The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-01-17
| SATURDAY
NIGHT TALKS.
BY F. e. DAWSON, RUTLAND vt.
THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT.
Jan. 90, 'oY-(Gen. 3:1-6. 1851
BY F. E. DAWSON
RUTLAND Vt.

and delicately poised, and wonder.
fully fabricated, and infinitely com.
plicated, and omnipotently timed
that 1t never slips a cog. or heats q
bearing. or is thrown out of gear
Though 1t has been in operation for
centuries, the position Of every piece
Of the mechanism can be calculated
| 1000 years ahead, and within the
| fraction Of a second the planet, or
sun, or star or satellite will swing
| into the field of vision. What har-
mony Of movment. What infinite in
tersection. without noise or rush, COL
| ltsion or confusionl
But man was not made that way.
He was not a machine; he was ma
eh1nist. He was not complicated
engine; he was an engineer. And he
had the ability and the will, and the
power to determine whether he
would run the engine Of his earthly
career on the black valley railroad to
destruction. or the heavenly railroad
to the capital OF the universe.
Doubtless God could have made
man so that he would have been as
incapable Of doing wrong as the
wooden horses Of merry-go-round,
but He wanted a man, and not an
automaton, and consequently he was
given the power Of choice We might
IS well talk about God giving US
teeth that wouldn't ache, or flesh
that wouldn't burn. or be wounded,
as to talk about a man with no pos
sibility Of choice, an overgrown baby.
God never hypnotized anybody into
doing right.
Without wasting any time discuss
ing the origin of evil, 1t Is very GER
tain that something discordant has
come into the world, and human ma
ture Is out of joint. Evidently some
thing has disagreed with the world OF
mankind. Was it the fault of the
serpent? Look at 1t; glittering, 1.-the,
cunning, cold, smooth. poisonous,
tt looks as If It might hare done Il:
We can't imagine the lion, the ele-
plant, the eagle, or the OK engaged
in such business. 1t was a serpent
trick. For observe the temptation
was beautiful, inviting, seductive.
Everybody has eaten of that tree. It
looks nice, 1t sounds pleasant, 1t
tastes sweet, therefore, we rush upon
1t headlong.
The old theologians, In their desire
to make transgressions horrible,
painted Satan In fearful colors. He
was a black demon, with horns and
hoops and forked tail. He breathed
fire and birthstone from his nostrils,
he threw fiery arrows at his victims,
wherever his foot rested the ground
was blasted and scorched. His look
was poison, his touch was death. But
there is no such devil, and never was.
The path to ruin Is beautiful. 1t Is
radiant with light, 1t is vocal with
music, 1t Is ecstatic with pleasure.
welcome" is written over the por-
tails, Harmless" is whispered by the
breezes, fragrance floats in the air.
Would that old theological demon
ever tempt anybody? Does gall
make your mouth water? Do people
ever long for meal of bitter aloes7
Why do men fall into destruction?
They go over bottomless precipices
chasing angels. They stampede like
sheep, but 1t is pleasure they are at
ter. Forever and forever it is the first
temptation repeated, sweet, beauti-
full, instructive. Look, taste, know
are the forms In which the old SER
pent presents temptation, without
change through the ages. And every
son and daughter of Adam follows in
the footsteps Of their dear lamented
grandfather, and suffers the conse-
Quences.
If the young man, holding the
wine cup In his hands, could look
down into its depths and see woe,
and sorrow, and wounds, and broken
hearts, and tears. and anguish, and
unavailing regrets. think you he
would drink it, Never. That Is not
what he sees. The vision that he
sees is entrancingly lovely. II the
young woman. looking into the eyes
If her companion could see virtue
ost, and honor sacrificed, and home
and life Of shame begun.
and an early and dishonored grave,
.hink you she would believe the
,empter's Lief Never. It is because |
hey are deceived, deluded, fascina-
ed with brilliant prospects that the
7oung go astray. No devil except |
What is in themselves! Nonsensel |
Of people are destroyed /;
7early who never had q thought Of |
svil till some f1end in human shape
their ruin.
The trail Of the serpent-ia Is
apparent. He drags his
shiny length through every garden,
Ind there Is no Eden into which he
loes not enter. In the most unex-
'ected moment he rears his head and
begins to charm. The tree OF the
knowledge Of good and evil is always
aden with fruit. and though its ap-
'roach is guarded, and placarded
With warnings. humanity hears moth
ng, heeds nothing, knows nothing
'ut its wild desires. and on 1t goes
o repeat the folly of Adam. And, az
n the first temptation the deceived,
becomes at once a deceiver. Eve.
having fallen pulls her husband
Town with her Evil men and women
axe Satanic delight in corrupting
'thers. And so the race, linked to-
'ether in the bonds of iniouity
ridges away into exile from its
beautiful Eden, cast out by its own
oily, And the serpent wriggles away
nto the thicket Kissing with glee.
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