The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-01-06
A: SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
BREAD UPON THE WATERS"

| Opinion Of the Worldly Economist is
| Not a Supreme Court Whose Decisions
Are Binding on the Christian.
BROOKLYN, N. Y.-Sunday morning, in
tue White Church {Bushwick Avenue Re-
formed) the pastor, Rev. Edward Niles,
preached on BREAD Upon the Waters"
The text was from Ecclesiastes xi: !:
"Cast thy bread upon theswaters, for thou
shalt find it after many days" Mr.. Niles
said:
The book of Ecclesiastes is the life re-
view of the wisest and richest man of his
day. Every statement has been tested.
A young man might have said the same
thing with equal eloquence and convic-
tion, but the impression on the mind OF
the elderly reader would be, eyes, his ad-
vice is all very, well in theory, but what
does he know about hfe?,
| The words of the aged Solomon are open
| to no such criticism. Our text is the first
of the short, pithy sentences with which
the teachings of his wonderful career are
summed up.
In thought he goes back to the enrly
days of his reign. Then his country was
insignificant Jerusalem itself was a -pi-
oneer city only thirty-three years old. His
people bore something of the same rela-
ton to the surrounding nations as did the
Beers of dozen years ago to the Euro
|
ious self contained, with few extremes Of
poverty or wealth, who had partially en-
slaved, partially exterminated, the orig.
inal inhabitants of the land. Yet, they
were mostly isolsted on their plantations
and lacked the polish of refinement and
culture which only comes with long set
tlement of a country and contact with the
great world
Solomon recalled how ardently he had
entered into the work of putting his sub
jects abreast of the times. He had wild
reached the Red Sea. There a dockyard
was established, fleet of ships was built
and launched, marking the first ventures
of the Jews in commerce.
Human nature being the same in all
fogy demonstrated. "What, take hard
earned money, the result Of SO much toll in
the fields, and put it in these tubs, to go
on no one knows where, to return no one
be so foolish as to throw away our money
| on the sea-"
The day when these ships sailed off in
search of trade and profit was likely made
the occasion of great pageant by the Gov.
| ernment to counterect these grum blngs.
but as week after week went by. and
month followed month, nothing was heard
of those much discussed ships. The wise
acres became all the wiser, shook their
disconsolately. The time came, however,
when off in the dim distance the watcher
by the sea discerned white speck upon
the water. Looking more intently, he
saw here a ship, there another and be-
hind still more. When near enough to
be hailed all were found to be we'll. Their
venture to countries before unknown had
leen crowned with success.
AS the crews with their rich burdens
| wended their way overland to Jerusalem
the rumors of the profit of over 81 ,000, 600
from the single voyage preceded them. l
can imagine the smile Of the aged Solomon
| as he recollected the CONSERVATION the
| ews caused to the conservative croakers.
So evident were the benefits derived
from the policy of putting out money for
long periods because of the good returns
in the end, that ship building fever
seized the nation. Three year voyages
quaint, primitive Jewish community was
! fairly gorged with wealth. Silver was as
| stones in the streets of the Capital City.
magnificent palaces and other public build
| ings were erected where the rude huts had
| ~tood. Palestine ceased to become the
contempt of all countries Distinguished
royal visitors travelled over water and des.
ert to see the grandeur with their, own
ewes, to find that it was more remarkable
stories. Such was the mental vision that
came before the reminiscent writers OF
| Ecclesiastes. The cause was for that tru-
| " phenomenal industrial revolution he put
| into the precept of our text, Cast thy
bread, or thy capital, upon the waters In.
vest it in some enterprise that does not
bring in an immediate result; it shall re-
turn unto you as it did unto me, infinite
ly multiplied, even though it may be after
m.ny days" 1t is another way Of saying
! Nothing venture, nothing have
! Of course, Solomon ran many risks. His
| feet might have been shipwrecked, his
| crews destroyed by the savages visited,
| tney were in danger of losing their way
forever in those uncharted seas; yet, al.
though his eyes were wide open to the
chance of loss, he didn't hesitate to act.
| The rule of greater economy .propound-
ed in the advice, Cast thy bread upon the
waters, for thou shalt find it after many
days." is good for our own age. Those
may make living. That iss all. The shift
| less Young man who Lives from hand to
| mouth, satisfied if he barely meets his
| bills, we regard as only less than Grim
| inal. The father, with family looking
| to him for support. who tacltly assumes
that he is to be well and keep bis position
indefinitely, who lays up nothing IN the
| bank, makes no investment, .olns no ira
ternal order, pays no insurance, has more
! ready money than he who is looking TOR
| the return after many days Of the sub
| stance he is now casting upon the waters.
/ Which one is wise? The over $500, ,000, 600
we annually spend on life insurance pre-
n,iums shows how thoroughly belief in
Solomon's precept has taken hold OF the
American. people. ..,.,
Men without the yeast OF imagination
/ never rise in the business world. a short
time ago a salesman in one OF the large
notion houses, after telling me of the
prestige held by his firm ten years ago,
said: Nov, I want to leave. They don't
| seem to know how to accommodate them
selves to changed conditions. They refuse
to spend money unless they can see 1t
coming back, and our trade ls simply run,
ming away from us to other firms VINO an
these wears have been working for the
future"
providence" comes from pro, before;
video, to look Looking before you. 1t is
| the bane of the poor that in some cases
they cannot, in many cases they Will not
do SO. They buy their coal by the bucket
instead of the ton, and pay over twice as
much for it in consequence. In the sum-
mer, when it is cheap, they fail to pre-,
serve fruit for the winter, when it Will add
so much to the taste Of a meal.
1t is peculiarly difficult for child to
grasp this idea of foresight. He does not
see any use in learning the cd ARITHMETIC.
| The boys are out on the street. A football
game is in progress. 4. walk can be had
in the park. bicycle ride. Are these ben
| efts to be thrown away, so real, so patent
| for the sake of abstract knowledge that
older persons tell him may. prove helpful
years and years from now? Is it not a
marvel that the present being SO vial, the
tion of our boys and girls are persuaded