Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-10-08

recite piece You can have the finest
of Orchestras furnish the music If
you want speaking. you can hire pro-
fessional elocutionist to recite This
Is an age OF progress. The clubhouse,
the public reception halls. the larg din
ners given In large downtown restau-
rants. just as certainly mark the evo-
luton of the human race In pleasure as
a locomotive train Is an Improvement
over the old prairie schooner or the tel
egraph communication by electric wire
Is an Improvement over the cowboys
express that forty years ago used to
carry the mail from New York to San
Francisco before the great Union Pa
cific railroad was built"
Do you. my brother. think for one in
slant that the advent of the modern
clubhouse and public reception hall
and Delmonico banquets is moral i'm
provement for modern men over the
old fashioned quilting parties and mer-
rymaking frOlics which once made the
rafters of the old farmhouse creak
like the beams of Il ship at sea and
bend almost like William Tells bow?
Do you think this? I do not. believe
that any enjoyment which man is
compelled systematically to find out
side of the society of his wife and
children and home is a depicting. en-
ervating and ultimately degrading en-
joyment. believe that any enjoyment
which systematically makes Il mother
relegate the care of her children to
nursegirls and to hired hands is an
enjoyment which is poisoned through
and through by evil influences which
will ultimately bring forth harvestings
not for God. but for Satan. L believe
this tendency of the human race this
evil poison almost everywhere preva-
lent, to find enjoyment anywhere. ev-
erywhere except by your own fireside.
will ultimately result in second
downfall of man as dramatic and over
whelming and complete as when Adam
and Eve ate of the fruit of the for
hidden tree unless man himself. by
the grace of God. halts and learns
again to find his chief pleasures in the
associations of his wife and children
within the four walls of his own home.
l once heard father say to my mother.
81 hope after we are dead that our
children will believe we have loved
them and have wanted to be with
them more than with any one else on
EARTH" They lived for us. Yes. our
parents lived for us. May we be like
the old folks. May we find our chief
enjoyment not only in living for our
children. but also in the companion
ship of our children. no matter how
old or how young they may be. May
modern society not he involuted into
the pleasures of n clubhouse or a pub
lie reception hall. but he evolutcd into
the sanctified enjoyments of Chris
tian home
But. lastly, would state that the
icOnOclasts of this day are trying to
sidetrack the chief purpose for which
our forefathers and fOremothers lived
In reference to their children. Instead
OF leading parent to the altar of
Jesus and saying. "Oh. fathers and
mothers, the chief desire Of your lives
should be to consecrate your children
at these affairs and have them make a
public profession OF Christ here" they
would break these affairs. They would
say: Here is the statue of wisdom.
Dedicate your children here. Send your
boys to college and give them an in
tellectual education" Here is the
statue of Midas. Sacrifice here. that
you may leave them money" Here
is the statue of fame. Make out of
your children great orators or painters
or musicians or authors" Thus we
see scores and hundreds of parents
working by day and night to give their
childrcn-what? To give them to God
and the higher life, as their parents
tried to do! No. To give them to
worldly success, which those parents in
their hearts know may only lead their
children to moral ruin and perhaps
to eternal death.
o man. l ask of you one question.
1t is blunt question. Will you an
swer me? What would you sooner
have had your father to be-a
great speaker, great financier,
great general or q simple, noble, pure
hearted and devoted servant of Christ
as he was and is today in heaven! You
answer well. There is but one right
answer. Then, If the noble. pure, gen.
tie Christian life of your father meant
SO much to you, can you not. will you
not give to your boy the same Chris
tian heritage? BY the sacred altar of
Gods love will you not follow their eX
ample? Will you not carry out the
dying wishes of your now redeemed
and glorified parents and consecrate
yourself to your Divine Master? Will
you not here and now lead your boys
and girls to the feet of Christ and con
secrate them to the Master also? Shall
not the chief purpose of your Christian
parents in reference to their children
be duplicated In the chief purpose of
your life. to bring to Christ your chill
dren and your children's children?
Today let us have some of the old
fashioned purposes and ways and hab-
its of our fOrefathers. When we are
dying may we never be ashamed to
utter the words which Dwight l..