The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-09-07
A LAY SERMON
WORTH READING
Vivid Picture Of The Truth That
Whatsoever We Sow, We
Reap.

we take the following. Says the Edi-
tor:
Some time ago | went with a par
ty to inspect the workings of one OF
the large prisons in Northern Michi-
San and while there received permits
sion from the warden to talk with one
of the convicts.
"'What is you vie wof life? asked
him after We had chatted long enough
to become acquainted.
LIFE he said with a sneer, life is
hell. I amt had nothing but the worst
Of il ever since 1 can remember. |
can tell you right now that this is
tough world and I am the man that
knows it."
Been up against it all your fire
eh?" I replied.
Yes ever since | was a kid. Been
kicked and banged around from one
place to another, nobody had kind
word for me and everything l ever
tried went dead wrong Even my own
folks turned me down toward the last
and here I am. Don't talk TO me about
it being a good world. know better
it amt
It was not very pretty picture and
| didn't expect to get one from con
Wet but did think that maybe he had
some bright spot in his black career.
I found it hard to forget him after J
left him and his pessimistic views kept
running in my mind until I finally de-
cided to look up his record. This is
what the warden told me:
"Jim," said he with smile. why
Jim is the toughest nut in the whole
bunch. He was a bad boy, bad
youth, and a worse man. The first
time he was convicted he swore at his
mother when she cried and made a
scene in the court room. He beat his
wife so badly that she is a cripple for
life. He has done time for robbery
attempted murder. and now he is serv
ing sentence for something worse
Even his convict pals have no use fol
him"
No wonder 1t was a tough world
for JIM He was getting back jus
b. what he had put into life. The poo
= misguided fool had been making hard
t ships for himself and didn't know II
I And the meaner he grew. the meane
y life looked to him until he becam
t convinced that the whole trouble wa
r with the world instead of himself. Blu
= here is another case. quite similar i
n many respects except that the ma
r isn't a convict and never will be one
C He is honest so far as being square
Y concerned. He wouldn't steal a penn
g and yet has stolen more happines
from his neighbors than he can eve
give back. He is just an ordinar
e common crouch. His constant howl
n that life is nothing but a dism;
90 Journey, full Of trouble and tribul
,e ton and not worth while. And ] Ion
Ie ago discovered that so far as he
n concerned he is about right. The DO!
ID on the street hate him, which is g
re ways a bad sign; his neighbors wis
rv he would move: he is forever kickiI
10 about his rights and at the same tin
os abusing theirs: he has never be-
an known to perform charitable act
,a do his part in any movement for b.
ter conditions; he growls that q
world is a bum place and that the
habitants thereof ought to be traI
- ferred to a desert isle. OF course II
is a bum world for the crouch for
49, has done nothing to make it bett
VA He has put no good into it, so, hi
u" can he expect to get any good out
~ it? The man who refuses to ne
'iN others cannot expect help from the
% It is the old, old story and yet it
NJ worth considering.
'ii The convict isn't the only pers
who receives punishment, my boy
the world is just what we make it.
la' we want to we can make 1t Gard
ne of Eden, full of smiles and sunsh
ION and it is our fault if it seems TO
lde to be barren desert. have ne
'lal vet known an optomist who was
OF fish and have never known a pc
mist who wasn't
Smile Jim, smile"
the -------------
9, | challenge the world for the C