Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-03-25


loving and gentle and forgiving and
helpful To your fellow men they will be
kind and loving and forgiving and gen.
tie and helpful To you. Why: Because
each day of your life you come into
personal touch with your little world.
and the friends and the people of your
community see you just as you are.
Would you not like to he loved by the
people of the community in which you
live? When you go to sleep tonight.
would you not like to feel that some
tired sick woman who is tossing
around on her bed unable to sleep Is
smiling over the good cheer you brought
her this afternoon by your visit and is
saying. God bless you. God bless
you?" Would you not like TO have peo-
pie always speaking your name and
saying NO one is ever IN trouble. but
he is ready TO help them II he cam"
Yor can win this love II you will.
Come. get a good name for kindness
and love. Come. make the people by
whom you are surrounded love you.
The love Of those with whom we come
In contact is one OF the most priceless
boons offered to man. whether he lives
In a palace or a hut.
Taking another step forward In my
subject. declare that q good name Is
the most glorious of all inherltances
which a man can leave to his children.
II means more. infinitely more. than
gold II means more than fame. more
than social position. more than landed
estate. II means more than anything
else on earth that you can give. Most
OF us want to leave our children the
best we can. We must not forget to
give them this treasure. which is OF
more value than great riches"
The Greatest OF Tnheritances.
How can parents financially poor
leave to their children the greatest Of
inheritances? Let me explain more in
detail. The adjective good" comes
from the substantive God" To be
good in the highest sense means to
be 'goodlike" or like Christ" There
fore, when father bequeaths to his
son good name" he gives to him, in
the highest sense, a Christian example
well lived. He seems to step to his
boys side and put his hand in his boys
hand ana say: MY son. want you to
come with me and kneel In prayer.
want you to come with me and learn
to read the promises of God in his
holy book. My son. when sinners entice
thee want to tell you where have
found strength in the past to resist
temptations And when sorrows come,
as come they will. want you to learn
where you can find God as a refuge
and strength" Side by side with their
Side 10y side they go with them through
life. Long after the parents have pill
lowed their heads In the dust the men,
cries of their good names or their
Christian examples live on to guide
their offspring. Are you not going to
leave to your children the inheritance
Of n good name or n Christian exam
pie, such an Inheritance as that which
your fathers and mothers left to you?
If any young men and women need
to be held to the cross of Christ by the
Christian example of parents life.
trusting In God and being with God.
those children of yours need 1t. They
have exactly the same kind of tempera-
ment that you have. They are high
strung. They are impulsive. They
can be easily swept off their feet by
success and discouraged by defeat.
What are they going to do In the
swellings OF the Jordan?" My brother.
even with all the advantages of the
Christian surroundings of your boy
hood, still you have had a hard strug-
gle. What. then. are your children 60
ing to do when temptations assail
them? They have never seen their ia
Their kneeling in prayer or walking with
Christ. They have never thought that
you had divine succorer. "A good
name" as an Inheritance? Why. it is
simply priceless in value. Is not. for
your children. II good name rather to
be chosen than great riches?
But. IL our good names are essential
to our children after we are dead, how
much more essential are they for US
when, we step out from this life into
the next. The heaviest money bag
that was ever secreted In the dark
vaults of the rich man who despised
the poor Lazarus groveling on his pal
ace steps cannot be carried by him or
his friend one single inch beyond his
grave. Do you not think it an absurd
thing for a rich man to struggle and
to keep OH struggling for something he
cannot keep over few years at best?
This money may and in all probability
will do his children damage after he
Is gone. 1t is an old saying that
"shrouds have no pockets" yet many
men seem to live as though their
shrouds would be different from all
other shrouds or that they would live
on forever and never have shroud.
Death Is Sure.
But. though death may postpone its
coming, death will surely come. Now.
my friends. what are you going to do
for your open sesame of heaven? I
grant that your name may be very
important one on earth. How impOr-