Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

THE LEDGER : GAFFNEY, S. C., FEBRUARY 18, 1897 5 ATE GRASS AS AN OX. R&V. DR TALMAO. FH0W3 HOW A KING WA-' ly*'MILIATED. He a \V« lid i r-i Sceno to Enforce u I ••; .* ’ *• n - TJio li. -ccra- ; tlon of Kacrcd 7 l.i. I’m- of tho Sab- ] bftth. Warhingto-v, Fil». M.—Dr. Tahaa^n ia this Honiu.u uws w'ird and strungo BCf'Uo of uni ient - to illnslrate Iho behavior of mudora p< : pli v/hodi-sccrato sacred thiuKS. ami for their arrogance get a bad tumble, flir. Huljoct was “A King Eating Gras and the text i Daniel iv, 88, “The saine hour was tho thing fnlfllled u!« n Ntdmchaduezzar, nud ho was driven from men, and did eat grass as o.r< n, and liis body was wot with the dew of heaven, till liis hairs were grown like eagles’feathers, and ! his nails like birds’ elaws.” Better shade your eyes lest they bo : pnt out with the splendor of Babylon, . as some morning you walk out with Nebuchadnezzar on the suspension bridges which hang from the house tops and he shows you tho vastness of his realm. As the sun kindles the domes with glistering* almost insufferable and the great streets thunder up their pomp into the ear of the monarch, and armed towers stand around, adorned with tho spoils of conquered »mpires, Nebuchad nezzar waves his hand above the stu pendous scene and exclaims, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?” lint in an instant all that splendor is gone from his vision, for a voice falls from the heaven, paying: “O King Nebuohadnc/ ar, to thee it is spoken. The kingdom is departed from thee, ami they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall bo with tho beasts of the field. They shall make thco to cat grass as oxen and seven years shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men andgiveth it to whom soever he will.” One hour from the time that he made the boast he is on the way to the fields, a maniac, and, rush ing into the forests, he becomes cue of the beasts, covered with eagles’ feathers for protection from the cold, and liis nails growing to birds’ claws in order that ho might dig tho earth for roots and climb tho trees for nuts. On the I toad to Babylon. Yon see them is a great variety in the Scriptural landscape. In several dis courses we have looked at mountains of excellence, but now wo look down into a great, dark chasm of wickedness as we come to speak of Nebuchadnezzar. God in his Word sots before us the beauty of ■elf denial, of sobriety, of devotion, of courage, and then, 1 st wo should not thoroughly understand him, ho intro duced Daniel and Paul and Deborah as illustrations of tiios. virtues. God also speaks to mi in his Word as to the hate- jA fulness of pride, of folly, of impiety and lest wo should not thoroughly un derstand him, introduces Nebuchadnez zar ns tho imper'onulion of tin so forms of depravity. Tho former stylo of char acter is a lighthouse, t bowing us a way into a safe harbor, end the latter style of haracter is a black buoy, swinging on tho rocks, to ahow where vessels wreck themselves. Thanks unto God for both tho buoy and tho lighthouse! The host of Nebuchadnezzar is thunder ing at the gates of Jerusalem. Tho crown of that sacred city is struck into the dust by the hand of Babylonish in solence. The vessels of tho temple, which had never been desecrated by pro fane touch, were ruthlessly seized for sacrilege and transportation. Oh, what a sad hour when those Jews, at tho command of tho invading army, aye obliged to leave the heme of their na tivity? How their hearts must have been wrung with anguish when, on tho day they departed, they heard tho trum pets from tho top of the temple an nouncing the hour for morning sacrifice and saw the smoko of the altars ascend ing around the holy hill of Zion; for well thyy knew that in a far distant land they would never hear that trumpet call nor behold t he majestic ascent of ♦ho sacrifice! Behold those captives on the road from Jerusalem to Babylon! Worn and weary, they d;je not halt, for roundabout are aimed men urging them on with ncot and shout and blas phemy. Aged men tottered along on their staves, weeping that they could not lay their bones in tho sleeping place of their fathers and children, wondered at tho length of the way and sobbed them selves to sleep when the night had fall en. It seemed sis if at every step a heart broke. But at a turn of the road Baby lon suddenly springs upon the view of the captives, with its gardens and pal aces. A shout goes up from tho army as they behold their native city, hut not not one huzza is heard from the cap tives. These exiles saw no splendor there, for it was not homo. Tho Eu phrates did not have tho water gleam of tho brook Kedron or the pool of Siloatn. Tho willows of Babylon, on which they hung their untuned harps, w’ero not as graceful as the trees which at the fcot of Mount Moriah seemed to weep at tho departed glory of Judah, and all the fragrance that descended from the hang ing gardens upon that great city was not so sweet as one breath of the acacia and frankincense that the high priest kindled in tho sanctuary at Jerusalem. On a certain night-, a little while after these captives Lad been brought to his city, Nebuchadnezzar is scared with a night vision. A bad man’s pillow is apt to be stuffed with deeds and forebodings which keep talking in the night. He Will find that the engles’ down in his pillow will stick him like porcupine quills. The ghosts of old transgressions aro sure to wander about in the dark ness and beckon and hiss. Yet when tho morning came ho found that tho vision had Oniirely fh d from him. Dreams drop no anchor*!, and therefore aiy apt to nail away before wo can fasten tiu'iu. Nebuchadnezzar culls all the wise men of the land into his presence, de manding that by their t crc.maney they explain Ids dream. They of course fail. Then their wrathful king n •;:<> an 1 edict with as litik* • n. " i> v-n o-y. or I deling tb? ‘••aying cf . 4 'ht hsmicb ; men of tho country, lint Daniel the | prophet copies iav. ith the > • rpretatiou juhl in lime to saw tin wise men and j the Jewish eaptrw s. I’rltte enil littln. My friends, do you not sen that pride and ruin ride in the same saddle? frke Nebuchadn! zzar on the proudest throne of all the earth, and then see him graze | with the sheep and the cattle! Pride is commander, well plumed and caparison ed, but it lends fortli a dark and frown ing host. The arrows from the Al mighty’s quiver are apt to strike a man | when on the wing. Goliath shakes his great ppc-ar in defiance., but the. smooth stonee from the brook make him stag ger and fall like an ox under a butch er’s bludgeon. Ho who is down cannot fall. Vessels scudding under bare poles do not feel the force of the storm, while those with all sails set capsize at the sudden descent of tho tempest. Bemrmls r that we can be as proud ol our humility tvs of anything else. Au- tisthenea walked th<; stm ts of Athens with a ragged cloak to demonstrate his humility, but Socrates declared lie could see the hypocrisy through the holes iu his cloak. Wc would all ne'e ourselves smaller than we are if we were as phil osophic as Scvcrus, the emperor of Home, who said at the close of his life, “1 have been everything nud everything is nothing.” And when tho urn that was to contain his ashes was at his com mand brought to him he said, “Little- urn, thou shalt contain one for whom the world was too little.” Do you not also learn from the mis fortune of this king of Babylon what a terrible thing is tho loss of reason: There is no calamity that can possibly befall us in this world so great as de rangement of intellect; to have the hotly of man and yet to fall even below the instinct of a brute. In this world ol horrible sights, the most horrible is the idiot’s stare. In this world of horrible pounds, the most horrible is the maniac’s j laugh. A vessel driven on the rocks, 1 when hundreds go down never to rise and other hundrt ds drag their mangled and shivering bodies upon the winter’s beach, is nothing compared to the foun dering of intellects full of vast hopes ami attainments and capacities. Christ’s heart went out toward those who >vptc en'ib ,, '*ic, idling into the fire, or maniacs cutting thcmscives «... the tombs. We aro accustomed to be more grateful for physical health than for the proper working of our mind. Wo are apt to take it lor granted that the intellect which has served us so well will always be faithful. We forget that an engine* of such tremendous power, where the wheels have such vast ness at circle and such swiftness of motion, and the least impediment might put it out of gear, can only be ke pt in proper bal ance by a divine hand. No human hand could engineer tho train of immortal /acuities. Hew strange it is that our memory, on whose shoulders nil tho misfortunes and successes and occur rences of a lifetime are placed, should not ofteuer break down, and that the scales cf judgment, which have been weighing so much and so long, should not lose their adjustment, and that fancy, which holds a dangerous wand, should not sometimes maliciously wave it, bringing into the heart forebodings ami hallucinations the most appalling! Is it not strange that this mind, which hopes so much in its mighty leaps for tho at tainment of its objects, should net be dashed to pieces on its disappointments: Though so delicately tuned, this instru ment of untold harmony plays on, though fear shakes it and vexations rack it and sorrow and joy ami loss and gain in quick succession beat out of it their dirge or toss from it their anthem. At morning and at night, when iu your prayer you rehearse the causes of your thanksgiving, next to tho salvation by Jesus Christ, praise the Lord for the preservation of your reason. lie Served a Purpose. Seo also in this stoiyof Ntdmehfulnez- zar tho use that God makes of bad men. Tho actions of the wicked are used as instruments for the punishment of wick edness in others or as the illustration of some principle in the divine govern ment. Nebuchadnezzar subserved both purposes. Even so I will go hack with you to the history of ?veiy reprobate that the world has ever seen, and I will show r you how to a great extent his wickedness was limited in its destructive power and how God glorified himself in the ovi rthrow and disgrace of his en emy. Babylon is full of abomination, and wicked Cyrus destroys it. Persia fills tho cup of its iniquity, and vile Al exander puts an end to it. Maccdon must bo chastised, and bloody Emilius does it. The Bastille is to be destroyed, and corrupt Napoleon accomplishes it. Even so selfish and wicked men are of ten made to accomplish great and glori ous purposes. Joseph’s brethren were guilty of superlative perfidy and mean ness wl. ii they sold him into slavery for about v?, yet how they must have be'*n overwhelmed w ith the truth that God never forsakes the righteous when they saw lie had become the prime min ister of Egypt! Pharaoh oppresses tho Israelites with the most diabolic tyran ny; yet stand still and seethe salvation of God. Tho plagues descend, the lo custs, and tho hail, and the destroy.ng angel, showing that there is a God who will defend the cause of his people, aud finally, after the Israelites have passed through the parted sea, behold, in tho wreck of the drowned army, that God’s enemies are chuff in a whirlwind! In some financial panic the righteous suf fered with the wicked. Houses and stores aud shops in a night foundered on the rock of bankruptcy, and healthy credit w ithout warning dropped dead in the street, and money ran up tho long ladder of !Jf> per cent to laugh down upon those w ho could not climb after it. Dealers with pickets full of securities stood shouting in the deaf ears of bunks. Men rnshtol down the streets with pro tested notes after them. Those who be fore found it hard to . pend their mono} were left without mom y to spend. La- i holers went home f. <■ w ant of work, t( see hunger in their ebair at the tabh uno op'.ii (hi la..i'..niter blew ho ^ bit nth of frost thr< ugh lingi rsof icicles, j and sheriff* with attachments dnp ; among the cinders of i’llh n storehouses, and whole cities joined iu the long fu neral procession, marching to the gravt of dead fortunes and a fallen commerce. Verily tho righteous suffered with the wicked, but generally the wicked had tho worst of it. Splendid estates that had come together through schemes ol wickedness were dashed to pieces like a potter’s vessel, and God wrote with let ters of fire, amid the ruin and destine tion of reputations aud estates that wen thought impregnable, the old fashioned truth, which centuries ago hi* wrote in liis Bible, “The way of the wicked h( turneth upside down. ” As the stars ol heaven are reflected from tho waters of the earth, even so God’s great aud mag nificent purposes are reflected back from the boiling sea of human passion and turmoil. Ah the voice of a sweet Kong uttered among the mountains may b< uttered back from the cavernous homt cf wild beast anil reeks split and thun der scarred, so the great harmonics ol God’s providence are rung hack from the darkest caverns of this sin struck earth. Sennacherib ami AbimelecL aud Herod aud Judas and Nero and Nebuchadnezzar, though they struggled like beasts unbroken to the load, were put into a yoke, where they were com pelled to help draw* ahead God’s great projects of mercy. Again, let ns learn tho lesson that men can be guilty of pollut ing the sacred vessels of the temple and carrying them away to Babylon. The sacred vessels in tho temple at Jerusalem were the cupt aud plates of gold and silver with which tho rites and ceremonies were celebrat ed. The laying of heathen hands upon them and the carrying them off as spoilt were an unbounded offense to the Lord of tho temple. Yet Ncbnchadnezzai committed this very sacrilege. Though that wicked king is gone, the sins ho in augurated walk up and down the earth, cursing it from century to century. The sin of desecrating sacred things is com mitted by those who on sacramental day take tho communion cup, while their conversation aud deeds all show thrt they live down iu Babylon. How solemn is the sacrament! It is a time for vows, a time for repentance, a time for faith. Sinai stands near with its fire split clouds and Calvary with its victim. The Holy Spirit broods over the scene, aud the & lcry of heaven seems to gather iu the sanctuary. Vile indeed must that man he who will «.ome in from liia idols and mire pouted follies tc take hold of the sacred vessels of the temple. O thon Nebuchadnezzar! Back with you to Babylon! The Holy Day. Those also desecrate sacred things who use the Sabbath for any otiier than religious purposes. This holy day w'as let down from heaven amid the intense sec- ularities of the week to remind us (hat we are immortal and to allow us prep aration fer an endless state of happi ness. It is a green spot in the hot desert of this world that gushes with fountains and waves with palm trees. This is the i time to shake the dust from the robes of our piety aud in tho tents of Israel sharpen our swords for future conflict. Heaven, that seems so fur off on other days, alights upon the earth, and tho song of heavenly choirs and the hosan na, of the white robed seem to mingle with our earthly worship. We hoar the wailing infant of Bethlehem, and the hammer stroke of the carpenter’s weary son inNaaarelh, and the prayer of Geth- snnaiie, and the bitter cry of Golgotha, (♦lory bo unto the Lord of the Sabbath! With that one day in seven God divides this great sea of business and gayety, that so, dry shod, we may pass between the worldly business of the past and the worldly business of the future! But to many the Sabbath comes only as a day for neighliorhood visiting, field rambling, hotel lounging and political caucusing. This glorious Sabbath, which was intended only its a golden chalice from which tho thirsty should drink, is this moment being carried down to Babylon. I do not exaggerate the truth when I say that to tens of thousands there is no distinction between tho Sab bath aud tho weekdays except that on tho Lord’s v' / they do not work, while they eat more hugely aud dissipate more thoroughly. Sabbath breakers are like limiters who should compel their hounds to take rest while themselves continue on the weary chase, for men on tho Sabbath allow their bodies, which aro merely the animal nature, sufficient re pose, while their immortal nature, which should be fed and refreshed, is com pelled to chase up and down this world’s highway. How shameful to rob God of his day, When he allows men so ranch lawful acquisition, even of a worldly na ture, on tho Sabbath, for, although men themselves are commanded to rest, tho com and the wheat and the grass grow just as rapidly on the Sabbath as on other days, so that while they sit iu the sanctuary they are actually becoming richer in worldly things. While you aro doing nothing your bonds aud mortgages are all accumulating interest for your estate just as fust as on other days. Men hired by the month or year are receiv ing just os ranch wages while quiet on tho Sabbath as they aro the hard work ing weekday. No, I say how unuttera bly mean it is, when God is adding to yonr worldly estate on tho Sabbath ns cer tainly as on other days, that any should not be satisfied with that, but attempt to seize additional secular advantage from tho Lord’s day. Have you never noticed the curious fact that our world ly occupation frequently sec-ms to be di- vidc-d into sections of six days each? Every week wo have just enough work given us to do in six days. God makes just enough breaks in our contin uous occupations to thrust iu the Sab bath. If yonr have not before noticed, observe hereafter that when Saturday night comes there is almost always u good stopping place iu j our business. All things secular and spiritual in prov idence mid revelation seem to say, “Re member tho Sabbath day to keep it holy.” When the six days of creation had passed, Gcd stopped working. Not even a pure flower or a white cloud would he make, liecausc it was tho Sab bath, and, giving an example to all fu ture times, he rested. Krcp tho Sabbath. He who breaks tho Sabbath not inert certainly robs God than robs himself. Inevitably continuous desecration ol the sacred day ends either in bankruptoj or destroyed health. A great merchant said, “Had it not been for the Sabbath I have no doubt I should have been n maniac long ago.” This remark waf made in a company of merchants, and one of them said: “That eorrespondt with the experience of my friend, e great importer. He often said, ‘The Sab bath is tlio host day of the week to plan successful voyages. ’ He has for yean been in an insane hospital, aud will probably die there.” Those also repeat the sin of Nebuchad nezzar who in ar.y way desecrate the Holy Scriptures. There aro men whe use the Word of God as an instrument of angry controversy. Bigots at hear! and zealots, in the advocacy of their re ligious peculiarities they meet othci sects with the fury of a highwayman, thrusting them through and through , with what they consider tho sword of the Spirit. It is a wonder to mo that some men were not made with horns to hook with aud hoofs to kick with nud with claws to grab with. What Christ said t< rash Peter, when ho struck off the cm of Malchus, he says to every cent rover sialist, “Put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take th< sword shall perish with the sword.” Rev. William Jay met a countryman who said to him: “I was extremely alarmed this morning, sir. It was very foggy and I was going down to a lonely place, and I thought I saw a strange monster. It seemed in motion, but 1 could not discern its form. I did not like to turn hack, hut my heart boat, and the more I looked tho more I was afraid. But as I approached I saw it was a man, and who do you think it was?” “I know not. ” "Oh, it was my brother John. ’ ’ Then Mr. Jay remarked, “It was early in tho morning aud very foggy, and how often do we thus mis take our Christian brethren.” Just in proportion as men aro wrong will they be boisterous in their religions contentious. The lamb of religion is al ways gentle, while there is no lion sc fierce as the roaring lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour. Let Gibraltnrs belch their war flame on the sea, and the Dardanelles darken tho Hellespont with the smoke of their but- t'Tios, but forever and ever let there be goou v’ill among those who profess tc be subjects of the gospel of gentleness. “Glory to God iu the highest, and on eartli peace, good will to men.” What an embarrassing thing to meet in heaven if we have not settled om controversies on earth. So I give out foi all pcoplo of all religions to sing John Fawcot’s hymn, in short meter, com posed in 1772, but just as appropriate for 1897: Blest be the tie that bhuls Our hcurtH in ChrUtiau love. The fellowship of kindred minds la like to that above. From sorrow, toll and pain Ard Kin we shall be free, And perfect love and friendship reign Through all eternity. Small Caliber Rifle Wounds. Hunters have given tho 80 caliber smokeless powder rifles a pretty thor ough trial during the last year, and most of them aro satisfied with its work on game in ease's where a soft nose bullet was used. A bard nose bullet from the 30 caliber rifle, it appears, when it hits a dew passes through, leaving a “pin hole,” aud causes the deer to run all the faster. With a soft nose bullet, that carls over on hitting tho flesh, tho effect is usually deadly. W. T. Carlin tells in Recreation about shooting a grizzly bear with a soft nose bullet of 80 caliber. One shot hit the bear in tho shoulder and “smashed both shoulders to pieces.” The shock “con gested the blood clear back to her h.'uns.” And another shot in tho head broke the bones into 16 pieces, besides splinters. An elk, shot through the shoulders, leaped up and fell dead. The ballet hit no bones, but stopped under the skin on the far side. Antelopes shot almost anywhere in the body fell with in 20 yards, seldom stopping the bullet. The holes the bullets made were small at tho entering point, but where tho bullets caine out one could frequently put a doubled fist into the wound. Com- nu nly the wound was two inches across. A single hard nose bullet fired from a nuumlicher rifle at a rhinoceros passed lengthwise through it, killing it, and then through another one’s shoulders, killing it too. Tigers shot through tho body sickened at once when a soft nose bullet was used, while deer of all sorts were knocked down by tho force of the bullets, aud not often were able to get to their feet again. Tho bullets that mushroom come out in different shapes. Some fly to pieces, only shreds of tho metal coating re maining on tho battered butt, the lead being found, in tiny splinters, scattered in tho flesh in tho path of the bullet Some bullets curled back, looking like toadstools with rounded tops, but these hit no bones. The bones are shattered, and they distort or smash the bullets.— Now York Sun. Neck DreMlng. A novelty in neck dressing is made of alternate ruffles of velvet and lace. Tho velvet is cut on tho bias aud is closely plaited and finished on the outer edge with a very narrow lace trimming. The lace ruffles are wide enough exactly to meet the lace that edges the velvet Tho whole is plaited together so as to form a ruche that fills in almost tho en tire space between tho tips of the ears and the shoulders. Tho frout is finished with a large roHotte of lace and velvet, aud long ends cf tho two materials fall over the frout of the waist—Exchange. More Mmllclnal valuo in a bottto of Hood's Karsa- 1 parlllatlian In any other preparation. | More skill is required, more cans taken, more expense Incurred in Its manufacture. It costs tho proprietor and the dealer More but it costs the consumer less, as ho gets more doses for his money. More curative power is secured by Us peculiar combination, proportion and process, which makes it i»cculiar to Itself. More people aro employed and more space oc cupied In Its laboratory than any other. More wonderful cures effected and more tes timonials received than by any other. More sales and more Increase year by year are reported by druggists. More people are taKing Hood's Sarsaparilla today than any other, anil more are taking it today than ever before. More and sTii.i, mokk reasons might bo given why you should take Hood’s Sarsaparilla The One True Blood Purifier. |1; six for t9. „ cure all Liver Ills and flood S Fills Sick Headache. 25cents. LIVERY STABLES. My Livery rlu'nies are equipped w«th tho latest and best in carriageu buggies, harness and horses. They arc stylish and well appearing. Horses fed and groomed by tho day, week or month. 1 have a first-class hearse, which can be had at rpasonable price for either city or country. Give mo a call when in need o anythihg in my line. M. G. MONTGOMERY. ] J. E. WEBSTER, Attorney-iVt- XvJwv* Gaffney City, S. C. Practices in all the courts. Collec tions a soecialtv. ®teain. L'ittiiisrsi We now have on hand a complete assort ment of Steam Pipe, Ells, Tees, Bushings, Nipples, Unions, etc., etc. Also all kinds of Fittings for Saw Mills and Cotton Gins, together with tne tools for doing all work in this line, and will be glad to serve you at any time. Prices always reasonable. J. G. Galloway & Son. LIHESTORE * SPRINGS * LIME * WORKS, CARROLL & CO., Lessees. Manufacturers of BUILDING, * PLASTERING * AND * AGRICULTURAL * LIME, And Dealers In Coal, Shingles, Lathes and Plater Hair. Dvmamite. Blastinp Powder. Fuse and Dynamite Caps. CARROLL 0 CARPENTER THIS AH ANNOUNCES 00R GREAT CLARENCE SALE FOR JANUARY Prices Have Been Cut On All Goods Throughout the House. All Winter Goods Most Go. 200 Ladies’ Hats worth from $1.25 down, going at 50 cents for choice. Say the main thingj’to do is to keep the stomnch, liver and bowels in order if you want to Uve long and keep well. Good physicians say the same thing, too. The remedy called RIPANS TABILES » ‘ while not mysterious or miraculous in its curative qualities, is a simple formula prescribed by the best physicians for dbortlers of jhc digestive organs. Just little tablets, easy to take, easy to buy and quirk to act. If vour trouble is Dyspepsia, Biliousness, Dizziness, Headache*. C mstipation. Heartburn, and the like, no need of calling a physician. Kipai.s J abules contain exactly what he would tell you to take. ONE TABULE GIVES RELIEF. MWCANEOT CURE FOLLOWS A FAIR TRIAL. XO UNCERTAINTY ABOUT IT.