South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-11-12


say Mister Preacher. my Moth
or was a religious woman. When
was boy / committed TO memory
the Rocks Of the Bible. the Ter
/ commandments and don't know
7 how many Psalms, ana then even
\ into the New Testament. The Ser
mon on the Mount" and some favor
I tie chapters in the Epistles-Why
/ ar. Preacher. my Mother used 70
EFT ~ the hour and tel! me Bible
stories. Ny Mother was a mighty
good woman" Such was the con-
versatiOn OF a poor booze fighter
who came 20 me the past week for
little help. He was ye. in the
grip OF the poison OF white mu 60
but was trying 10 sober II and was
wholly penitent. Tears streamed
down his cheeks as he talked. he
was down in the depths, Re was
hungry and sick and above all he
wss a miserable slave to his own
folly. lie wanted to be good and
was fighting with al his might the
knawing that the poison had left
with him. However he SEEMED TO
think that his previous tanning in
the home was some thing to his cred
II. Oh no, not 70 his credit bat to
the credit Of the cd Mo-rer who
was yet living in a distaOt village
and was still PRAYING for her boy In
bis prosperity and gaiety re had for
gotten Mother and her Bble. He
had thrown II to re winds as fool
ish and silly oh yes Mother was a
good woman lut she d!d no UNDER
stand the young people and modern
ways etc. but now stepped in cigar
cite smoke and picked in stchohol
ne remembered tina: che was right
and that he had been the FOOL, that
Ie was the silly one. Now he want
ed TO feed On he cast but found
the. lie had dcstr9;ed al, he vltUe
~ the days gone o. and was without
Sod and hope 81 the world and oh
what a feeling t.nat - fo- the man
who Is down N the depths.
l was calling on a sick woman the
other day and she requested that =
read something from the Bible. 1
chapter and she chose a chapter
from one Of the Old Testament
books. 1 had only the New Tesla
ment and hence asked for a Bible
II was 20 minutes before one was
found and the apology was humCr-
Gus. Ii was out Of style 10 have one
on the center table in this day so
it had been sent 10 the garrett. 1t
was an old family Bible with iet-
tera locks OF hair. some fadeG
flowers and several other things in
IL in addition to the regular con-
tents. It was dust covered. I
learned that Ii had been inherited
from the old grandparents but had
not been opened I'm years. Not only
had the book been misplaced but it's
contents had long ago been forgot
ten but now in the face Of death
there was still left enough Of IL in
the memory to want it in the hour
OF deaht They too. were living on the
virtue Of the past.
You smile and say the story may
be true but sounds impossible. Al
right Mister where is your Bible?
What does your Bible have in II?
Do you have one in your home or
room? DO you have some dried
leaves in il and some old faded flow
ers? What is your creed? Is il
a dried up end lifeless thing that
bloomed only when you were
child? That was long ago. There IS
a touch Of sadness about your faded
pledge and your withered promises
that once had beauty in them. You
pride yourself that you had a good
Mother and that today she looks
down on you? is she proud of
you? You see Mister the world does
not care much about Botany but
it loves flowers, flowers that bloom
and make the air fragrant for all
that are about you. The world does
not want a herbarium but it wants
flower garden The reason you
cherish dry leaves is because for