The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-11-04
The Religion That Makes One Faithful.

The railway superintendent came down
to his office on Monday morning, sat down
at his desk and began to open his mail.
The first letter was from the wife of a
discharged conductor, which said:
Il take this opportunity to write while
my husband is at church. He has been
going regularly the last three Sundays.
He has been to see the minister, and
the minister gave him good advice and
drew up pledge, and he signed it, and
every morning and night he asks God to
help him keep it. | am sure he will never
drink again. We have only seven dollars
in the house. | am doing my own work,
though / am not strong enough to do it.
The baby is sick, and | do not know how
we are to live when the little money we
now have is gone. For Gods sake pity
us and give my husband his train again,
and / am sure he viii never drink another
drop!"
The superintendent read the letter and
handed it across the desk to friend who
had entered. Read that" said he, land
tell me what to do"
What has been his record?" asked the
friend.
This is the third time he has been
found drunk on duty. Each time warned
him, and the second time | suspended him.
This time | discharged him for good. l
can't place human lives in the care of a
man who can't be trusted. If | take him
back it won't be three weeks before he
is drinking little on the sly, and within
three years he will wreck a train, as sure
as the sun rises tomorrow.
Have you another place where you could
use him.. some place involving less re-
sponsibility?"
mo, he is physically unable to do hard
work, and there is no other kind at which
/ can put man of that sort. / don't
dare set him even watching a crossing. In
fact, there is no position on a railroad for
a man who can't be trusted to do his
duty"
Later in the day the conductor himself
came in. The superintendent received
him kindly, but with no encouragement in
his manner.
II knew you would come" he said,
"and ] must be frank and say that /
should have thought more of you had you
stayed at home and helped your wife with
the homework, instead of going to church
so that she could write me about it,"
But" said the conductor, "she wanted
me to go, and | did not know about the
letter until she told me afterward, and
really, ! am sure [ shall never fall again.
! have asked God to help me. Trust me
once more and have pity for my family"
The superintendent shook his head sad.
ly. "You want me to pity your family"
he said, "but you didn't pity them your
self, and you never thought about asking
God to help you, except to help you out
of scrape. You have got your religion
too late so far as this Office is concerned.
1t will help you to forgiveness to your
sins, and | hope will make better man
of you, but it is too late for job of rum
ming "a train. That kind of religion that
we have to insist on in this Office isn't the
kinds that helps man to get a job back;
it is the kind that makes him keep it.
believe in religion, and wish every man in
the company's employ was religious man;
but the kind of religion this company
needs is the kind that makes men faithful
to their work"
The discharged man went out and the
superintendent stern face relaxed. 81
am sorry for that wife and the sick baby"
he said, "but I can't trust human lives
to man who gets his religion so late"
The true faith is the faith which makes
faithful. 1t is never too late to look to
God for forgiveness, but penitence some
times comes too late to restore a lost OPP
portunity.- outh's Companion.