Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1905-07-10

wiz be disgraced, as was nv dear
friend Schuyler Colfax, who met his
! political death in the Credit Mobilier
scandal"
Case of Schuyler Coifax.
Let me tell you how Schuyler Col
/ fax was politically ruined He was at
I heart an honest man. He was a promi
! nent member of the Christian church.
/ For years his name was the SYNONYM
of all that was good and true. Nv IA
! Their told me that if thousand men
/ had come TO him and before a column
of Bibles a mile high had sworn that
I Schuyler Colfax was dishonest he
1 would have denounced every one of
I them as a perjurer. He had known
I Schuyler Colfax for years. He knew
! he might be guilty of an indiscretion.
I but Of an intentional dishonesty-nev-
er. What was his indiscretion? Some
! dishonest men We're trying TO organize
a fraudulent conspiracy under a guise
of building the Union Pacific railroad.
/ The company was capitalized at So
10000. In order to induce a gullible
public to take stock the promoters of
this company came and said to Vice
President Gelfax, We will make you
a present. of so much stock for the use
of your name, which Will give rs n
standing in the community Schuyler
Colfax. being a professional man and
not a business man, was innocently
caught in the trap. He did not intend
to do any wrong. He thought the bust
ness enterprise of building a transcon-
tinental railroad worthy one. He
thought the value Of his good name
worth the price offered. But when
the sc0undrelly promoters of this COM
pany had flched the money out of the
pockets of the American people and
decamped the accumulated wrath of
the people as a hurricane broke over
Schuyler ColfaX's head, and he was
driven into political oblivion. Now"
said my father 10 me- never risk
your good name. Never be drawn into
any financial enterprise in the out
come Of which you cannot as an honest
man face the world with clean hands,"
Thus l say to you: Never risk your
good name. Never risk it by evil as
sociates. Never risk it in shady finan-
cial transactions the full story of
which you are not willing to tell the
world Be cautious Be cautious of
your name for yourself. Be lovingly
cautious of your good name for your
dear ones. Be lovingly cautious of
your good name for the good you can
do your fellow men. Avoid that which
is high. Run no dangerous risks.
But we must not limit our theme
here Be prayerfuIly cautious about
your faith in God and your relationship
to God. Be careful that you never do
anything to endanger that deep, ear
nest gospel faith in Jesus Christ which
you learned at your Christian mothers
knee. Be careful that you never go
with those men and women who are
accustomed to cast a slur upon the
cross or to joke about the divinity OF
Jesus Christ Be careful also thatyou
never read a book which viii in any
way sap your. Eeli gious vitality. I know
! some people ike to make the foolish
/ boast that they are strongminded
enough not to fear contact with evil
I associates or evil books. Thomas JEFF
I ferson in his old age. wrote a beautiful
/ letter to John Adams It went. some
thing ike this: Il thank you for the
book you have just sent I have made
it the rule Of my life for the last fifty
years never to be afraid to read any
/ kind Of book, and I shall study this
Lone with pleasure" But, though that
/ sentence may seem to be a very brave
statement, believe it is very foolish
one to make There are bookshelf
books-which you and l should shun
They are infdel companions you and I
should fear. You have no more right
4 to run any useless risks about your
faith in God by perusing bad books or
1 by associating with blasphemous and
: sneering infdel companions than you
have to risk your physical life or good
name by that (which is high"
Let not the legendary course Of the
old saint be your course Perhaps you
have read about the temptation of St
Anthony CT Alexandria. Born to great
wealth and social position, he gave
away all and clothed himself in monks
! garb and went to dwell in hermit's
cell in order to purify his life for
Christ. Then Satan came to tempt
him with his hirelings Satar filed
MS table with the costliest of wines
ana Vlands and said, monk. eat and
drink and make merry with me-" But
Anthony turned his face to the wall
= and prayed to God to give him strength
10 resist the temptations of the flesh.
linen Satan incarnated his devils in the
bodies of the most beautiful of wan
tons. who came to the cell and said.
Come and love me-" Then Satan ar
gued with the hermit against the ex-
istence of a Christ and why he sborId