Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-07-16


dom. have bartercd away my life.
Not so fast. brother: not so fast. You
have flung yourself into the quagmire
of sin. but by your very words of de-
spair know you are near To the king
dom. have had in my time much eX-
pericnce with young men. and l have
sometimes found that. like the prodi-
gal who left his fathers home for the
far country. many young men reared
in the best of homes have flung them
selves into the secthing whirlpool of
sin. But these young men We're like
the prodigal also in that they came
back TO their fathers home after they
had spent their all. The golden cords
of parental prayer are now Juggling at
your heart Nilest of sinners you may
have been; most hcartless of hayward
boys may have been your history, but
today God is calling: your dead moth
er. your redeemed mother. is calling;
your broken hearted father is calling:
Come. come. come home! Oh, sinner,
come home" Will you hear the cry ?
Way off i'm that far country of sin
''thOl art not far from the kingdom Of
God" Thou art not far from Christ,
but near, on account of your early
Christian home training
Don't Live For Yourself Alone.
Almost saved. Yes. you are know
II 10y the unhappy looks that are CHS
elcd i'm the wrinkles of your face.
thought the height of mans happi-
ness could he estimated by the length
Of his bank account. You thought the
worldwide area of his JOY could be al
ways circumscribcd only by the hem.
isphcric spread of his fame. But now
wealth and fame only bring added
cares. You know that if man lives
for himself alone. if he does not seek
the higher joys of the soul. if he does
not live for Christ. seeking also the
welfare of his brother man. he can find
no happiness on earth ut all.
l can imagine Il scene in your life
which brought its emptiness wildly
before you. Such scenes. varying in
their details. come TO many Il man. bid
ding him pause and consider what is
the true purpose of life Let me see!
Where did this scene happen: In Chi
cagO. You are wealthy merchant.
You have come out on Il visit to Los
Angeles. II was in Chicago. as near
as can make out. on Il Saturday night.
the second week of January. The fire
was burning brightly on your Office
hearth. The table by your side was
filled with papers. The employees.
working ten hours day. sometimes
think the employer entering his Office
ut 8 or 10 o'clock in the morning has a
very easy time. But long after the
busy beehive of the modern dry goods
emporium has stopped its hum. and
the tired little cash girls have crowded
the streets laughing. shouting. perhaps
smiling ut the passersby. in juvenile
delight ut being set free from toll. and
the bookkeepers have balanced the ac-
counts. and the iron shutters have been
pulled down. and the clerks have clos
ed their counters. and the cashiers have
locked their safes. and the delivery
wagons have ceased their rumbling,
and the wornout horses have been fed
and blanketed i'm their stalls. and the
street lamps have become as multitude
nous as the visible stars of the heavens.
the tired merchant works on. The
wool in the fire place cracked and
laughed. The flames leapcd higher and
l.; nd
the reports of the different departments
recorded the business triumph Of a
whole year. Stock had been taken. for
the holiday goods were all sold. Every
promissory note had been met There
was plenty of money in the bank to
clear away the remaining debit sides Of
the ledger
what Shall II Profit "a Mani
Was not that the history. q rich Chi
cagO merchant. of the first results of
your mathematical calculations on the
Saturday night of the second week in
last January: But what about the sec
Ond calculation you made that impor-
tant night? AS you sat there in your
easy armchair you began TO dream
about the past. You began TO wonder
IL all this endless struggle for n world
ly success really paid. AS you dreamed
you thought of the many nights when.
unable to sleep, you had tossed about
your hot pillow and thought how the
business world was trying to drive you
to the financial wall. even as some man
with the death marks upon his check in
his old age may be feeced of his all.
You thought how your very best mo-
tives had always been impugned. And
then, strange TO say. instead of glOating
over your past financial success as the
fire fickered lower and lower an I'M
seen power made you write upon a
broad sheet of white paper this prob
lem. What shall II profit Il man IL he
shall gain the whole world and lose his
own soul?" And as you studied that
problem you were compelled to write
after ii word of seven letters. You
wrote that one word in letters of fire.
Nothing" Nothing" Nothing" Am
l wrong. o financial magnate. i'm stat
ing today thou art not far from the