The Key West citizen., 1954-10-30
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

an active body and not only pro
vide amply for themselves, but a,
can be seen, their stores are rob
bed to provide for some Of til,
poor of the day, perhaps those whit
believe it sin to work, or toe
lazy.
If we observe ants carefully we
find that they lay up food for the
future. The grasshopper sing.
through the summer then perishes
in the winter. Unfortunately some
men enjoy their fruits in the sum
mer, or in the springtimc of youth
not laying up for the future ther
find themselves sour on the 'capi
taliSts.' They do not have the bare
necessities for the winter or fol
old age. The tendency toward q
socialistic government is condition.
ing and encouraging men fol
making merry" in the prime oi
life without provision for a bare
living in sickness or old age. Why
work and save when the govern.
ment will take care of us?
A colored woman lay in a bed
at the city hospital in Chicago a
few years ago. A doctor who knew
her happened to notice her in pass.
ing and asked what her trouble
was. She said that she had Just
given birth to another baby. The
Doctor said, "This is about the
thirteenth baby for you, isn't it?''
She replied that it was the four.
teenth. The Doctor said, "How can
you take care of so many?" She
laughed and said, "Oh that's easy,
Cook County does that"
Wasted Opportunity
''I went by the field of the slug
gard" prov. 24:3O) and of course
one would expect just what they
saw. The fences were down, weeds
In the field, land unplowed, barns
and buildings falling down, chill
dren in rags and the father asleep.
Perhaps he was lazy, but dis
couraged and disgusted he tried to
drown his troubles in drink. One
cannot hide from the realities of
life by sleeping it off.
The tragic part of life is that
the laziness of the father accounts
for the condition of the family. One
family which can be duplicated
times over, had such a father. His
children were undernourished, rag.
ged, suffering with rickets and be.
ri-beri. The mother called for help.
Money and food was sent in since
no one likes to see children starve.
The father was found taking the
money, and also the food, selling
it, and buying liquor. What can be
done with such father?
There is idleness among the rich
as well as the poor. It was Henry
Ford who said, 'there is no place
in civilization for the idler." The
man of wealth may not come to
poverty, but his idleness often is
passed on to his children and they
dissipate the fortune early in life
coming to penury and want. This
seems to fit the statement by Pro.
verbs which says, wealth gotten
by vanity shall be diminished; but
he that gathereth by labor shall
have increase. prov. 13:11).
The Destroyer
The man who is slack in his
work is a destroyer. (Prov. 1897.
The drone or loafer is a destroy
er, not only of himself, but Of
others as well. When a youngster
I was working in a field with a
group of boys and found one who
always Jagged. behind. The fact
that he received the same pay and
did less work irked the others and
naturally affected the efficiency Of
all. He was a destroyer as is the
worker anywhere who seeks to
slow down the output of factory or
mill.
Not only does it affect the NOR.
ale of others, but it may even en-
danger the lives Of some. The me-
chanic who fails to put on a lock
washer, or tighten and cotter a nut
in a critical part of the machinery,
may cause an accident. That ac.
cident may cost a life. Such a
workman is a destroyer, some
times murderer.
Applying the council of this wise
writer to our spiritual life, il
should cause us to think. Our fail.
ure to perform our duties to our
children, or to our neighbors, may
cause them to be delinquent in
their conduct. The lad who stakes
the name of the Lord in vain, "
may not have heard such language
at home, but from the man across
the street. The lad who does not
go to Sunday School because his
father does not go, is not so much
responsible for his delinquency, as
is the father himself. The church
member who is talented and ably
fitted to teach class and refuses
to do so, is a destroyer.
Hosea Ballou said, "Idleness is
emptiness; the tree in which the
sap is stagnant remains fruitless. -
Jesus said, "every tree that does