The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-05
way injure their own social and spir-
ituai standing

way injure their own social and spir-
ituai standing.
The Two Sons.
The elder brother never longs to sat
isfy tie divine cravings of his fathers
love l have no sympathy with some
of the excuses that are made for that
prodigal son. I have no sympathy with
those who declare that young men are
led astray into the far country of sin
because they have generous impulses
and abnormal affections and therefore
cannot say no to the tempter. That
prodigal was an migrate. every way you
take him. He was selfish, cOntempti-
Bile, dissolute rake. No man is large
hearted who will take friend to
saloon or open bottle of wine at
club when in order to do it he makes
his own children go hungry and dress
in rags. No generous hearted young
man will go into the far country Of sin
and recklessly squander his money
when at the same time he knows that
his old father is weeping at home. with
his eyes fountain of tears; but, though
that younger son was selfish, despi-
cable character, the elder was just as
despicable. When the elder brother
heard the music which signaled the
parental joy over the repentant prod
igafs return: when he saw the eyes of
his father glstening with love and his
cheeks flushing with holy thankful
l,n !, Rs,
fathers sake if he had not been selfish
and would not have tried to stab the
old man to the heart. Did he not say
i'll effect: Yes. we shall drive that dis
solute debalichee back to his. swine
trough. Then we can have the pleas
ure of seeing father again restlessly
pacing the floor through the long,
weary hours of the night" Did he not
want to hear that dear, old, gentle, for
giving father again moan over his way
ward boy as David mourned over his
dead son Absalom?
If that elder brother had been the
right kind of a son, he would have seen
what JOY came into the fathers heart
at the return of his repentant son. He
would have Immediately said: What
difference does money make if | can
only make father happy! Away with
the question of dollars and cents if my
brothers. return is only true return
So every Christian today, if he is the
right kind of a Christian, does not
think about the social condition of his
repentant fellow man. He Immediately
says, when the publican bows at the
mercy seat: 'Oh, the joy and the rap
ture of heaven. Oh, the look of tri-
umphant love which is upon my Divine
Fathers face. On, the celestial music
which in great tidal waves of sound is
rolling through the golden boulevards
of the New Jerusalem. Oh, the an
gelic voices in heaven which are every
were shouting the glad tidings: The
prodigal has returned! The prodigal
has returned to his Fathers housev"'
The Lack of Faith.
The elder brothers, conduct also
shows lack of faith in his father He
refuses to believe that his Divine Fa-
theirs love is powerful enough to
often intrenehes itself in the pew and
behind the church pulpit. Some church
members, and some ministers of the
gospel, are only theorizing when they
profess to believe that Jesus Christ can
pardon sin. They profess to believe
that Christ can transform the seven
deyiled Marys into the Marys who are
willing to sit at his feet and worship,
but these skeptical elder brothers go
forth into the great, wide. sinful world
and by their practical behavior scatter
their ideal spiritual theories to the four
winds.
When the reformed drunkard comes
home. they cry out: What is the good
Of letting that unprincipied loafer into
the house? He il just like other drunk
ards. He is only repeating for q little
while so that he may get some money
out Of US and go forth on another
spree. Drive him out at once. Let
him go to the poorhouse, where he be-
longs" When the young girl who has
led dissolute life wants to lead
pure life. instead of finding the willing
arms Of forgiveness held out to her by
her elder. sisters she finds only the shut
doors of a contemptuous rebuke Why !?
Because the cynical elder sisters do
not believe that a prodigal woman with
a black past can ever. even by divine
power, be changed into sainted wom-
an with spotless future The Grim
inaI has served his penitentiarv term
and is liberated from the stone CELL Is
the great world at large ready to for
give him and receive him back into
honorable employment If he repents?
Oh, no, The elder brothers and elder
sisters are SO bitter against the ex-con-
yicts that many d repentant one has
deliberately returned to his crimes be-
cause he could earn a living in no 9th
er way. When a visiting minister.
some years ago, asked a convict If he
would not like to be free, this answer
was given: Why should want to be
free2 Is the honest world ready to re-