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Prayer Will Make Your Life Like a Magnet, Says Billy
BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
ON GOD SERMON TOPIC
ILLY SUNDAY preached Wed-
B nesday afternoon on “The Ben
¢fits of Prayer.” The sermonm, in full,
was as follows: X
(Copyright‘, 1917, by Wililam Ash-
ley Sunday.)
James v:l6, “The effectual fer
vent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.”
oulzoes it pay to pray? We'll find
Mrs. Browning asked Charles
Kingsley one time the secret of
his beautiful and attractive life.
He replied by saying: “I have a
friend.”
That man or woman who can
look into the face of all people on
earth and say ‘“everyone is my
friend,” and then look up into the
face of God and say, “He is not
my friend,” .you are to be pitied.
But if you can look into the
face ot_ God and say, “He is my
friend,” every decent man or
woman on this earth is your
friend. So it is a great thing to
be able to say that the devil has
nothing to do with you, no use
for, you. But God has. He has
lots of use for you.
~ There are two benefits derived
from prayer. First, upon your
self it reflects a blessing. Second,
in the direct answers to prayer
and the blessings ;which come
from them. \ .
Henry Drummond tells of a
voung lady the beauty of whose
life was an attraction, and every
body that came in contact with
her was astonished, and one of
them asked her for the secret.
But she refused to reveal it, she
constantly replied, “Wait until I
die and then open the locket
which hangs around my neek.”
And when at last she died t?y
pried open the locket and fodnd
this verse of scripture: “Whom
having not seen, T love.”
And there is such transforming
power in meditating on God and
prayer that it will make your life
like a magnet is to ‘steel, it will
draw and you will be a power for
Jesus Christ in the world.
One of the old guard at Water
loo, when the English surgeons
operated on him, said: “You cut
one inch deeper and you' will
find the image of my Emperor
engraved upon my heart.”
Queen Mary, when entering a
foolish war with France, said:
“When I am dead, if you will look
into my breast yvou will find
‘Calais’ written on my heart.”,
Now first there is the reflected
blessing. T am going to speak to
vou largely this afternoon from
experience. First, prayer helps
us realize the presence of God.
Not that yvou should realize it all
the time, but I think if there is a
time in anybody’s expericnce when
vou do, it is when you pray.
“I will be with thee whither
thou goest and I will go out unto
the lands of your father.”
I read the other day a beautiful
legend of St. Bridget. One time
she was approached by a blind
nun who besought her to open
her eyes, and the legend said that
St. Bridget prayed that her eyes
should be opened, and the eyes
of the blind nun were opened, and
she looked upon the pubbling
springs and the rushing ‘streams,”
and the shaded groves and the
flowers and as the sun went
down she turned to St. Bridget
and said:
“Pray God will shut my eyes
quick and keep them closed as
long as I am alive, for when theyv
were shut T had no thought about
anybody but God, but since they
have heen open, I have thought of
everybody but God and I have
had no thought of God since I
copld look upon the beauties of
the world. Pray quick that my
eyes will be closed again.”
Prayers seems to shut out the
world and the thoughts of the
world and gives God a chance to
move through your heart and
mind. So I take for granted that
we want experiences of that kind.
and so prayer helps us realize
the presence of God.
Prayer helps us realize our de
pendency upon God. I pity any
hody that thinks he can get along
without God. You can’t take one
breath without God. You are in
debt to God for the breath you
draw, for the food you eat, for
the water vou drink. Yet a lot of
peaple reach out their hands and
take these things and all they do
is to turn around and damn God.
I wonder at God's patience with
people. You can't even draw a
hreath without the will of God.
Praver helps us to realize our de
pendency upon God.
Jesus spent the night in _praver
and the next dayv three very im
portant thinge in his ministry oec
curred. The first He chose twelve
disciples which formed the nucleus
of the church of today. Whether
or not He talked with God about
those men and their character I
do not know. But the very next
day he asked twelve men to be
associated with Him as His dis
ciples.
Second, the peonle pressed upon
Him for the healing virtue that
went out from Him.
Third. He sat on the mountain
<ide and taunght His disciples the
sermon —the “Sermon on the
Mount” or the “Beautitudes”;
those matchles things you find in
the fifth. sixth and seventh chap
ters of Matthew.
All right, you let the church of
vod spend a day in prayer and
fasting, spend a night in prayer
and see what will happen for the
cause of God Almighty upon the
hearts of the unsaved people. You
lot God have a chance to work
through your hearts and minds
for one dav.
We have drives on war. We
have drives on the Liberty Loan.,
Why not have a drive on winning
men for Christ? But vou couldn’t
get the church to do it if you
wanted to. You ean get some of
them to do it. It 1s because
everybody gets up and. goes to
talking about a thing that makes
it popular. 5
And so prayer opens the soul
and makes it recentive to the in
finences of God. When you neg-
Ject wrssqr you shut God out
' THE, ATLANTA GEORGIAN WO A Clean Newspaper for Southern Homés b o e A RO TR 1917.
and the man or the woman whose
soul is open is most receptive to
the influences of God.
Blessed are those who pray to
God. If you find somebody that
is~growling about my vocabulary,
I will show you somebody that
doesn't pray. 1 will show you, per
haps, some preacher that doesn't
preach the truth when he does
preach. The only reason he says
he is preaching is because he is
standing on an elevated platform
above the other folks. "
Prayer leads to activity. You
can't pray “thy kingdom come”
and then not do everything in
your power to bring about the
coming of God’s kingdom.
Half the people when they pray
don't mean it. They will turn
around and do the things that
they know will prevent the com
ing of God’s kingdom. If God's
will were done you would get
down on your knees and pray
and you would go to prayer meet
ings instead of the theater.
If God’s -will were done you
wouldn’t be sitting down at a
friznd's table and drinking wine
and cocktails. They do not want
God’s will done.
Prayer ieads to activity. You
~ can’t pray for the conversion of
. Your husband and then not do
‘ everything in your power to bring
~ that man to Christ. Neither can
.~ yvou pray for the conversion of
~ your neighbor or a community in
i the world and then do nothing to
~ help God to answer your prayer.
~ If you wggt to know how much
~ God think® about prayer when
- you make it, how much sacrifice
are you willing to make to have
~ that praver answered? Prayers
~are costly.
| God translated the Bible so
that three hundred million people
can read it that would not have
read it.
David Livingstone prayed for the
people of dark and benighted
Africa and God said: ‘“Answer
your own prayer,” and Living
stone went out in the jungles of
Africa to answer his prayer.
David Brainerd prayed for the
Indians and God said: “Answer
your own prayer,” and Brainerd
went out and answered his own
prayer.
John Elliot prayed and God
said: “Answer your own prayer,”
and he translated the Bible inta
the Indian language so the In
dians could read about Jesus
Christ and the Son of God.
I was preaching in a town in
lowa and every time I asked if
there was any one who wished
me to pray for them a woman
jumped to her feet and asked me
~ to pray for her son. And every
~ time I asked the people to come
forward 1 noticed a young man
get up and go for the door. A
little later on I saw this woman
go out, I had no idea there was
any connection between the two
incidents, and as soon as I could
find out I discovered that this boy
went to a little restaurant which
was the loafing place of the town.
Sometimes it {s a barber shop;
sometimes it is a livery stable;
sometimes a little back room in a
corner grocery store that is the
town loaflng place.
This jwoman followed her boy
to the store and she said: “Come
on and give your heart to God.”
He said: “I don’t want to go
out, T will stay here.”
She said: “I am ashamed to
think that you think more of the
company here than you do of me.
I cared for you and worked for
. you and now when I ask you to
do something, to think that men
like this have a greater influence
with you than I have. I am
ashamed that I ever gave you
birth,”
Then she took hold of his hand
and prayed for twenty solid min
utes.
He said: “Mother, you need not
pray any more for me. I am going
with you, come on, we'll go back.”
I can see her face now as it
lighted up like a halo of glory
when she pushed him over the
threshold of that open door and
followed him in and down 'the
aisle, and I can seé her as she
sald:
“Mothers don’t give up. He is
thirty-eight years old and T have
prayed for him every day since
the day I first kissed him.”
Dont’ give up. Prayers are
costly. They lead to activitv. If
von pray for somebody (GGod will
tell you to go after him. ou
can’t sit around like a freg on
a log and expect the preacher
to do it or anvhody else. 2and vou
fan vonrself and say: “Oh, isn't
it hot?” %
Yon can’t prav earnestlv and
then be unwilling to =ive of your
time and of your influences and
of your meney as you are ahle to
give. for the cause of Jesus Christ
and His purpose in this old
world.
Men eive of their means to the
devil. they give of theit means to
defeat the cause of Jesus Christ
and its purpose. 1 was told on
pretty good authority that the
saloon keepers spent nearlv five
hundred thousand dollars fighting
me in the New York campaign
alone,
The church of God ought to he
inst as liberal and stand up for
Jesus Christ as they fight against
it. They try to make believe it
is my vulgarity that shocks them.
It is because this meeting is
« making sober men out of drunk
ards and they can’t get rid of
their booze.
When Judge Gary proposed a
toast at the steel meeting, it was
in water instead of wine. That
is what hurts that gang.
And then the imnression von get
of the mind and character of
God reproduces within you g de
sire to he like God.
We all want to be well, sure,
We all want to be on easy street,
sure. We all like to hdave an au
tomobile, certainly, T don’t blame
vou. T think one of the greatest
inventions of comfort and happi
ness ang‘joy came ont of the brain
of the n that invented the au
tomobile.
So prayer impresses us. Who
are the neople that are most like
God? They are the people who
pray the most. To be like God in
holines, in humility, in peace of
mind, one must pray.
« The trouble with Job seemed to
be it was “I, I, 1.” The personal
pronoun, nominative I, possessive,
my, objective, me. That don’t go.
Pertect peace will cast out fear.
Submission to will. The will of
God.
The late President Garfield said:
“The supreme object of my life
is to pray God concerning His
will about me and then to live in
harmony with it.”
A friend sent me a poem. Here
it is:
1 said, “I will walk in the fields.”
God said, “Nay, walk in the
town,”
I said, “There ate no flowers
there,”
He said, “No flowers, but a
» crown.”
I said, “But the fogs are thick
and the clouds
Are veiling the sun”
He answered, “But hearts are
sick and souls
In the dark undone.”
I said, “But the skies are black.
Thnere is nothing but noise and
din.”
He wept as He led me back. There
is more,”
He said, “There is sin.”
I said, “I shall miss the light,
and friends
Will miss me they say,” \
He answered, “‘choose ye tonight
if T must
Miss you or they.”
I pleaded for time to be given,
He said, “Is it hard’to decide?
It will not seem hard in heaven
to have followed the steps
of your guide.”
When you get to glory you will
bemoan the fact that you didn’t
have a chance to try it over. It
is up to you now while you are in
the flesh. You won‘t have any
other opportunity to do your best
for Jesus Christ and for His
truth.
Whdt about the direct bless
ings, how do I know that God will
flear and answer prayer? Well,
it ought to be enough for you to
have God to say that. He will.
Why should you question God?
If the President would make you
a promise wouldn’t you believe it?
Certainly. Don’t you think he
would feel himself duty bound to
keep it?
Don't you think God feels duty
bound when you question a mo
tive He has promised to answer?
That ought to be enough.
There is something tells me that
I am going to live torevS'. We
are humans, and if we are fail
ures we are the only failures in
the universe. Vegetation is not a
failure. There is the argument
from the standpoint of instinct.
Who tells the birds to come
back and build their nests up
here; who tells them our frosts
are over and the flowers and the
trees are blooming and budding;
who itells the birds to leave here
and go South; who tells the rivers
to freeze; who tells the birds of
their migration?
Who tells the wild geese to
* leave South America and go way
up to Winnipeg? Go up to Alaska
and hatch your young. Who tells
the plants to burst out? Who tells
the grass to turn green, and the
leaves? Does God do that and
then blast it with ten below zero?
No, He wouldn't do that. He
wouldn’t disappoint the birds and
nature.
‘Who tells you to put potatoes in
the ground? Who tells you to
plant corn and pull it and the
lettuce and onions? Does God do
that and then blast it with zero
weather? God does not disap
point you. Certainly He is not
going to disappoint humanity.
Who tells the bee to leave that
hive and go yonder to that clover
patch, and then come back to the
hive? And you can move it fifty
feet and he will go back to
where that have was and stay
there. And he will go three or
four milep and leave that clover
field and go straight to that hive.
You move that hive and he will go
right there and he will find it.
Who tells the squirrel? Take
the squirrel that is born up North
this spring and take it down to
Florida this fall and it won't lay
up nuts. Who tells that squirrel
they don’t have any winter in
Florida? Who tells the squirrel
that we have winter here and
they have got to lay up nuts.
Where do they get all that?
Man did not tell it. Instinct
does it. Oh! God does not dis
appoint a squirrel in its instinct.
He does not disappoint the bird.
Must the eyes of my soul
strain and never see God? Must
I have a longing to live forever
and have it disappointed? So
there is the argument, from the
standpoint of instinet. God says,
“He will” and I Dbelieve him.
That is why lam a Christian. So
why don’'t you belleve God about
prayer? %
And then it is natural. God is
natural, kind hearted loving, he
is a personality, my {‘ri(-nds and
g 0 he wills to help. he wills to
bless, to do these things.
A man says, “If God is good”
—why do you put the question
mark? He said, “If God is good
and God is great and God is dis
‘posed to bless us, why does he
require us to ask?”
Oh, that makes me sick., It is
like any other argument, vou can
run it down like the point of a
needle. Trying to find some ex
cuse for not being decent for God.
I haven’t any respect for such
people, but T will try to help you.
Now, why does he require us
to ask? First, is this: it is natu
ral, it is in accord with the na
ture of God. It is like a pm{m
and a child. It is because that
child asks that brings that child
to recognize its relationship to
vou and its dependencies upon
your judgment.
Why do they ask? Because
they recognize your superior
jml‘mnnt and they get - your
opinion on it. All right, we are
all (‘hil'%:lf God. Do I know
more tha yod? Certalnly, not,
When a child’ begins to realize
that it does not need its parents,
it needs a slipper on any good
convenient place it can land.
Tnerefore it is in accord with
Nature. It brings me to realize
my dependencies on God. God
loves me. I bhecame a child of
God through faith. A parent
would not tell a child anything
that would bring disease or kill
the child. I know God would not
tell me to do anything that is not
for my gocd., When God tells me
to pray and be a Christian, 1
know it is for my own good. It
is natural, just like a parent and
a child.
Tt is another thing. It is ad-
P e e e et
‘Truths Driven
'Home By Billy
flome by buly |
r: e |
%IPITY anybody that thinks he |
3 can get along without God. é
You can't take one breath without §
% God. You are in debt to God for !
the breath you draw, for the water |
3 you drink, for the food you eat. |
§¢B » §
{WE have drives in war. We §
0 have drives on the Liberty |
¢ Loan. Why not have a drive for ¢
! winning men for Christ? 4
*f - b s {
0 lF you find somebody that i.E
§ growling about my vocabulary
;l will show you somebody that !
doesn’t pray. §
i » 8 wie 3
SYOU can't pray ‘Thy kingdomg
3 come” and then not do every- |
{ thing in your powe- to bring about %
¢ the coming of God’s kingdom. $
- - » y
SOME men say it is my vulgarity !
that shocks them. It is be- }
cause this meeting is making sober ¢
; men out of drunkards and they |
! can‘t get rid of their booze. ¢
*% ¢ 0
g WH EN a child begins to realize 2
that it does not need its ¢
! parents it needs a slipper on ar:‘y ‘
g good convenient place it can land. %
- - .
é THE more you give the more you
$ _get, intellectually, physically, ¢
¢ spiritually and every other way.
vantageous to us. Why? We
grow by expression. Mentally,
physically and every other way.
We grow by expression.
Have you ever seen a man in
your life that had a natural
shrinking and an impediment
when he was a boy? T was that.
On Frifdays we used to speak in a
little school 1T went to on the
highlands and the teacher would
say, “Billv Sunday, speak, “The
World is Round.” A
“The World—" and Y will be
darned if I wouldn’t ferget the
whole thing and T would stand
there and blubber and then the
kids would laugh at me and 1
would go out and fight two of
them after I got/through, so I
used‘ to have a fight every Fri
day.
When I was converted I made
up my mind I would give a tes
timony wherever 1 had the oppor
tunity. T would think of some
things T wanted to say and when
I would stand there I would for
get it, but I would get up and
blunder and stagger through it
and T kept on., If anvbody ever
worked hard to be able to talk
and say something, I have. I
have grown by expression.
So therefore, we grow by ex
pression. God wants us to de
velop. that is why God wants you
to ask and tell him. He is anx
ious for you to grow mentally
and physically and he is anxious
for your faith to increase. We
get by giving.
The more vou give, the more
vou get; intellectually, physicals
lv. and spiritually, everything.
That is whv we put a seed in the
ground. Put a kernel of corn
in the ground and you get 1,599
times as much as you put in.
So vou give and get.
That is why a man goes out
‘and sows. the wheat. TLook at
the abundance God gives him
back. If the farmer got no more
than he put W the ground he
wou'ld starve to death in four
month. You cut a little potato
and put in an eye and God will
give vou a hill. 2 ‘
1 used to he weak physically,
Mv _grandmother on my mother's
side and three of her brothers |
and two of her sisters died with 1
consumption. My mother was
the Inst one to die and she died
of heart disease and was 75
vears old when sh~ died.
When I was a boy I was weak
lunged. Caught eold and it al
wave went to my lungs. When'
1 went to Chicago to play ball, 1
was weak-lunged. I went to a
gymnasium and developed my |
physiave., T wouldn’t take a mil
lion dollars for the phyvsiecal ben
efit that my life as a ball-plaver
and athlete is to me rx:w. for Y
have " preached for t¥wenty-one
vears and have never missed a
night preaching.” So there are
lots of fellows stronger than I, \
but I would not trade, with any
guy T have ever seen.
I can get out now and run a
hundred vards in twelve sec
onds All T wou'd have to do
would be to get my wind a little
bit. And my dad was In the
armv at that, vet I have some
of the voung bucks beaten. T
have laid a foundation that is
why. By doing things 1 grow
rhysicallv and intellectually. So
that is why God wants you ta do
a'l that for vour gooad That is
whv he requires yvou to ask.
Then he tells you to pray. “If
you abide in me and ask what
youu will shall be done” God
savs. “If you ask for bread will
yon be given a stone?” -
If your child comes up to vou
and asks vou for bread yvou don’t
give him a stone. If he asks for
fish vou don’t give him a snake.
If 'you have sense enough don’t
vou think your father up in
heaven h2s sense enough to give
von the things you ask for?
“Ask and ve shall receive.
Knock and it shail be opened un
to vou.”
Now there are immedinte as
well as deferred answers to
pravers. Please remember the
devil’s business is to prevent
pravers from being answered, and
while vou are praying for your
hushand or for some cause, please
remember the devil is working
hard to opnose that.
The devil’s business 1s to op
noge (God in everything that is
for the human race, and how anv
body will stand up for the devil
is mpre than I can understand.
Yet, you think when I talk |
against the devil T am hitting you.
Some of you. I
Now let me give you an illué
tration. In the ninth chanter of
Daniel, Daniel praved for soma
thing. Here is what the Lord
said:
“Daniel, at the begininge of
thv supplication your praver was
heard.”
When Daniel praved, God
heard and God started an angel
on the wing with fhg answer to
Daniel and it took 'the anegel
three weeks to zet to Daniel with
the answer and when the anwel
arrived he said. “At the begin
ning. of vour sunnlication your
prayer was heard but the princes
of the power of the air hath with
stood me three and twenty days,”
so the angel was three weeks
getting down to Daniel with that
answer.
Why? Because the devil's
business was to keep him away
with the answer., So when you
nray, God's answer is on the way,
but the devil is going to keep it
in his power away from you, S 0
that you will say there is noth
ing in God. So therefore the
devil may keep the answer away
from some people for years, get
them discouraged and get them
to quit.
Some don’t get what they
pray for because they look down
ward, it is too low. =~
I went into a to#n in Indiana
and & man came Hp to me and
he said: -
“There are seventy-six men
here who have pledged them
selves that three times we will
pray for you in the meetings.
We have arranged with every
firm and they will let them off
any hour of the day or night
and if there is any discourage
ment or trouble that you want
me to help you with, you let me
know and' I will summon that
band of men and wgq will meet
you. We are God’s and we have
signed our contract and we have
got it all arranged and ] want
you to know that there are
seventy-six men in this town that
will die for Jesus Christ and are
willing to go with you to the last
ditch.”
I saw men 70 and 80 years of
age that had resisted every ap
peal, come down the aisle and
they would sing ,as the tears
rolled down their cheeks and
heard them say: “I h\:ve wand -
ered far away from God, but now
-I am coming home.”
I have seen men climb on the
roof, take out the windows, rip
off the boards, go to the drygoods
stores and get boxes and put
them against the tabernacle so
they could see in and hear, and
it transformed the whole part of
the country for Jesus Christ,
And how God will bless us if we
will do his will.
1 went to a town in Towa, and
I saw the preacher there in this
audience the other night, I got
the preachers together and the
Presbyterian said: “I have wo
men In my church and not one
of their husbands are there.” '
And the Methodist and the
Baptist told me the same.
1 said, “Meet in the tabernacle
and we will just pray for those
men.”
They met in the tabernacle and
every morning we prayed for
those men, some of whom held
prominent positions in business,
and in politles. And some of
these men were praved into the
kingdom of God by these women.
Prayer by the power of God.
Over in Scotland some years
ago they had a long, hot dry spell
and everything was withering,
and they called for fasting and
prayer, and they were going up
to church to pray that God
would send rain and one of the
elders met a little girl tagging a
big umbrella and he sald: “Las
sia. where are you gq‘ing?"
She said, “T am goin’ to church
to pray for God to make the rain
and 1 dinna want to get wet
when it begun to rain.” Bless her
little heart.
There was Hannah. She had
no child. She didn't believe in
hirt‘) control and neither do T, or
any other popny-cock stuff that is
going around nowadays. And
Hannah prayed God and God
heard her prayer and she became
the mother of a baby, Samuel.
And there was Jacob, he prav
ed. and he reminded God of the
pron¥ise and he said to him.
“Make my seed as the sands of
the ceashore,” and God fulfilled
his piomise.
And there was Nehemiah. He
prayed and God gave him power
and he went back with a eompa
ny of people and in 52 days he
rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.
Peter was in prison and his
praver was made without ever
secing the church of God. Oh!
what a paralysis the lack of
praver has made to the chupch.
If the prayer, of the church of
the first century had been as
skeptical as we seem to be today,
there would have been no record
of this story.
\Rut they met and prayed and
God in response to their pravers
shook the old prison bars open
and Peter walked out and went
to his own.
Flijah prayer. He was-a man
subject to passions and he pray
ed that it might not rain and for
three vears and six months there
was not a dron of rain or dew
fell on the earth. Then he pray
ed and God opened the heavens
and poured them down.
So nrayer has power over dev
ils. Prayer has power over Na
ture. over the troubles of the
world and disease. Prayer is al
most a uzpiversal habit. Great
men pray, rich rrgl pray, poor
men pray, bad meén pray, good
men pray, good women pray, bad
women vraver, virtuous women
prayv, prostitutes pray.
An athiest in a railroad wreck
said: “Mv God. what is this?"”
In a moment he forgot that he
was a professional agnostic and
so the instinets of the soul al
wayvs come to it. In time of sick
ness or in time of trouble. “Man
is invariablv a religion animal,”
savs the old proverb.
T don’'t know whether that is
a good definition, but I think it
is.
Daniel prayed with hls window
onen, turned to Jerusalem three
times a day Martin Luther
prayved his way through moun
taing of difficulties and blessed
this old world with a reforma
tion that dame in response to his
pravers.
Washington, when the snow
was up to his arm-pits at Valley
Forge prayed for God to give vie
tory to the Continentals and that
is why we have our Liberty and
freedom now.
Lincoln turned the key in the
White House door and he praved
all night with Bishop Simnson.
I prayed down in Ocean Grove
last summer and two women
came to.me and said: ‘“We want
to meet you. we are Rishop
Simnson'’s danghterg” Bishon
Simnson praved a'l night with
T.incoln asking (od to nreserve
the victorv of this country.
Knox--hie nravers are heard
and felt in Seatlond tadav.and the
Oneen feared them mare than
gshe did an invedine army,
Stonewall Jackenn oraved in
everything he @l7 and he was
known to say: “Oh (Gnd. lat this
horrihle wor anick’ ehme so an
end that we mav all return hame
and engage in the only work that
is worth while a{'nd that is the
salvation of men.”
George Muller prayed and his
prayers controlled over eight mil
lion dollars. He supported thou
sands of orphan children; fed,
clothed and educated them and
never asked for a dollar.
Commodore Vanderbilt when he
lay dying said: “Send for the
gardener, he knows how™to pray.”
So we all want somebody around
when we are bidding good-bye
to this old world.
These men I have named were
not feeble men, the world has
crowned them as great, and they
were great men, everyone of
them,
Prayer is the swiftest thing in
the universe, goes from New
York to Philadelphia; Philadel
phia to Pittsburg. Pittsburg to St.
Louis, St. Louis to Cincinnati,
Chicago, Portland, Frisco, New
Orleans, Los Angeles, around the
world, on this wonderful arrow
of light tipped with fire and the
flame of love and winged with
faith. It goes around the world
to bring men and women to sdl
vation, and to Jesus Christ.
“lI know not where his islands lift
their tufted palms in air,
But this I know, I ean not drift
beyond His love and care.”
God will answer prayver. I
heard Dr. Read tell how when
they wére surrounded by the
Boxer troops, assisted by the Im
perial troops in the great Chinese’
rebellion, they gathered the
Christian young men and women
to pray. And the Chinese wait
ed until the wind would blow
and carry the flames over the
house in which the British were,
which was saturated with oil
They waited to see the fire and
the flames shoot up and the
&moke begin to curl over, and
they called those Godly men and
women, and they fell on their
knees and they sald:
“Oh! God, we are helpless, we'
pray,” and while they prayed
the wind came up from the Sea
and it started to rain, and it rain
ed, and rained, and rained, and
rained without ceasing for near
ly three weeks, until everything
was soaked and saturated. The
lowlands were covered and the
rivers leaped their banks.
The armies were debating
whether they would start, when
one evening the General of the
United States Army said, “To
‘ morrow morning the gentlemen
| start for Peking.” so they forded
the stream and on they went,
| Nothing but the answer of God
to their pravers.
In the thirty-seven vears of
war between Spain and the Dutech
~ they surrounded the city of Tey
' den. The people there were
starving and seven or eight Dutch
* ships came up loaded to the wa
~ ter’s edge with provisions. But
it was several miles from where
they could come, over to the city,
and they offered Prince William
of Orange a fabulous sum if he
would surrender. They could not
buy him. Although they offered
to put him in line to the Spanish
throne, he would not yield.
And then what happened? They
prayed, and God blew the winds
and he picked up the North Sea
in the winds and hurricanes
blew until the waters rolled over
every barrier, eighteen feet deep
| over the lowlands.
l They drove the Spaniards that
were encamped out of the low
lands and they fled for their
lives. The Dutch ships came up
against the walis and the people
came up and took the provisions
off and carried them from the
hold and stored them in the fort,
and then the wind shifted and
blew back the waters of the
North Sea and the North Sea
has never crossed that boundary
line from that day to this.
That was God’'s answer to their
prayers. Had it not bheen for
God's answer the red flag of
Spain would be flying over Hol
land today.
I preached in Minnesota years
and years ago and the grasshop
pers invaded the State, and they
became so dense and so thick
that the sun was “veiled for
hours. And the people were
starving, for all the green things
were being eaten. They ate the
vegetation out of the garden and
the people were cryving for help.
John A. Pillsbury—he sells
flour, “Eventually, why not now”
—was Governor and he jssued a
proclamation for a dayv of fast
ing and prayer that God would
stay the plague of the grass
hoppers. People were urged to
gather in churches and spend the
day in fasting and in prayer and
they did. The next day they went
out and the grounds were covered
with dead grasshoppers; they
crawled on the railroad and they
died on the rails; and the trains
would crush their bodies. And
they said: “The eggs are in the
ground and they will hatch.”
For about four days the sun
beamed on Minnesota as ordi
narily as in July and the grass
hopper eggs hatehed and the
young grasshoppers crawled out
of the ground and the Northwest
wind switched and the frost came
for about two davs, and then God
sent a Vittle red pug about as
large as the head of a little pin
and it ate the eggs of the grass
hoppers, and the frost ate the
little red insects after they had
blotted out the grasshopners,
Are you a praying (“hr(s’mn or
just a nominal one? i
“Papa, is God dead?”
“No, why?"
“Because you don't talk about
him to me any more like yon
used to.”
Maybe that is the trouble with
some of yvou in your homes,
Like the great Hercules when
he went out to figcht againgt his
great opponent, his strength wis
almost equal, and it was headg or
tails as to who would win, but
Hercnles discovered that when
the giant’s feet were lifted from
the earth his strength seemed to
hecome half and so he summoned
all his strength and lifted his
onponent in the alr and he plerc
ed him dead.
And when vou stiand upon the
truths of the Somninotent God
there is nothing on the earth that
can move vou.
“The effectual fervent nraver of
a righteous man availeth much.”
Does it pav to pray?
pia FIoE N ATFLERORO
ATTLEBORO, MASK Dec 12--
Threo large bnsiness blocks in the
center of the city were destroved hyv
fire and seventeeén Jwollines damagred
with a total iogs of 2500 00N eqrly to-
Aav.. The fire wagsnut under con
tral gfier aid hed heen eqymmoned
from al!ll =surrounding cities.
" BAAT Gz
1072 r A (e
OW dear to my purse is the
H snow which is falling,
The feathery flakes which
are horne on the breeze;
Which creep down your back with
a chill most appalling
And senc¢ the gooseflesh through
the old b, v, d's. :
How steep is the stair which
leads down to the cellar,
How dark is the pit, but for
that glowing bowl—
The ravenous furnace that busts
any feller
Who tries to assuage its mad
hunger for coal.
The cast-iron furnace,
The clinker-stopped furnace,
The guaranteed furnace
That eats up the coal,
How fond was our hope of a
price regulatiop,
How gladly we turned down the
salesman last May:
Convinced by our statesmen'’s
well-warmed conversation
The longer we waited the less
we need pay. .
And now we must sell the old |
flivver or hock it,
And mortgage the homestead
# 80 dear to our soul,
And dig the last dent from the
innermost pocket
To make up eight dollars for
one ton of coal.
To feed that bum furnace,
% e 5 R . CEEReT TR
p o sBP T TS B
eTT D N
Sl oTk |y
AR ) R, T NRy B A J
’"-‘ g,»:;:}: y .5 “’"x > B - R ‘ A »&’;‘? B
NS, T !
e $ T T AR
£ Ry oy Goacn
iy N R
: B : &R s ity
PRI @Rt v T aawrmi B S
e —— A ———— e ———— \
Officers for Atlanta Assogiation
. ¢
Chosen at Annual Meeting
Tuesday Afternoon.
A. P. Coles, leader in Atlanta bank
ing ecircles, Wednesday assumed the
presidency of the Atlanta Clearing
House Association, having been elect
ed at the association’s annual meet
ing Tuesday afternoon to succeed
Thomas C. Erwin. |
Mr. Coles is vice president of the
Central Bank and Trust Corporation.l
and is ‘\'i(-e president and general
’mnnugvr of the i Atlanta Warehouse
Company,
At Tuesday's election W. J. Blalock,
president of the Fulton National Bank, |
was re-elected vice president of the
association, and Henry D. Kennedy,
cashier of the Fulton National Bank,
was elected treasurer. Darwin G.
Jones was re-elected secretary and
manager.
Figures on The Georgian's financial
page Tuesday afternoon showed that
Atlanta banks had just enjoyed one ofl
the most prosperous months in their
history. Atlanta stood eleventh among
banks of the United States in clear
ings for the month of November, and
has maintained thig position in the
weekly table for several weeks.
Harding to Visit
Reserve Bank Here|
W. P. 8. Harding, chairman of lhel
Federal Reserve Board and former
Birmingham banker, will arrive in At
lanta Thursday morning for his an
nual visit to the Federal Reserve
Bank, of Atlanta. He will remain
here until Friday evening as the guest
of M. B. Wellborn, chairman of the
board of the Atlanta institution, and
will be given a dinner at the Capital
('ity Club Thursday evening at which
other guests will be At'anta ban!(er&!
Mr. Harding will attend a mr-otim;|
of the directors of the Federal Reserve
Bank, of Atlanta, Thursday morning, |
that being the principal ohject of his
visit here Leaving Atlanta he willy
go to Dallas, Texa¢, for a similar |
vigit to the Federal Reserve Bank of |
that city.
A
Purchase by City of
The movement to purchase for ul
public recreation ground the re
mainder of historic Mozely Park
Wednesday had been indorsed by the
Seventh Ward Improvement Club,
whose members believe the city
should preserve this old battlefield.
Mozely Park is one of the few re
maining battlegrounds that remain
intact within the city limits. It is
visited by many veterans of the
North and South, who spend many
hours of interest recalling scenes of |
bygone days. l
The club also has indorsed a move
ment for an addition to Lucile Ave
nue School and for better fire protec
tion for West End Park. |
Bible School Exnert i
IDl€ DCNOOOI LXNEerts
'
To Speak at Dublin|
DUBLIN, Dee. 12.—After a two
day session, the Laurens County Sun
day School Convention wiil end here
tonight with addresses by State Sec
retary Simms and Mrs. W. L. Blank
enship. both from Atlanta. Delegates
from Sundayv schools in all sections
of the county have been in attend- !
ance, Flection of officers will be held
also before adjournment tonight.
2 That hungry old furnace,
- That home-wrecking furnace
With eight-dollar coal.
Dear Up and Down: 0
I_have been a sls-a-week re
porter in a one-horse town until
I'm tired of it. Can you advise
me how to become a famous
Journalist?
CHASE 1. TEMS.
That's easy. Get a job as pube
licity director for a movie pro=
ducer. Then you can write anye
thing you please about yourself.
Kentucky is facing she most
horrible situation 31 its history.
The mercury is ardund the zero
mark and no Tom and Jerry in
sight.
Piedmont Park electric lights
are turned off at 9 o'clock now
to save current. But anybody who
visits a park on nights like these
must be sufficiently illuminated
to dispense with electricity,
The take a package home with
you movement is making a great
hit with the women. But we no
tice the same old collector brings
the bills to Fathers’ office.
And that reminds us! There are
Just so many shopping days left
before Christmas.
’ 99
Government Agents Will Visit
Every County for. Benefit
of Public.
] Government grents with expert
knowledge o hx;!ncome tax law will
be sent into seorgia counties, to
work in connect\ 1 with postmasters,
bankers and newhpapers in explain
ing the new wrinkles of the income
tax law to every person desiring in
formation. This announcement was
made Wednesday by A. O. Blalock,
collector of internal revenue for tige
Northern «District of Georgia, wha
also said:
“The law makes it the duty of the
taxpayer to seek out the collector.
Many people assume that if an in
come tax form is not sent or a Gov
lernment officer does not call they are
relieved from making report. It is
the other way around—the taxpayer
must go to the Government and if he
'doesn’t within the time prescribed,
' he is a violator of the law, and the
‘Government will go to him with its
penalties.
- “However, next year, when every
married person, living with wife or
husband and having a net income of
$2,000, and every unmarried person
not the head of a family and having a
net income of SI,OOO for the year 1917
must make return of income on the
form preseribed, there will be hun
dreds of persons in every community
seeking light on the law and help in
executing their returns. This and
every other collection district in the
nation will be divided into districts
with the county as the unit and a
aovernment officer informed in the
law assighed to each county.”
. . .
Girl in 150-ft. Dive
In Criterion Film
n(C n Fil
Unusual swimming, dancing and
diving achievements feature “Sirens
of the Sea,” the six-part picture
which opens Thursday at the Cri
terion for the last three days of (he
week. Louise Lovely, who is fea
tured with Jack Mulhall and Carmel
Meyers, makes a 150-foot dive from
the top of a cliff into the ocean as a
spectacular stunt,
More than « a thousand persons
took part in the making of thig pic
ture, the .scenes of which are laid
on a mysterious island in ‘the Pa
cific. where sea nymphs, garbed most
ly in seaweed, disport themselves.
The plot is an ingenious one and
serves to introduce a number of
charming young women, whose
dances and antics in the ocean are
thoroughly entertaining and admir
ably executed.
Miss Lovely, who does the high
dive, is an Australian and is as much
at home in the w:y% as a real mer
maid.
In addition to this picture, views
of the Seventeenth Engineers, from
Atlanta, being received by the King
and Queen of England, also will be
shown.
. i
Langdon Quinn Goes
.
To Texas Air Camp
Langdon C. Quin will leave this
afternoon for San Antonio, Tex.,
where he will enter the training
camp for officers of the aviation sec
tion of the signal corps.
As general agent for several in
surance companies, he was one of the
most active workers in this section
of the South. His enlistment as a
private in the aviation corps follow
-1 two unsuccessful attempts to en
ter other branches of the service.
. The service flag at the Bell House
will add its thirtieth star when Mr.
Quin leaves for Texas.
11