The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-03

settees are In Just the right positions un-
der the trees All that most of US feel
is needed to make life happy is there.
The old soldiers do not have to worry
about their meals or their money or the
beds in which they are to sleep, or the
doctors and the nurses, who will care
for them when they are sick. All Is pro-
vided for them. But as a class are the
old soldiers In Sawtelle happy? No. Go
to the old soldiers home and begin to
talk with these veterans and you find
them discontinued. What do they say?
Praise their surroundings? No. lnvari-
ably they will find fault with the over
seers and with their food and with their
associates and with this and that and
with the other thing. They have nothing
to do, and so a large part of them spend
most of their time in complaining. o
man, want you to thank God that you
are compelled to work day In and day
out. month in and month out, year In
and year out. When a friend came TO
Caylus the celebrated French antigua
rian, and asked him why he always was
at work. he answered: II engrave lest
hang myself" Thus all men can most
easily find contentment. not in dleness,
but in severe and unrelenting toll.
nfdels as Old Men.
But there is still another ract l want
you 10 IOllC6 dDOul lilt OlN 0OlhlNAS. ! iS
approach of old age and of death does
not change a mans views toward God.
If he is a blasphemer when he is young,
he is apt to be a blasphemer when he
is old. If he mdicules and sneers at the
Bible when he is young, he is apt to be
a scoffer and an agnostic when he Is old.
The most solemn sentence L ever heard
uttered was by the chairman of the meet
ing when 1 spoke before the Old Soldiers
home, at Sawtelle. Mr. Talmage," he
said, you viii have sitting before you all
kinds of men. Agnostics, inields and
atheists, as well as Christians, are all
here" What" l said to myself, can
it be possible that any of these gray
haired men, who are SO soon to meet their
God are men who dare to go to sleep at
| night without the prayer upon their lips
that Christ will be their Saviour
Then, a short time after, in order to
| corroborate this statement | said to one
of the chief chaplanis of the Grand Army
homes, chaplain, have you any atheists
and agnostics rere?" Yes he an
swered, but | want to tell YOU a very
wonderful fact about this: Almost With
out exception the good men are believers
in Jesus Christ And the old soldiers who
are atheists and agnostcs can be classed
| among the canteen men. All. then
said, '1hat accounts for infidelity among
the old soldiers 1t is the same reason
| which accounts for in1deiity everywhere
! found among the men and the women of
! today Atheism and agnosticism and in
| fidelity are in most cases not a matter
of the head but of the life.
| When a man wants to drink and TO
| go to places of evil resort( then that
| man wants to argue away Christ Among
| the canteen men you find most of the
! scoffers and the derfders of Jesus Christ.
Among the frequenters of the saloons
| and of the low variety shows and of the
| places of evil resort, you can find the
| most of those who are enemies of the
| cross. If you are ready to give up your
| sins then you are able to appreciate
| Christ. 1t is sin which is binding our
| ewes to the cross, and not doubt And
| would have you. furthermore, remember
| that when you approach the grave, like
! the old soldiers, the more those sins will
| get "a tighter grip upon you, and the
| less you will be able to see Jesus Christ
| as he is. As now call to the old soldiers
trembling upon the verge of the grave
| would call to you Except we give up
| YOUR sins We shall never see the glory
| and the beauty of Jesus Christ Repent!
Repent Repent of your sins or we shall
! all likewise perish
A Great Picture.
| Oh that we all might be what every
| Christian veteran of the Grand Army
| of the Republic ought to be. Some time
| ago I saw one of the most dramatic pic
| lures ever painted by the brush of man.