The Tupelo journal., 1909-11-26

LESSON TExT.-Rom. 14:10-21. Mem
Dry verses 10, 20.
GOLDEN TExT.-''It is good neither to
eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any
thing whereby thy brother stumbleth."-
Rom. 14:21.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
One.-The School Of Self-Control.
Temperance means the control of all
the lower parts of a mans being by
his reason, his conscience, and his
will. 1t is keeping the soul on top"
The all ~pervasive thought in the
verses of the lesson for to-day is this
~self-control, the basis of temperance
Why are we all, even the youngest
children, placed in the midst of SC
many temptations, to lie, to steal, to
gamble, to drink Intoxicating liquors,
to be selfish, and disobedient?
Because there is no other way OF
opening the door to mans highest pos.
sibilities, his fullest development, his
purest holiness, his greatest happi
ness, his largest usefulness. All who
would become strong and useful must
gain their power largely through vic.
tory over temptation. 1t is thus that
the soul builds itself larger man.
sions." 1t is a chief factor in educa.
ton. Men cultivate courage through
things that test courage. They grow
in faith through the things that try
their faith. They learn business by
taking the risks of business. People
without trials and temptations are al.
ways failures.
Why are we so full of impulses and
passions, of faculties and powers that
may be used for good or for evil? Be
cause the question of life with every
man is the question of se%lf-control, OF
temperance. Prof. Thomson in his
Brain and Personality says that "the
Will creates the man." "We make our
own brains by repeated choices which
are acts of Will. 1.-THE Will is the
ranking official of all in man."
Why then do we pray, Lead lis
not into temptation? Because there
are plenty of temptations for our edu.
cation without our seeking for more.
Because our only true attitude toward
temptation is that of a fighter, a con.
queror. Whosoever goes willingly.
with desire, into temptation is already
more than half fallen. The mad man,
described in the Greyson Letters, had
an illusion that he was acquainted
with the devil. "They say the dell
is very busy in tempting men; but he
maun haze an easy time OF, I'm think
ing. All of them meet him more than
half way. Xix ane seems to gang tc
him and say, 'Haena We some dainty
temptation for me to-day, now, Daddy
Satan? I'm sair wracked for a coax
ing temptation"
A learned professor wrote the other
day that people ought to drink a little
wine moderately, in order to train
themselves in self-control. But that is
to throw open the castle of your life to
the enemy. 1t gives him every ad'
vantage. For the tempter is like those
people who go in a large band to haze
a simple freshman, or as was once
the custom in a national military
school to make an unframed newcom.
er fight a trained athlete of an upper
class. All hazing has in it the es-
sence of meanness and cowardice.
And so has the tempter of the young
to drink strong drink.
Two.-Away with the Stumbling
Block of the Saloon. Hon. Neal Dow
was lecturing, one summer evening,
and the flies and gnats gathered in
such swarms around the lamp near
him that he took his handkerchief and
waved them away. They went for a
time, but soon returned. He repeated
his movements with his handkerchief,
with the same results. Finally, he
turned around and blew out the light;
and he~nceforward the insects We're no
longer attracted, and kept away. So
warning people away from saloons
will not be enough; you must extin'
guish the saloons themselves.
Three.-The Only Safe Way. Don't
Begin.-A little couplet, written for
children, holds weighty wisdom:
From drink, with its sorrow and ruin and
sin.
1 surely am safe if I never begin.
Said a young man to me once:
"When l feel a thirst coming on that
brings visions of the delight of it's
Stacking, l drink all the water that ]
cana great deal more than / want
and then think of something else"
But one asks, must I not use
wine because others abuse it?"
Does every one who drinks wine be-
come a drunkard?
BY no means. But no n ever be-
comes a drunkard who refused to take
the first glass.
Several times men have tried to sail
across the Atlantic in a very small
boat. 1t was very dangerous and
some succeeded.
But if you cross in one of the great
liners, which can carry more than
1900 persons, and can laugh at and
sport with the waves that would over.
whelm the little boat, you are as safe
as o are at home. When / 0 the
Atlantic / take the great liner.
If some millionaire should offer me
S 1000, 900 in gold on condition that
with it | should take a ~drunkard's
craving appetite for strong drink, and
run my own risk, / would refuse it in
stantly, though / went to the poor
house the next day.