Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-02-02

and n murderer at heart. Like pam
Their crouching among the long grasses
OF the African prairie. waiting for the
time he could spring upon helpless
antelope. Shylock was longing for the
time when he could lay Antonio a
corpse at his feet
Defect In Character.
Elder brothers, you have no GROUND .
for pride II the restraint that has kept |
you from prodigality is itself a defect
Of character. 1t is true that you have
not gone of as a prodigal into a Iar
country of sin. You have not given
midnight banquet and started your
Young friends on the path to a drunk
ards grave by teaching them how TO
bury their lips in the red poison OF the
wine cup. You may have been 100
stingy for that; you may have oeen SO
mean and stingy that there is no fear
that YOU would drink q glass of wine
or smoke a cigar unless some one else
paid for IL. 1t is not principle lhat
saves some men from going to destruc-
ton by the broad highway OF dlsso-
luteness, but penuriousness. They hold
on TO every dollar they have and are
too stingy to spend cent. They keep
their money as long as they can ana
never give a cent to a friend unless
they make that friend give them first
class SECURITY and pay full interest.
But. my so called respectable and up
right pharisaical friend, though you
are not n prodigal, you may be usur-
or. an extortioner and slanderer. You
NAV be a robber of the poor Widows
mite and q contemplate tyrant in your
dealings with your debtors and your
EMPLOYEES. You may be a peddler or
evil reports and q murderer Of your
neighbours reputation. You may De
one of those keen, cold automatons
without one drop Of human kindness
in YOUR heart. You may be so merci-
less in your dealings with MANKIND
that you will not stop for one moment
to consider the sad causes which LED
YOUR friends into sin or into financial
difficulty. And, elder brother, If your
faults are meanness and avarice, though
you may have never violated the GRIM
inal code of your state, you are at heart
n sinful monster. a financial tyrant;
Won are at heart merciless calumnla-
tor. God despises your unrepented sins
lust as much as he despises the sins OF
the prodigal in the far country.
Satan is no nearer being Christian
gentleman for dressing himself IL
broadcloth. The hangman's moose is NJ
less fatal for being deftly placed about
the doomed throat by white fingers
a-clitter with diamond rings. Because
YOU. oh, elder brother, stay at hom'
and live under your fathers roof, tina
is no reason why you may not be Twin;
10000 miles away from your father
love. do not believe there is NOR
contemplate character painted in al
> the word pictures of the Bible than tnl
cold blooded, unforgiving, sneerine
carping elder brother, who was read
: to take every advantage he could owe
his fellow men if he could only do
:, without disobeying the letter of tn
law. Instead of being drunk wit
:. wine he was intoxicated with self col
= ceit and seifishness. Instead Of bein
q beggar or earning his bread by ten'
: ing swine he was ready to unkennel tt
' bloodhounds of vindictive rancOr, whie
would tear a repentant brother lin
:, from limb.
n Despfcab BILE Spirit.
n The elder brother thinks that his L
"a vine Fathers house is not big enou&
to hold two sons. He feels that If
brother is allowed to come back the I
r. turning prodigal will crowd him out
re some room which rightfully belongs
6. him. He SAYS to himself: There
h. that drunken loafer of a boy. He b
ut taken his one-half of the property; nc
~ he is coming back to eat up part of L
n half. | know that father is so XII
In hearted that he will give part of
We rightful inheritance to this lazy sper
as thrift, this boon companion of dissolI
nd characters. If he has spent his {
Irt then let him starve. That is just WI
,lv he deserves. He has no right comi
as back, to be vampire upon my pr
RS erty." So the selfish elder brothers
I'd. many of our large churches refuse
les let the prodigals come among them a
| will not allow them to be received
in EQUALS in their Fathers house. II
DIV seem to think that the advent OF
of poor and outcast means their own
the cial extinction and their spiritual
the basement.
ar Where can the despicable, pharis'
al spirit of the elder brother be fot
lar more conspicuous than in some of y
as modern Sunday school classes? 20
oks say the we'll dressed young girls of
,ut- class, you are not going to put t
his poor girl in our class. Why, 1t
had ruin the whole class! You can't EXP
Deo- the daughters of millionaires to al
ing. ciate with sewing girls even in
,uld day school," Where can you I'M
OF more despicable, pharisaical spirit t
ave In the missionary life of some of
to large city churches? There are N
the large aud wealthy churches that
mid supporting missions in the foul sl