The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-02
SOME EAT THE NUTS
| OTHERS THE SHELLS
FOOLS HUNT FOR TROUBLE WHILE
WISE MEN SEEK THE
LIGHT.
SUNDAYS ME T H D S
DIR. CHRISTIAN TALKS, IN HAPPY
FASHION or TWO INTER-
ESTING SIDES or HI
MAN NATI re.

Smart Folks Eat the Nuts, Fools
the Shells DR.. Asbury Christian
preached on this subject at Union Sta
ton Methodist Church Sunday night.
He said, in part:
When the Great Teacher was on
earth it was said OF Him that hs
taught in parallels and without par
able spoke he not unto them.
To some extent we have lost ths
beauty and simplicity of teaching by
parallels. This subject is in the ma
ture of parable. 1t would be an ex-
ceedingly uncommon thing to see one
eating the shells and casting aside tina
nute. We would think such an ono
either crazy or fool.
With those of intelligence. the smart
folks it would be natural for them to
eat the nuts and cast aside the shells.
This is true relative to the material
nuts, out in the sphere OF life and
character is very common to see folks
who eat the shells, take the evil and
throw away the nuts. the good.
The text that comes to us il thfss
Seek good and not evil that We may
live" Everything which has the
quality OF good 10 OF God. EVIL. in the
last analysis, Is the perversion or mis-
use OF good. We crack the nut throw
aside the resistance. and pick and pick
until we get the kernel, the good. VS.
seek ii.
There are many who just as earnest
la k~ takes
misdirected effort to seek evil as to
seek good, and more heartache.
In the home you find the she'll
eaters who always find something
wrong to ind fault with. and who
rarely give any attention TO the good.
In business there are those who eat
the shells, find fault with the clerks.
the proprietor and the goods; the i'm
agins that all are trying to take ad-
vantage OF them and see nothing to
commend
In society we find those who eat ths
nuts. get the good, and those who eat
the shells. seek the things that make
for the poisoning OF human life.
In the realm of literature the two
classes are found, notwithsta nding this
large amount OF good, many seek ana
find the evil.
Many newspapers are sheiieaters.
they will publish the evil tidings, the
scandals and the crimes. but II liz with
great dif7culty that. they can be per
4suaded to publish a report OF that
which IL making for the uplift Of hu-
manity. II Is true that one hnds what
he seeks.
Hunting Evil.
There are young men who set out
in life to seek evil. to eat the shells
and. alas, they succeed too well. The
prodigal turned away from the good
OF his fathers house and went out to
seek the evil of the world. He feasted
on the shells of life and returned rag
Eed. dirty and debauched
preachers there IL q multitude who eat
the shells and refuse the nuts They
are quick to point out the faults In
gesture In expression, in treatment OF
tho subject. but fail to ret the good
Many who will talk business all day,
or sit in a theater three hours, ind
fault II the sermon. which thsy. per-
hapA. hear once week. goes over
thirty minutes. They eat the shells
with the preacher II he Is a live man:
no ono ever finds fault with the dead.
But this 10 to be expected: every live
has bean criticised and OPP
posed and often prosecuted.
How many eat the shells OF the
apostles preaching, and Of all the
worlds strong preachers. But this IN
to be expected. for they charged our
LORD with being 4 fanatic. a bias
phsmer. a wine-bibber and a glutton,
a goddess vanderer and q sabbath
breaker and q partner OF the devil, IL
will ever be 20 when one does q great
work in an unusual way.
We have \ case before us In the
work Of Billy Sunday. He wins
thousands to Righteousness and hun
dreds OF Thousands hear the ecspe,.
Yet many eat the shells.
Oppose Sunday.
In Philadelphia the Unitarians
brought DIR. Eliot to oppose him. and
we have not heard where ten were
turned away from the learned doc
tors discourses against him. but
thousa nds are turned away from sun
days revivals.
by this craft they have their wealth.
Then some preachers who don't h.ve
a conversion in Ave years oppose him
because his method Ia different from,
theirs Thank God that 1t ia, for n
every preacher had their methods. the
Church would long ago have been desd
from race suicide. Some are
eunochs IN the Kingdom Of
oppose Billy" because he
calls in question the wisdom OF sowing
boiled seed. Some ultra conservative
oppose him. and yet others. Though
his methods and his preaching NAV
not suit us. vet We can eat the mi.
and leave the shells when he calls 40
many to Righteousness. Some say the
expense.
how much Is spent in Richmond In
nine weeks in liquor? 1t womb r.ne
twenty meetings. A single Thanks
glnving Day football game receipfs
would pay for whole meeting. Rut
wnat snaii man give in exchange for
his soul? Why eat the shells whsa
Sunday reaches thousands the
churches are not reachinrp
IT is high ideal. a divine inspira-
seek the good and not the evil Snrai,,
smart folks eat the nuts. while fools
eat the shells.
nnT1Ahn nFeeAA~-