Newspaper Page Text
1 H
I Holv the Tempter Was 'Routed 1
♦♦♦♦***
It was one of those days when the
battle of life seemed to go wrong, and
the well-nigh vanquished one lent a
listening ear to the tempter, instead
of saying, “Get thee behind me,” as
was her wont when the din of battle
was less deafening.
Hence, the wily tempter suggested:
“What has your faith availed? Your
prayers have been answered contrari
wise, adversity is your portion, while
those who live wholly for this world
and call not upon God, are prosper
ous.”
Such weakness inevitably leads to
the same result —self pity and a fearful
looking forward to the untried future.
But before this faith-tried one had
weakened to the extent she might oth
erwise have done, her foreboding
thoughts were diverted by hearing,
from passing school children:
“He isn’t coming, he’s standing
still.”
“Yes, he is, too, for I can see his
crutches move.”
So she stepped to the open door, and
as she did so one child cried:
“Just look, lady, at that poor man
standing right in the middle of the
road! He’ll get run over, sure!”
“He isn’t standing, is he, lady?” said
the other, stoutly.
And then the woman thus appealed
to, taking the viewpoint of the chil
dren, said:
“Yes, he is making slight headway,
though he comes at such a snail-like
pace, that at first glance I thought he
was standing still, too.”
The care-free children, then, with
hop, skip and jump, bounded away,
and as they were about to pass the
cripple the observant woman conclud
ed that he put some question, for,
with a shake of the head, the little
folks went their way. So, seeing he
was headed toward her, and thinking
that he wanted information which
might be in her power to give, and
thus, perchance, save a few of the
creeping steps, she did not re-enter
the house, but, facing in the opposite
direction, she busied herself picking
dead leaves here and there.
So pitifully slow was his progress,
however, that she several times glanc
ed furtively about her to see if he was
actually moving in her direction. She
wished to avoid seeming to be aware
of his slow approach, but when the
click of his crutches warned her that
the cripple was near, she looked up,
and as she did so he said:
“Are you the lady who lived here
last year?” mentioning her name.
“No, I have only occupied this house
a few months, and I have no idea
where the former tenant can be found.
I am very sorry that I can not direct
you to her,” was the rejoinder.
“Oh, it does not matter,” was the
cheery answer. “I was only hoping
that she would renew a subscription.”
Then, leaning heavily on both
crutches, the old man drew from his
pockets two well-known magazines,
saying:
“Perhaps you will be kind enough
to subscribe for one of them, madam.
I would be very grateful if you would
for this is the only way in which I
can support my invalid wife.”
He did not say it with the profes
sional whine so often heard, however,
but smilingly, even though he panted
for breath. Meantime, the woman
pointed to a rustic chair, saying:
“Please be seated, while I decide
which one to take,” for refusing to
heed a call so exceptionally loud was
out of the question.
When the little business transaction
was ended, and the cripple had ex
pressed gratitude, he made as if to
move on, but the new subscriber said;
“Rest before you start.” Then, en
tering the house, she soon reappeared
with a refreshing drink and handed a
glass to the afflicted man, who, before
tasting of it, said in a choked voice:
“God is good to me! He knew I was
thirsty, and He put it into your heart
to prepare this.”
It was a hot day, and the speaker,
who had been walking where there
was no shade, continued, after satisfy
ing his thirst:
“I had a long stretch for my rheu
matic old limbs to get over since leav
ing the last house, and I got to think
ing of that verse in Revelation: ‘They
shall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more; neither shall the sun light
on them or any heat,’ and it comforted
me so I did not realize I was hot and
tired and thirsty until I had this re
freshing drink and shady seat.”
His courteous manner and cultured
speech, as well as sweet spirit, in
spite of terrible affliction, convinced
his listener that he had a history well
worth listening to, and a few ques
tions led to sufficient facts to make it
a simple matter to conclude how, lit
tle by little, he had come to the place
where his labored efforts must at best
mean but meager returns.
“Yes,” said he, in answer to a query
as to his wife, “she has been an inva
lid, poor dear, for twenty years. But
until late years it was in my power
to give her everything but health, for
I was traveling salesman for a great
New York house many years. I was
considered a hustler, too, and I was
well paid for my efforts and managed
to put by a snug sum for the prover
bial 'rainy day.’
“But while I was still in my prime,”
continued ■ he, “and good for many
more years of work, as I suposed, I
began to get crippled with rheuma
tism. What caused it? I think it was
owing to sleeping in damp beds, large
ly, for I never gave my health due con
sideration and took all sorts of chan
ces to keep my record good.
“Well, you know it never rains but
it pours, and about the time I began
to feel the need of a lay off on ac
count of the first stages of what has
never let up since, my wife broke
down, and it was soon evident that
tender care alone could prolong her
days.
“Os course, then, with doctors, nurs
es and extra expenses incident to con
tinued invalidism, I felt that it was
no time for me to lay off, so I hus
tled all the faster so as to gain some
time to spend with my wife. But be
fore long I got in such a bad way that
1 could not get about without a crutch.
The company did not turn me down,
though, for I had served them both
long and*well.”
Here the speaker turned his head,
as quick steps were heard, and as a
young man with head erect and firm
tread passed the cripple said:
“How little I thought when I went
his gait that the time would ever
come when I would hitch along as I
do, but —well, God is good to me.
“Well, as I was saying,” resumed
he, “I kept at work as long as I could
get about, but after a time I got so
crippled that it was impossible to get
over the ground and so I had to re
sign.”
“That company ought to have pen
sioned you for life,” cried his interest
ed listener, “for you contracted the
disease in their service.”
“Oh, that was out of the question,
of course,” was the laughing reply,
“though I sometimes think when I see
ex-soldiers who are able-bodied, with
fat pensions, how different it would
have been with me now had I been
The Golden Age for December 2, 1909.
crippled in Uncle Sam’s service. But
it is all right; I have no complaints
to make, for my heavenly Father, who
cares for the sparrows, will not forget
us.
“You can understand, though, in a
measure, that it is through no fault
of my own that old age finds me pen
niless, when I tell you that for fifteen
years now I have been too crippled
to earn enough to meet current ex
penses.
“When I first laid by I was urged
by physicians to try this spring and
that, both for my own sake and that
of my wife, so we went from place to
place and travele’d year after year in
search of health, until my savings had
vanished and I found myself a prema
turely old man without means and so
crippled that to get about would seem
an impossibility were the necessity
not so great.
“But I have determined that my
dear wife should never eat the bread
of charity,” continued the brave man
in a resolute tone, “so long as I could
creep; so I have tried one agency af
ter another, and I mean to keep peg
ging away so long as the good Lord
gives me sufficient strength.”
“But would you not both be better
off in one of the many homes for the
aged?” asked the woman. “You are
surely in no condition to get about.”
“Well, yes, in away, madam, but
we would be separated in a home such
as you are thinking of, no doubt, and
we’d rather be together even though
we have little to live on. Besides, I
want to feel that I am caring for my
poor wife as long as she lives. But” —
Then he came to so long a pause
that his listener ventured:
“But what?”
1 mSSISSIPPIANS CALL TOP CON- j
| STITUTIONAL PROHIBITION 1
mtxxxtxtxxtxxxxtxxxxxxxxxnxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxnxxxxxn
(Continued from Page 5.)
driven forever from this country of
ours. Let us be one in our efforts to
eradicate this monster evil.
Resolutions on Temperance as adopted.
For the first time in the history of
the denomination, the Baptists of Miss
issippi assemble in convention, when
there is not a licensed saloon in the
borders of our commonwealth. By
legislative enactment, the saloon, the
arch enemy of the home, of the church,
and of our state, has been driven from
our shores. The cause of temperance
in our state is stronger than ever be
fore. We rejoice in the triumphs of
the past, and thank God for the suc
cess that has been granted the ban
ner of temperance thus far among our
people; but we realize that the victory
over the powers of the liquor traffic is
not won, and that the real conquest is
just begun.
We re-affirm our allegiance to the
great principles of prohibition, and re
concentrate ourselves to the mainte
nance of this matchless cause among
our people. In this country of ours,
there is expended annually more than
two billion dollars for strong drink.
Wars have slain their thousands, but
intoxicating liquor is slaying its ten
thousand each year. As we contem
plate the results of this accursed traf
fic, we are overwhelmed. To it may
be traced ninety-five per cent of all the
crimes; seventy-five per cent of all the
divorces; and forty per cent of all in
sanity in the land. Christianity is con
cerned with up-rooting the bad, as well
as upbuilding of the good. There can be
no compromise with the greatest foe
to the onward march of the Kingdom
of our Lord. The liquor traffic is fun
damentally wrong. More and more are
Christian people coming to realize that
it has sinned away its day of grace,
if it ever had one, tt is the greatest
“Well, I haven’t told wife, but I'm
growing worse, and some of these
days these old limbs will refuse to
obey my will, and then —oh, then, the
Lord will just carry us the rest of the
journey.”
“In what way?” was the low query.
“Why, in His arms, to be sure,” was
the answer, in a confident tone. "Any
how, if He carries us to some charita
ble institution He will go before us
and so comfort us that we won’t feel
the sting. Oh, you wouldn’t shake
your head if you knew how good the
Lord has been to me.”
“Good!” cried she, as she tried to.
conceive how dreadful his condition
was, “why, many who have not a tenth
part of the load you carry think they
are sorely dealt with.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” rejoined the
man, in a light-hearted tone. “Why,
I met a man the other day who tried
to encourage me much as Job’s friends
did him by saying, ‘lf I were in your
place I would curse God and die!’ but I
tell you I am going to sing the praises
of my Lord just so long as I have
breath.”
Then, after trying again and again
to resume a standing position before
he succeeded he said:
“You see how my old limbs balk,
but, praise God! He helps me to keep
going, and I am so thankful. I want
to tell every one of His goodness,
praise His name!”
One had but to look into the radiant
face of the speaker to realize that his
words were heartfelt, and it is almost
needless to add that the erstwhile de
spondent woman re-entered her home
so intent on her mercies that the
tempter was powerless to again weak
en her. —Advocate and Guardian.
enemy to public health and public mor
als. The Supreme Court of the United
States has declared: “No legislature
oan bargain away the public health
or the public morals. The people them
selves can not do it, much less their
representatives. Government is organ
ized for the preservation and protec
tion of both.” Extermination, and not
mere regulation, shall continue to be
the battle cry of the champions
of temperance. We rejoice in statu
tory prohibition, and will hail the day
with gladness, when prohibition shall
be firmly embedded by the sovereign
will of the people in the fundamental
law of our state and nation.
Laws will not make men honest;
neither will they make them sober.
The state should keep drink away
from the people, and we should keep
our people away from drink; but the
law within the breast is stronger than
graven law on stone, or laws written
on statute books. We recognize the
principle that the foundation upon
which we must build is public senti
ment. Public sentiment must be edu
cated as to the enormity of the liquor
traffic, and then chrystallized into ac
tion. We, as citizens of the United
States, are interested in the triumph of
temperance and prohibition in all the
states. If the liquor traffic is wrong
for Mississippi, it is wrong for the
nation. We here record our profound
gratitude to the Woman’s Christian
Temperance Union for the work they
have done.
The committee recommends: 1. We
respectfully urge the legislature of the
State of Mississippi at its next session
to submit to the people the question of
constitutional prohibition.
2. That we congratulate the Text
Book Commission of the State of Mis
sissippi for inserting into our public
(Continued on Page 16.)
9
