The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-10-20
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 mai.
The first letter was from the VILE OF i
discharged conductor, which said: -,
"I take this opportunity to write While
nv 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 adviee and
drew up a pledge, and he signed It, and
every morning and night he asks GOD to
help him keep it. | am sure ne Will never ,
drink again. We have only seven dollars
in the house. I am doing my own work,
though I am not strong enough to do It..
The baby is sick, and l 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 tram again,
and am sure he will never drink another
dropw =,
The superintendent read the letter and
handed it across the desk to a friend who
had entered. Read that" said he, and
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 I suspended him.
This time I discharged him for good. l
cant place human lives in the care OF a
man who can't be trusted. If [ take him
back it won't he three weeks before he
is drinking a little on the sly, and within
three years he will wreck a train, as sure
as the sun rises tomorrow. -,
Hare you another place where you could
use him, some place involving less re-
sponsibility"
work, and there is no other kind at which
/ can put q man OF that scrt. I don {
dare set him even w..tchng crossing. In
fact, there is TO position u. railroad Tor
a man who can't be trusted to 90 ms
duty ,s
came in. The superintendent received
him kindly, bat with no encouragement III
his manner. .,
y knew vou would come he said,
"and ] must bc frank and say that L
should have thought more OF You had yo;i
STAYED at home and Helped Your wife with
the housework, instead OF going to cnurch
so that she could write rle about it.
But" said the conductor, she wanted
me to 20, and 1 did not know about the
letter until she told me aiterward, and
really. l am sure I shall never fall again.
+ have asked God to help me. Trust me
once more and have pity ior my family.
The superintendent shook his head sad, !,
". You want NE 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 hep you out
of scrape You have got your religion
too late so far as this fee is concerned.
it will help you to forgiveness to your
sins, and I hope will make better. man
of You, but it is too late for job of rum
ming train. That kind of religion that
we have to insist on iii this office isn't the
kinds that helps man to get a job back;
it is the kind that makes him keep it. l
believe in religion, and wish every man III
the company's employ was religious man;
but the kind of religion this company
needs is the kind that makes men 1altntni
to their work"
The discharged man went out and the
snperintenderi's stern face relaxed. i
am sorry for that wife and the sick baby"
he said. ''bat I can't trust human lives
to a 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 penitencee some
times comes too late to restore loss op'
por,unity.-Youth's Companion.