Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-21
NAME OF MOTHER
IS MAGIC WORD
STORY TOLD BY PROMINENT
ATTORNEY
Frank Pratt Describes EventfuI Scenes
Of His Life at Meeting of City
Rescue Mission Last
Night

Chapters of his past reckless and ad-
venturous life and his regeneration,
coupled with his present attitude and
the hope of the future, We're intense
ly portrayed by Frank Pratt, prom
inent attorney of Los Angeles, at the
City Rescue mission last night. He
said in part:
my topic tonight is My Past, Pres
ent and Hopes for the Future.
my past is summed up in the story
| of the prodigal son; my present is en-
| braced in the following scriptural quo
tation: Kept by the power of God,
ready to be revealed in the last day
unto salvation and my hopes of the
future are found in the reference in
mark of my high calling in Christ
Jesus, the Lord
1.-THE prodigal son and the manner
of his salvation are well known. and
can no better portray certain chapters
from my own life than by a reference
to this story with it's beautiful en-
blem. In my eastern home l was
blessed with all that a reasonable man
could ask. My mother was all the
name implies. My father gave me the
best kind of a launching for a safe
voyage through life, and when I left
my home, we'll equipped for success
in the profession of law, such leave
taking was certainly blessed with ev
cry possible advantage.
"I cannot but recall now the impress
sion made upon me during a visit one
afternoon to the worlds exposition in
Chicago, when I gazed upon that beau
tiful picture which must have been
painted by an inspired artist, entitled
Breaking Home Ties There is the
youth with his old-fashioned gripsack
in his hands, bidding good by in that
old fashioned country kitchen to the
loved ones of his boyhood. His moth
er's arms are around his neck, giving
him holy and sweet injunctions for the
future.
Prosperity Turns His Head
"Such a blessed benediction was
mine, but oh, how far I wandered!
How could I so forget! The good
Christian home training which was
truly the great foundation stone of my
subsequent material success, plus a
collegiate course. placed me in five
years in n position which men ordinar-
lily attain in a much longer time. Brief
ly, 1 was successful to an extreme de-
gree. Prosperity turned my head. AS
the boys say, 1 caught on to the ways
of the world.
"In the whirl of cosmopolitan life was
submerged and lost. Nothing seemed
so nerve thrilling as the touch of a
thousand-dollar bill in the palm OF my
hand. When / thought myself strong
est l was truly the weakest. The in
toXicating cup wormed its way into
the web and woof of my life and one
morning 1 awoke to the awful signifi-
canoe of a material. social. physical
and last but most of all a moral blight.
Then came losses of every description,
and for fourteen months / endured the
agonies of an awful mental torture.
When all seemed hopeless, when fair
weather friends had left me, when 1
walked on Eighth avenue in New York
instead of the great white way'-I
mean Broadway-in brief. when every
thing that was sweet and pure seemed
gone, when / was truly a prodigal and
eating Of the husks, II was then the
turning point came. 1t was then /
learned that God Is not in the church
alone. I found that he was every
where. 1t was then that / learned that
cobblestones could be sacred as a
meeting place.
"Heartsick and hopeless, I heard the
voice of a good woman singing song
that truly reached my heart and soul.
oh, what power there is in song! She
was singing In a street meeting Where
Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?' /
tarried. I heard her sing again, Rock
of Ages. Cleft for Me- That brief ten
minutes witnessed the turning point
of my life. On those cobblestones 1
gave my heart to God. Something told
me that my mothers prayers We're be-
ing answered. What sweet solace there
was in the words Come unto me- all
ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and will give you rest and Him that
cometh unto me ! will in no wise cast
out
Remembered Mother
In the far-off yestern home my dear
mother was praying for me every day