The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-05-11

the future would convince us of the
Importance Of these little country
churches, for they mean the building
OF happy homes and firesides, where
men and women live in fidelity to
their obligations and children grow
up to be young people OF good habits
and moral character Not many years
would see these boys and girls grown
up men and women with families of
their own and blessing the day when
this church was organized in their
midst
Value Of Good Habits.
Col Hofer advised the young men
to get rid of any bad habits they
might have. It took sacrifice TO quit
using tobacco or drinking liquor, or
profanity after II was once acquired.
1t was worth $500 year to any young
man to get rid of a bad habit. as II
was a handicap on his success in life.
A bad habit once acquired clupg to a
man closer than brother and in the
end made slave OF him and we
should get rid of bad habits. not to
become better than others but be-
cause 1t was wrong to live. in subjec-
tion and slavery to anything. The
boy who had to have cigarette every
so often to enjoy life was as much a
slave as IL he wore chains. The man
who punished a drink of whiskey
every so often was furnishing himself,
and the man who could not let slot
machine alone was simply proving
that a majority of mankind are. ca.
pable of becoming deliberately the
victims Of their own folly
Talked About Prayer.
The speaker surprised all present
by switching from bad habits to pray
ing. Prayer was the first thing the
child learned. Before the A. B. c, was
llsped In school the mother had |
taught her child some form of prayer
and happy was the man or woman
who went through life without forget.
ting that simple petition learned from
the sweetest voice in the world-a l
mothor'a There came time in
cvery mans life when some praying
had To be done He told OF an Incl.
dent I'm boyhood whom with some 9th.
cr boys they had run away from
school and one boys leg was broken
and they had TO roll log uphill quite
a distance. Not being able TO move
he log the worst boy in the lot pro-
posed that they repeat the Lords
prayer and they did, and then relieved
he injured boy with strength given
hem by that prayer when seven men
'ould not lift the log
This led TO the bear story told by {
senator Mason in congress. about the
profane man who was a basphemer
lUt once out In the mountains. cross
ng a canyon on a slippery log met a
bear In the middle OF the chasm. He
had never prayed before and sent up
4 petition, saying, "Oh, Lord, | have
been a bad man, have no claim on
your kindness but, Oh, Lord, help me
In my extremity. II You cant help me.
don't help the bear. but Just stand on
and You will see one Of the greatest
bear fights you ever witnessed. ~
Prayer should be appropriate and
silent or expressed inhu-
enced the individual far more than
the deity addressed, but no prayer
ever was unanswered or without it's
influence. He told story about an
old Englishman who work his form
hands very hard. He barely took time
to eat but always said grace in a
hurry. winding up with something
like the following concluding by ad.
dressing the Creator and the hired
man in the same breath And bless
ms all for Chrlsts sake Joe pass the
potatoes"
A fine dinner was served and a
handsome sum realized for the sup
port OF the erosion church.