The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-11

i7 indifference: today the grasp upon spiritual realization is relaxed; today, because of their intimate contact with the world. an increasing deadness to eternal things is creeping upon the soul
 You busy men, whose lives are in active touch with material interests, are in constant danger of beginning to love this present world
 "This danger is peculiar to middle life and to age. In youth you were facing temptations of different kind These no longer appeal to you. You see the folly of such. Your fixed determi- nation now is to make a success of life. Along with this determination comes the danger that you will meas use success by material standards alone This danger is increased by the fact that your burdens are now heavier-you have a position to be maintained. children to be cared for and old age to be provided for
 PAINTS THE SOUL
 .sWhen material success becomes the master passion it 'taints the soul and turns the heart to basest deeds Mil ton says of Satan. that even in heaven his looks and thoughts were always downward bent, admiring more the riches Of heavens pavement trod- den gold. that aught divine or holy else enjoyed in vision beatific.' There are men today who, Satan-like, prefer the gold of heaven in preference to it's holiness There are men who sacrifice all that is worth while for the sake of that which will perish in the using. This is why we find graft, bribery de- falcations, gambling, Sabbath break ing. sweat shops, and kindred evils.
 "And inhundreds of cases where the grin of material things has not led to these grosser sins, it none the less shows itself in it's deadening influence upon the soul in an appealing indif- ference to spiritual, things.
 "The dangeY threatening the man hood of this 20th century is not so much the outbreaking of sin, but rather the souls attitude of indiffer- ence to and neglect of spiritual and eternal yerities The danger which threatens our 20th century manhood IS love of this present world, earthly mindedness, intense secularism, ab- sorption in the material The siren voice is. today, as never before whis- herring to men the glory of this pres ent world The prince of this world is today taking men up into an eN- ceedingly high mountain. as he once took the Son of man, and is showing them the glory of the world ana us Kingdoms, and is saving to them-'Ait these things l will give thee, Il tnou wilt fall down and worship me Men are listening and are yielding to the temptation so insidiously presented. HABITUAL NEGLECT (b) "Closely related to this peril, or rather as a direct fruitage or your close contact with the world, there lie the danger that the absorption in the material will lead to the habitual neg feet of the means of grace; and there fore to the failure on your part 10 add 10 the moral and snir'tual forces of your life.
 ..In most cases of moral decay, per haps the entering wedge of sin is the neglect of those means of grace which ! are intended to strengthen lhe hSher 1 forces of our lives.
 .Intense absorption in the secular is today leading hundreds of men to that utter neglect of those things which alone are the safeguard and strength of our lives.
 "I bring no railing accusations l simply ask the following pertinent questions. and leave them for you to answer.
 DO the Bible and prayer hold that nlace of supreme importance which 1 they ought to hold in the lives of men? Why do the rolls of our churches hold 1 the names of two women for each man? | Tn the public service of the Sabbath, ! do not the women and children far out number the men? Do we not look to l the women and to the children to up- hold the Sunday school and the prayer meeting? I simply ask these questions. 1 and leave them for you to answer. 1 Ut is certainly true that large busi- mess and close contact with the world render it necessary that you should place due emphasis upon those agen- cies which strengthen the higher forces of the life.
 AMMAN IS NEGLECTED {c) "One sad fact must be noted: The Iayman has been the neglected moral and spiritual asset in the work