The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-04

folly or trusting Tn eontinu-
 lnee of material blessings as a means
 of happiness. The text is Proverbs xvii,
 L Boast not myself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what day may bring
 forth7
 One of the most impressive pictures I have ever sen was one entitled "rhe Journey of Life" It depicted q row boat being pulled out to a ship in the ofling. A large family with their house. hold goods were in the boat. In the stern were the gray-haired grandfather and grandmother Like the great pie ture of Napoleon leaving France, these two old folks were earnestly scanning the reeeding shore. Their lives were nearly ended, and their thoughts were in the past. They were living entirely in the sweet memories of the days that were gone At the feet of the old folks their grandchildren were playing with their toys. Like two little kittens, they did not seem to care what was happening. Their thought world had not yet been entered. Just beyond two young lovers were plighting their troth. They were walking for a little while in the cloud lands. They were slpping for a short time the sweet nectar from the flowers which bloom only for a day during the mating of the birds. But at the brow of the boat stood the strong man of the world with his wife by his side. His eye had an eagle glance His brow rest ed on his hand. He seemed to be look ing into the dim future, at his home which was yet to be built in foreign land. at the visionary fields. which were yet to be titled and at the fortune which he was yet to make The picture was suggestive to my mind of that moment ous journey which we call the voyage of life.
 Not all of us reach the stage typified by the grandparents Some come to the end of the journey in the period of child hood, some in youth some in mature life. It is very uncertain, but It Is well in our early years if we plan carefully for the future instead of spending the time in idle dreaming or in pleasure. The foundations of our career are laid earlier than some of us imagine, and, whether that career be long or short, those foun- dations should be laid well.
 These plans are very different from the presumptuous boasting condemned in my text Here King Solomon describes the lazy man, the indolent man, the pro man, the man who is giv- Ing free license to his evil passions, the man who is blinding his eyes to all the opportunities of the glorious present as he says to himself: T know l am not doing as I ought to do. But what Is the difference? Rome was not built in a day. life is not spanned by the short bridge of twenty-four hours. This day I will eat and drink and be merry, and tomorrow I will do as l ought to do' "Ah;" says the great king, today is thine. This coming twi- light may be thy last eventide. Perhaps the moon which will arise tonight will shine through the open window and touch thine ashen cheek as the attend ants are preparing thy body for the burial. Tomorrow may come to thy neighbor, but this day may usher in for thee an endless and unchanging eternity. Let me read for you again the sentence, ''Boast not myself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.'
 Timely Warning.
 These words are a timely warning to those who are slowly, yet surely, all lowing the fatal coils of an evil habit to intwine about them-timely because these poor ueluutu NlCllllS Sttih lb bt So- ing to their destruction with wide open eyes. as an OK to the slaughter But somehow they feel that, no matter how deep their feet may be sinking into the ouicksands or how thick the slimy sea- weeds may be wrapping themselves about the swimmers body, yet they can come safe to land and break loose from the evil habits whenever they will, Now, my friend, l would tell you that an evil .I nf twin xNa lxnr with grows stronger If an evil habit has you in a tight clutch today it will have you in a tighter wise tomorrow. It ls folly for a man to say, ''I will break away from this evil habit tomorrow" If you cannot break away from that evil habit today you cannot tomorrow. If you are not willing to break away from an evil habit today in all probability you will be weaker still tomorrow. The law of the increasing moral weakness of the wrong doer and the increasing strength of an evil habit--is irrevocable.
 Habits- Like Quicksand.
 A man becomes more and more helpless in the grip of an evil habit, Just as in the clutch of quicksand. l am glad l used that illustration. 1t is one that you will feel if you have ever been caught in those treacherous depths. 1 remem- Der some time ago when driving through the western country we came to rather wide creek. l was about to drive through it when the gentleman with whom l was riding said Walt; let me test it." He took off his shoes and stockings and started for the other side. Come on!' he cried. Ut is shallow all through" l shook the reins as signal to the horse, and he started. He went only a few steps and then stopped, frightened. No sooner did he stop than the wheels of the wagon began to sink. Come ont Come onr' cried my companion. "The auicksands are catching you. Come on." But come on 1 could not. In a minute or two the wheels had sunk third of the way to the hubs. The horse could not pull the load. 1t was no time for argument. We leaned out of the wagon and plunged into the water. clothes and all. Then every hand took hold of a wheel and began to lift and push, and we just saved the wagon and the horse "Ah," l said to myself as 1 came dripping out of the water, ''how like the deceptive influence of the quicksands are evil habits When we first drive up to them they look so harmless and innocent, but no sooner do we allow these evil habits to grasp us than, like the dangerous quicksands. they will creep up to the ankle, then to the knee, then to the hip and then to the heart. Then the more we struggle the deeper we will sink and the more help less we will become"
 My friend. what fight have you to say that the evil habit which is working such dangerous havoc in your life now will be more easy to eradicate tomorrow? If it is difficult to chain a little cub as he snarls in your hand and bites and scratches and tears your bleeding flesh to get away, will it be easier to tame and