The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-08


breaks his arm, or leg; another, think
ing he is a better climber, instead OF
being warned by the fall of his com
panion, climbs a little higher, falls and
breaks his neck. Thus. in all the af-
fairs of life recklessness is making
wrecks
The sin of this age is lying; not tell
ing whopping big lies such as would
disgueSt even the father of lies: fol
that would make one little unpopu-
lar, in the neighborhood, and. perhaps
subject him to the annoyances anC
perpleXitieS of a church trial.
The devil is called the father Of
lies because he started the business
when he told Eve there was no harm
in eating the forbidden fruit; but
there was enough of truth in his willy
statement to make his ruinous lie seen
to her like truth. That is the fine
art of lying, SO well understood by
those three men who excused them
selves from attending the great sup
per- One had bought land, amber
five Jokes of oxen, and a third had
married a wife, which things, they
claimed, prevented them from honor
ing the invitations; whereas, the truth
was, they did not care to go to the
supper.
| am often made to doubt when
hear excuses; for l am sure that hui
man nature is just as full of carnal1ty
now as It ever was. If one does not
wish to do thing, which he ought
to do, it is so easy for him to have
the headache, the back-ache or to feel
mighty bad generally, and to think
that the excuse absolves him from the
duty.
l am really afraid that church peo-
pie, as good as they are, tell stories
sometimes, in trying 10 account for,
or excuse, their short comlngs i
don't know that they do, but 1 say,
am afraid some of them dodge the
truth when they tell why they do not
attend meeting. l never was rude
enough to tell a brother [ thought he
was lying, when / was hearing his ex-
cuSe; but, I've often thought as !
listened to his story, that If 1t had
been a picnic a barbecue, a political
speaking, or a circus, the excuses he
gave me would not have kept him
from attending. I'm a witness in
court next week. said a brother; $50
1 can't be with you. in the protracted
meeting on Monday On Monday he
went off with an excursion. He told
the truth; he was witness at court,
but knew that he would not be called
before Friday; therefore, the excuse
he gave for not attending church on
Monday was very much like other eX
cuSeS.
1t is astonishing how much like tn
truth lie can be made to appear
but, its horns and hoofs will stick GU
ana tell what it is.
| guess lying comes naturally for !;
boy don't need to be more than knee
high, or thereabouts, to begin the ~
ing business. In fact, 1 am inclined
TO the opinion that babies are little
story-tellers. They don't blab out
falsehoods as they will do when they
get to be a little Older and larger
but, everybody knows that babe
make more fuss over nothing than l.
compatible with truth. One of then
gets mad and raises Cain, kicks wors.
than a mule, and wriggles equal to a
worm, making out like it's got bao
case of collie. The mother hastens tt
give it a ginger dram or little sooth
ing syrup, and soon it quiets down into
a beautiful smile. and the mother JUS
knows the dear little angel was suf-
fering ever so much pain. The trutt
of the matter was, the little rasca
was mad-wasn't hurting bit-anC
when it got it's dram, it did like
great many older people do when the!
get about half drunk-got in a might.
good humor, and tried to look swee,
and innocent All babies are no
alike. Some are bad, some worse
none good. all the time. | can't preach
if more than fifteen or twenty are cry
ing at the same time. l don't mine
two or three. ] think if the mother
can stand it. all the time, ! ought no
to complainant | don't But, =
sometimes think the people had rathe
listen to babies than to my preaching
fnr 'xrnn dozen
ing babies will just about take all the
attention of a congregation. Beating
the air is about all 1. or any other
preacher, can do when the babies arr
kicking up a row.
Swapping babies, in time of preach
ing, is an exercise that may be health!
to the babies and interesting to thei
parents: but. somehow l don't thlnF
it's a means of grace to eitheP-fa
less to the congregation. Don't know
what / mean by swapping babies
Well, it's this way: Papa sits on on
side of the aisle with Grover Cleve
land or William Mckinley, a dear lit
tie boy three years old in his lap
while mother sits on the other sid
with Susannah Wesley, d year and
half old daughter in her lap. Abou
the time the preacher takes his text
Grover Cleveland wants to go t.
mamai And about the same time
Susannah Wesley wants to go t.
papa. AT first father tries to quie
Grover Cleveland and mama make:
an effort to amuse Susannah Wesley
Seeing that they can't pacify the dea,
angels, they rise at the same moment
and make for the aisle, by crowdins
past and stepping on the feet of those
people sitting between them and the
aisle. At length the swap is made
papa goes to his seat with Susanna
Wesley and mama returns to hers
with Grover Cleveland. About which
time. Henry Clay, another little boy
wants to go to his mama, and little
Alice Roosevelt, a year old girl, witt.
red shoes on, wants to go to her papa
and so another swap is effected, JUS
in time to give Grover Cleveland anC
Susannah Wesley the right of way to
swing back to their old partners
No. I don't begin to believe a child
has the collie every time it kicks up
row in church, or raises Cain about {
O'Clock in the morning, and won't be
satisfied with anything less than being
walked by papa, for an hour or two,
barefooted on cold floor, when it's
zero weather.
Moses was the first crying baby Of
which we have any account in the
Bible; before his time. We read that