would send them to prison for a term
of years, but usually the world never
realizes them. But God sees them,
mere thoughts though they be, and
they are written in his book of remem-
brance. Read Matthew, 5:27 28 if
you doubt it. Many so called good
moral men and women are holding
high proud head and rejecting Gods
profered mercy on the ground that
they are as good or better than so
and so, or that their characters are
fair to look upon, yet who forget or
ignore the "secret sins" the deprav-
ity of mind so filthy and condemning
in the sight of God.
We are all likely to forget these
things, and to ignore the hundreds of
times when we fail to speak the kind
words that are so much needed, and
sometimes even to speak unkindly
instead. All too often we are guilty
of the little sly hints and whisper
ings, which so often do more to pull
down character or cause heart to
ache, than even the unkindest words
outspoken could have done. Yet all
the time we are looking out for the
big wrong things that ostracize from
society and outlaw men and show up
the real condition of the heart. We
look only to the outward appearance,
God looks upon the heart. ''Be not
deceived, God is not mocked what
soever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap" The little things of our
lives, the thoughts Of our minds, the
desires of our hearts, Our secret hab-
its, none of which may be known to
the world, are really the seed from
which harvest of character must be
reaped. Surely then, if our thoughts
are filthy, our desires unclean, our
private lives impure, the harvest
which will grow from this seed must
show more tares than wheat, more
rubbish for the burning than grain
for the masters garner.-Re0. !. b.
Noyes, in Work and W0,dS.
GEN. 0. o. HOWARD occasionally
addresses juvenile patriotic clubs.
An organization of this type enter
tanned the veteran at sociable and
dinner. A little chap near the gen.
} eral displayed good appetite. "You
eat well, my son" said the soldier.
Eyes, sir" "Now, if you love your
flag as we'll as your dinner you'll
make good patriot" General How
ards eyes beamed on the boy. eyes,