Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-08-01

It Is a life OF more modish vanity and
mortal pestilence 70 the soul. Its end is
speedy death.
In addition to it's destructive power On
the soul, the pleasure-loving spirit is in
furious to the best interests of this world
too; 1t impairs the interests of the life
that now 10 and of that which is to come.
When any one decides l1Iat the end Of
existence La to have a good time" the
sense of duty is weakened, the binding
obligations Of conscience are disregarded,
the serious work of life is neglected. and
every earnest purpose Is suffocated by
aimless indulgence. Hence we see wealth
amassed by self -denial In one generation.
Parents purchase pleasures for their chill
dren until all their powers of intellect
and industry are enfeebled. and then
when such INDUCED offspring have vast
ed their patrimonies in riotous living. they
faIl into want without the ability to work
and with no strength to bear adversely.
BY this process Is turned out that Bit
terest Of all poverty-the poverty In
which a man has the habits OF wealth In
a habitation Of restitution It was from
observation OF such persons that Solomon
wrote when he said, He that loveSh
pleasure shall be poor man. proverbs
xxi:1T.
In the final account pleasure-loving
life does not yield as much happiness
as q self-denying life. and the quality
OF such happiness as II yields fs very
inferior. This fact led Epicurus. who
taught that the end OF life was happi-
ness. to insist that life's object was de-
feated by self-indulgence and secured
by self -denial. King Solomon. who
sounded all the depths OF indulgence,
reached the same conclusion: 7 said
in mine heart. Go to now, will prove
thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleas
ure. -. And Whatsoever mine eyes
desired I kept not from them; I with
held not my heart from any joy; for my
heart rejoiced In all my labour: and this
was the portion of all my labour. Then
I looked on all the works that my hands
had wrought, and on the Iabour that l
had labourej to do: and behold ali was
vanity and vexation OF spirit, and
there was no profit under the sun.
proverbs HELLO, and III. These
words Of the wise man wildly describe
the wretchedness Of the stated and SUI
feited devotees OF pleasure in our own
time and in every age and cline. None
among men are more restless, Queru-
lous. and unhappy than they.
These warnings of the Scriptures and
teachings of universal experience should
be laid to heart by the people Of these
pleasure-loving times. Our people are
mad with mirth. Thousands are making
business OF sport and a sport of bust
ness, turning serious things into trifles
and trifling things into serious matters.
to the utter undoing Of their lives. Con-
science is by them renounce. and self
indulgence is accepted IN its place as
the dominating motive of their lives.
Self-will is substituted for Gods will
tn oil al n al
real Joy are being polluted by them. and
all the sources of real peace then poison.
They rush this way and that in a frenzy
of pursuit OF pleasures that pail as soon
as possessed. Religion itself, and the
services of Gods house, if sought by
them at all, are desired as entertain
ments and not for edification. Worst
of all they find preachers ready to be
their caterers for the reward Of their
favour, propnesying to them smooth
things when they need as never before
to be warned to flee the wrath to come
and be saved from their SINS Customs
are condoneJ. If not absolutely approx
ed, which both the Bible and sound rea-
son condemn. The sins of a luxurious
civilization are eulogized as marks Of
refinement while the virtues Of chris
tian character are caricatured as the
peculiarities of an obsolete Puritanfsm.
IT is time we had reaction. There
can be but one end to sucn things. By
them commonwealth have been corrupt
ed and nations overthrown in former
times, and we can not hope for better
results If we follow the courses by
which they were led to destruction. The
pleasure-seeking spirit so enervated the
Romans that they fell an easy prey to
the hardy barbarians Of the North Per
haps we are free from such a danger
from without. but we are raising up re-
sentful revolutionists in the waste OF q
luxury-loving age who will be not less
destructive once they arise and their
wrath pour forth. OF one thing ws
may be sure: THE wicked shall be turn
ed into hell. and all the nations that for
get God" Modern invention can offer
no way OF escape from the penalties OF
Gods ancient law. If in pleasure-lov-
ing luxury we forget God, in dire calam-,
ity we will be made to remember that
though heaven and earth pass away
Gods words shall not fail, and that
though hand join In hand. the wicked
shall not be unpublished"