Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-03-31
Calnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talrnase, d. d.

Los Angeles, Cal, March 20.-In this
sermon the preacher points out the
many dangers In business and morals
OF reckless Endorsement and the evils
pf indiscriminate recommendation.
The text is Proverbs vi, 2, Thou art
SHARED with the words OF thy mouth"
There are many ways OF killing game.
The one Is TO go after IL with gun, ar
row or spear; to Stay ii. as "Scotty"
McDougall slew Krag, the Kootenay
ram OF Mountain Sheep range; or TO
lie In wait for IL, as did Roualeyn
George Gorden Cumming. the mighty
lion hunter" I'm African jungle; or to
relentlessly follow ii through American
forests, as did Pathfinder in the old
Leather Stocking Tales or to course
for 1t, as the old English sportsman
with hounds used to chase the foxes
over the Lancashire flats; or to pursue
it with hawks, as the knights of old I'm
falconry would hunt the birds Of the
air. AS the eyes of the jungle mon
archs or the kings of the air look into
the fearless and unfinching eyes OF
man, the hunter knows that an un-
steady hand or a bullet miscarrying
its mark one inch may mean his own
death. Then the elves of the hunted"
might become the 'lves of the hunt
ers."
Mighty must be the exhilaration of a
brave man when killing big game. AL
most Intoxicated with excitement must
be that modern Esau, Chenler, who, In
the solitude Of an African forest hun
dreds Of miles inland, hears the wild
roar OF man eating monster coming
nearer ana nearer to the deer. ticks.
Lying there. be knows that If he can
only stay yonder mountain OF muscle
he VIII save scores and perhaps hun
dreds OF human lives, for man eating
lion or tiger has been known to live
for years upon human flesh. So fear
ful do the natives become of such hui
man eestyoyers that they have depopu-
lated whole villages and towns, fleeing
from their rayages.
Next to the actual experience of per-
sonally hunting the wild beasts of the
forest Is the fascination OF reading
nbout the marvellous deeds OF the
stortsmen who destroy them. Hunting
such animals single handed and alone
always has had and always will have
an attraction for brave men. The
hunters life Is a dramatic and an ex-
citing one. But there is n more eff
fectual means Of depopulating the for
ests OF their game than the gun, the
arrow or the spear. The trapper's work
has always been more fatal to game
than the aimed rifle OF Kit Carson
Where modern American Nimrod has
been able to shoot one mountain lion
In a night the trapper of the Hudson
Bay Fur company was able to come
Into camp staggering under the pelts
OF ten, twenty, fifty wild beasts killed
In the same night. Yes, the trapper's
work is the most widespread and dam
gerous and deadly to the wild beasts
or forest. As the Rocky mountain
bear might put his great shaggy paw
into merciless trap, whose iron jaws
snap shut and whose teeth probe their
way through his flesh to the bone. this
Bible scene OF my text describes the
predicament of the indorser who fool
ishly becomes the guarantor OF friends
or an acQuaintance's honor. As old
bruin tugs and pulls to get his leg loose
ana keeps on tugging and pulling until
peration eats ID of TO get free and then
goes hobbling away to his den. so
King Solomon describes the somewhat
similar predicament OF the unfortunate
man who has become n surety for his
friend. My son." said he, IF thou
be security for Thy friend,
thou art shared with the words of thy
mouth, thou art taken with the words
OF thy mouth" 1t is manning or de-
struction by an unseen trap. The in
uorser's dangers are great. I preach
this sermon to warn my hearers aud
readers against these ensnarements
which are set for many OF us. And
wnen 1 warn you against the indorser's
perils i also warn you against the sins
or an unjust recommendation of in
competent friends or mere acauaint-
ances for positions which You do NOT
positively know they are able TO ill.
These two evils come In the same cate
CORY.
The lndorser's Predicnment
why Is the indorser's predicament
like that OF wild beast caught in a
Uapl First, because he is enticed into
It's dangers unawares He does NOT
seek them out Of silly curiosity or
from mere Idle desire, like the ante
lopes that come nearer and nearer 70
the white nag waved by the hunters
lying hidden IN the grass. He does not
Charge them, as wounded stag might
turn upon the hounds or an angry
boar. caring not what happens, might
rush against the fatal spear held ont
for his destruction. But the indorser
goes into his trap as unsuspectinglv
ana innocently as the wild turkeys are
caught The trappers build cage
with q small opening. Then they scat
Ter corn along the path leading to the
cage, and the wild turkeys, with their
beads down picking up the corn. walk
into the trap, and when they lift their
heads they cannot see the exit and are
easily slain. BE goes into it and is
captured 40 the mighty Bengal tiger is
caught In q cage. The agile beast
makes one spring upon the bleating
sneep tied to the stake in the middle
or the cage. and Immediately the trap
door slams shut. So the indorsers are
caught and are like the victims that
Jeremiah describes as good men being
SIN. For among my people are found
wicked men. They lay wait, as he
that setteth snares. They set trap.
They catch men"
lndorsers are innocently caught In a
trap. How? The merchant is sitting
In his Office, and a friend enters. He
says; Hello. Mr.. So-and-So. 1 am
glad to ind You in. am in a finan-
cial hole and want you TO help me out
You know spring Is here, and j must
lay In my goods now for the winter.
My business was never better than
now or prospects brighter However,
In order to compete with my rivals I
must branch out and get more stock.
The wholesale firms say IL you will in
dorse my note they will let me have
the goods. OF course there is abso-
lutely no danger OF your ever being
called upon to pay. Will you indorse