Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-12
JULY

JULY
Half of the year has gone. Half
of your opportunities to be better, to
be drawer, to be more helpful, to be
more in line with the worlds uplift
this year are behind you. How did you
meet your responsibilities? Nobody can
say there is no responsibility for me-"
Kith or kin may not be your RESPONSE
bility. ] have known people who did
like Jonah and tried to evade the things
God had for them to accomplish. Some
like Jonah, went even into deep water
and came out slackers. Some were
brave enough to tackle the job with fear
and trembling, but with Gods help
succeeded.
On the ocean of life there are dere-
licts as dangerous as those the mariner
finds on the ocean. The derelicts of
the water are generally sunk so as to
get them out of the way. But life's
derelicts are given every opportunity to
become of use to the world and to earn
the greeting well done" when the final
cali goes forth.
AS l said last week, these are days
- try our souls. to test us even more
hat Job was tested, and l feel sure that
the world is going to measure up to
the standard God sets for all His
children. The forces of evil brought on
this war According to my way of think
ing, we are free moral agents, and the
reason of all this turmoil, these heart.
aches, this awful time of carnage, is
because there has been too much self
confidence and too many have forgotten
God and His ten commandments. But
the fires of affliction have been kindled
Don't say God is furnishing us. we are
just like the children of Israel, we have
neglected God, and the immutable laws
have caught us. The partial parent
says, Il love my boy so well that 1
cannot punish him for wrong doing"
But in the end he bitterly regrets the
lawless condition of his son, and the
punishment the law, or nature. infIicts
is seven times worse than his correction
would have been
If those who whine would whistle.
And those who anguish laugh,
The rose would rout the thistle.
The grain outrun the chaff."
Inc Farmer and l went along coun-
try lanes and byways yesterday. Crops
are late, the seasons have been unfavor-
able, labor has been short and there has
been lot of sickness. But the thing
that struck us most forcibly was that
1t was not always the man laboring I'M
der adverse circumstances that had the
worst crop. We have now been east, west.
north and south of this experiment
farm" and find the fellow with tough
luck and plenty of grit" is going to make
more than the irresponsible one who
must so to town every Saturday and
stop at the end of the row and talk to
whoever will listen to him.
July is the heart of the years noon.
the time to look over the work done
and correct mistakes, if correction is
possible, and the time to touch up the
neglected spots, to replant with some
thing better the missing places that
may now be places for weeds, or barren
unproductive points doing no good to
man or beast. I heard a woman say
that her husband nearly worked him
self to death the first two years he
owned his place 1t was the sort that held
weeds in every corner and had more weed
seed at the end of the year than corn.
July is a fine time to see if you are
rising weeds or corn. There was a
time called laying-by that was spent
by the men in ease and eating, and by
the women of the farms in the hardest,
hottest sort of work. The new era in
farming has somewhat equalized things.
"All work and no play is not the motto
for Jack nor Jill. But let the playtime
worktime should be. July demands less
active work, shorter hours and more
careful thoughts for the comfort of the
beasts of burden. Water is the cheapest
thing you can give to your animals, but
be honest, see If you are not letting
some of yours suffer. The we'll may be
deep, the creek. branch or pond may be
inconveniently situated. but it will pay
you to give the animals plenty of water
at least twice every day.
You will stop your work and walk
TO the house for water--what about
your mule? Does he get it even three
times q day? Remember that God
considers the cry of the dumb animal
and rate the master as merciful, or
otherwise, just as he treats his stock.
THE merciful man regardeth his
beast" Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy. They were not
put in the Bible to fill it up, God looks
into the heart. he knows this is a month