Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1921-01-06
The New Year and
theNew BogaIusa

Isaiah 20 IA, delivered January 2,
1921, in the First Methodist Church
Of Bogalusa, at 7;30 p. m, by Rev.
A. J. Gearheard.
'They that erred in spirit are
mentioned as well as the ones who
murmured, and both are promised
! distinct improvement. There are two
| classes of people to whom / would
pay my respects this evening, and
there are certain standard truths
that l would emphasize in order to
cause us all to start this year in
better way. have lived here a little
more than two years. In that time l
think have learned this citv as well
as a preacher could in the same
length of time. I wish to say that
l have never lived in a better place
than BOgalusa. There are here as fine
people as are found on earth. From
the Mayor to the yard boy there is
manifested a spirit of industry of
the type that builds great cities, at
tracts numbers of people and throws
the spirit of hope into the hearts of
all the people. But Bogalusa must
remember that it will have to con-,
tend with two other types of men.
The one is the man who is a good
worker, but who has a bad spirit. He
is selfish, -egotistical, unprincipled
and mean. The second class is the
chronic kicker. Our text says the
one has an erring spirit and the other
is a murmurer.
How can the spirit err? 1t errs by
the lack of knowledge. The man
drinks, he says, because he knows
how good the booze is. No, he drinks
because he does not know how evil
the booze is. He has not caught the
glimpse of how alcohol attacks the
vital organs and weakens them, leav-
ing him a wreck physically and men
tally. He does not see how his chill !
dren for the third generation are
forced to suffer because of his indul- |
gence. A man Over-charges for his |
merchandise. Not because he does |
not know it is wrong to take advan- |
tage of customers, but because he |
thinks he will be happier with the |
added dollars he makes by this |
method. Were he educated to a |
point of understanding, he would |
know that as soon as it is learned /
that he has overcharged, he will have /
an enemy and will have lost a Gus
toner. He does not know that money /
obtained by dishonest means brings
and that God has never
permitted the man to escape who
sows to the wind without reaping the
whirlwind. The spirit of unfaithful
ness is an ignorant spirit. Man thinks
that his incontinuity will bring him
thrills, pleasure, happiness and such.
He fails to see the sorrows Of the
divorce court that await him. He
fails to see himself wrecked with I'M
namable diseases, and his offspring
blind, deformed or diseased because
Of his sin. In the same way the ball
room is invaded by erring spirits; the
gambling table is crowded with err
ing spirits, and the world of sinners
may be called a world of erring peo-
pie. GOOD save us from error and !
his will only be zone by throwing
open the spot light that the people
may know what is wrong in certain
things. In this new year, / expect to
open that book that reveals error. / 5;
intend to uncover the facts about sin
hat the people of Bogalusa may be
educated in the wrong of things that
hey may do right. ''They also that !
erred in spirit shall come to under
standing
"The second class is called the
nurmurer. In ordinary parlance he
S known as the kicker or grumbler.
Nothing ever was right to him. He
would take the joy out Of life and !
make it crime to smile. He sees
every rich man as a thief, and sue
.ess as positive proof of crookedness.
Dur text says that the murmurer
hall be taught as truth bearing on /
my line is the doctrine of that line, {
Ne have the doctrines of religion '