The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-01-06

itual way as well as in a financial and physical And especially are its teach ings pertinent to the spiritual lives of our children. Those broken down fences and that wrecked home. that hard baked clay of the deserted farm lands of the Califor- mia mesa, resemble the spiritual situa- tion in some of your homes. You have formed habits that you know are ruin ing you and undermining your relation to God Let go. The struggle will be hard, but it Is for your life. Let go. Some of you have formed associations which are poisoning your spiritual life They are becoming dear as a right hand or right eye. Let go. What did Christ say? Cut them off. Ut is better to enter into life maimed than to keep them and per
 sh. As you value your soul, let go.
 I enter your home, and what do l find? A beautiful home. Yes, it is beautiful home. The lawns are well kept The walls are delicately tinted and have upon them the copies of some of the best masters The library shelves are filled with rows upon rows of the best books, both of the past and of the present day. The grand piano Is in the corner or the parlor. You have a look of pride as we settle down to a chat after the well cooked and well served dinnerss Then, in sort of reminiscent mood, you tell me the struggle of your life. s"Yes." you say, "I have had a hard time of it. All that I inherited from my parents were good physical health and big heritage of prayers. I came to this city thirty years ago absolutely alone and friend- less. Now I have this home. My business is growing every day. My family will never want, and I am living on Easy street"
 Not All We'll.
 Well, we'll" say, lis that SO? cer- tainly congratulate you. l suppose you are now very happy man. What with a home like this and your children grow ing up all right, you have not much more for which to wslfq thissside of heaven.' With that a shadow passes over your face. sThensyou say ,1'sAh, I wish that were true. But my children are not turin ing out as they ought. The boys seem to
 have the wrong kind of companions. The girls-oh, they are so different from that first sweetheart of mine. who was my mother, and my own sisters.' Indeed, | that issstraugel Why, how could the boys | form the wrong kind of companions when | you are so much with them? Then the l girls, Of course you have brought them | up with the same kind of religious teach | ing that made your mother and your sisters the noble Christian women they | were?" s-
 | With that another shadow passes over your face. You say: "To tell the truth,
  | children My boys hardly know me. For l years my body mind and soul have been | concentrated in the store. l have not | had any time to waste in pleasures. At night I bring home my important papers | and go to my library immediately after | dinner There I sometimes work on un- | til after midnight If I did not do so I
 would lose thousands upon thousands of dollars each year" What,4You cannot afford to make your boys your compan- | ions? What, You cannot afford to give ] up part of each day for tho spiritual l development of your children? Is the dol 1 lar question so malforming your life that
 for a gold bricl; you yare willing to let
 the spiritual lives of your children abso- | lutely become deserted California
 mesa, filled with the serpents of temptaa 1 tion and the hideous poisonous tarantulas | of sin? Let go that money! Every dollar that stands between you and the proper spiritual development of your home, let | it gos7let it go. ss < s, " e
 Let'l Go.
 | Rut if the dollar wbioh stands between ! the spiritual lives of Your loved ones and | sin should be sacrificed. how much more should every dollar or every position of life which tends to draw us away from | Christ be willingly sacrifed? For, say what YOU will, the mtghtiest agency for good Or evil for the lives of our dear ones Is the example of what we ourselves truly are in reference to our relationship 10 Jesus Christ Now, my friend. as a sensible man can yous afford to sacrifice the higher spiritual purposes of life to the lower and to the .material? Are you willing to sacrifice your spiritual hopes of this world and of the next merely to attain some position of worldly honor which may bring to you only suffering and perhaps premature death from over. work? Have you set your heart upon winning an earthly throne, as did the lit tie Princess Marie Antolnette, caring not what the occupancy of that throne may cost you in this life or in the next?
 When Mozart was a mere child. he wis tied the Austrian court and became pet of the great empress. Marie Theresa. At that tine Marie Antonette was little girl. Together the princess of Hapsburs' blood and the prince of the royal house of harmony played day after day. When the time came for parting Mozart said to his little friend "Goodby, Princess Marie I go now. But when I am "a grown man I will come back and marry you" With that Ma ie Theresa's daugh- ter drew herself up as she replied; Mo zart. are you a king? Are you the son of a king? I am a princess. and when I marry I must marry a king. When I leave mammals court as queen I shall so to the court of a king" Aye. the '.-- l. -->-- sr..ysr l.sf... M ] ;