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rr =yiujisu ORPHANS’ FRIEND. ■VViMinc'srtay, Oeceiaber 12, 8877. XHC: GUAi\D LOBOi:. This body sat in Raleigh last week. The attendance was small. Grand Master Munson read a sen sible and interesting address, and proved himself an efficient and ac ceptable Grand Master. No ques tions of any great importance were discussed. Jlr. Busbee read an appropriate eulogv on our late ascended P. G. M., ‘W. G. Hill. The same officers were reelected and installed by P. G. M., E. G Reade. The G. M. was requested to reconvev to Rev. L. M. Pease the land formerly donated by him. The reservation of all the houses rendered the use of the land im possible. Mr. Pease promises to conduct an Orphan Asylum on the ^jremises. The first recom mendation made by the Superin tendent was adopted. The others were not recommended by the committee. The Superintendent of the Orphan Asylum was re elected, but did not accept the office, and so promptly notified the G. M. Mr. Moore gets his place, with salary reduced, but an easy plan. SIX SHORT RULES FOR YOUXO CHRISTIANS. 1. Never neglect dally private prayer; and when you pray, re member that God is present, and that he hears your prayers.—Heb. 11:6. 2. Never neglect daily private Bible reading; and when you read, remember that God is speak ing to j'ou, and that you are to believe and act upon what he says. 1 believe all backsliding begins with the neglect of those two rules.'—John 5 : 36. 3. Never let a day pass with out trying to do something for Jesus. Every night reflect on what Jesus has done for you, and then ask yourself, Wliat am I do ing for him?—Matt. 5 : 13-16. 4. If ever you are in doubt as to a thing being right or wrong, go to your room and kneel down and ask God’s blessings upon it. —Col. 3:17. If you can not do this, it is wrong.—Rom. 14: 23. 5. Never take your Christiani ty' from Christians, or argue that, because such people do so and so, therefore you may'.—2 Cor. 10: 12. You are to ask y'ourself. How would Christ act in my place I and strive to follow him. —.John 10: 27. 6. Never believe what you feel, if it contradicts God’s word. Ask yourself. Can what I feel be true, if God’s word is true 1 and if both can not be true, believe God, and make ymur own heart the liar.—- Rom. 3:4:1 John 5: 10, 11.— Brownlow North. KEEPING PROMISES. Promises that are morally right should be deemed sacred and should be observed with scrupu lous fi d e 1 i t y. Engagements should be made with due deliber ation, and care should be taken not to undertake what it would be wrong to do or what there is no reasonable probability of our be ing able to perform. In making promises want of proper attention to rightfulness or ability has often brought persons into trouble, 'riius Herod Anfipas, when pleas ed with the dancing of Salome, placed himself in a painful di lemma by offering to give her ■whatever she might ask even to the iialf of his kingdom. - Wlien slic ileinnnded “ tlio head of John the Baptist, in a charger,” the Te- trarch found himself bound by a rash promise either to falsify his word or to commit murder. Act as he would he must do evil, but he would have committed less sin, had he violated his promise and refused to slay' a righteous man to gratify' the malice and vanity of two wicked women. But a dis regard of our ability in giving obligations often places persons ill humiliatiug circumstances. If a man promises to pay a sum of money or to meet a friend or to make an address at a particular time without adequate attention to the thing proposed being with in his power, he may' subject himself to great saci dices to ful fill his engagements, or bo ex posed to the reproach of being utterly unreliable. But a rightful promise once made should be kept even if this involves much toil expense and self-denial An English statesman once promised his son wlien about ten y'ears old that he should see a certain wall, on the estate pulled down and removed. During the boy’s absence from homo the workmen took dow’n the wall and carried away the materials. Upon Ills return the son reminded his father of the promise made him and of its being unfulfilled. The father admitted the obligation and said it should be met as far as possible. He then directed the masons to rebuild the wall in the same place, and after its erection to take it down again in his son’s presence. Tlie statesman after wards remarked, that though this extra work cost him twenty pounds sterling, yet he considered the money well-spent if it taught his son for life, the sacred nature of a promise. A British nobleman w'alking out one day met a little peasant girl wdio was crying over a vessel of spilled milk. He tried to soothe the child by offering to give her the value of the milk. But the little one sobbing bitter ly said, she would be punished at homo for breaking the vessel. He then promised to meet her the next day' at the same place, and to bring her a new vessel to re place tile one broken. The girl confiding in him departed much cheered. Returning home late in the day', the gentleman found aw'aiting him an invitation to dine the next day w'ith some dis tinguished friends, at the very hour appointed for his meeting with the little peasant girl. There was no time for making other ar rangements, and he had either to break his word to the child, or to sacrifice his own feelings and disappoint his noble friends. With a fidelity to his plighted word, worthy of all praise and imitation, the nobleman declined the pleas ing invitation and punctually kept his engagement wdth tlie humble peasant child. He thus proved that he had a nobility of nature more than equal to his social lank. WE AEE II.AVE FAULTS. If in the family', in business pui suits, and in social occupa tions, human beings would make promises with a careful regard to rightfuhiess and ability and then keep them w'ith a fidelity' w'hich declined no toils and shunned no sacrifices, many social ills would be remedied, and morality among mankind would be greatly' im proved. It W'ould perhaps con duce to lendering promises more sacred if we would often consider the evils resulting from their vio lation and the benefits arising from their faithful observance.— H. G. II., in North Carolina 1‘res- bylrrian. I have been a good deal up and down in the world, and I never did see either a perfect horse or a perfect man, and I never shall until two Sundays come together. The old say'ing is, ‘‘Lifeless, fault less.” Of dead men we should say' nothing but good, but as for the living, they are all tarred more or less with the black brush, and half an ey’e can see it. Every head has a soft place in it, and every heart has its black drop. Every rose has its prickles, and every day its night. Even the sun shows spots, and the skies are darkened with clouds. No body is so wise but he has folly' enoiigh to stock a stall at Vanity Fair. Where I could not see the fool’s cap, I have, nevertheless, heard the bells jingle. As there is no sunshine without some shad ow, so is all human good mixed up with more or less evil; even poor law-guardians have their lit tle failings, and parish beadles are not wholly of heavenly na ture. The best wine has its lees. All men’s faults are not written on their foreheads, and it’s quite as well they' are not, or hats would need wide brims ; y'et as sure as eggs are eggs, faults of some sort nestle in every man’s bosom, 'riiere’s no telling when a man’s sins may' show themselves, for hares pop out of a ditch just when you are not looking for them. A horse that is weak in the legs may' not stumble for a mile or two, but it’s in him, and the rider hadj better hold him up well. The tabby'-cat is not lap ping milk just now, but leave the dairy' door open, and we will see if she is not as bad a thief as the kitten. There’s lire in the flint, cool as it looks; wait till the steel gets a knock at it, and you will see. Every’body can read that riddle, but it is not everybody that will remember to keep his gunpowder out of the way of the candle. INHIVIDUAL WORK. I cannot help thinking that if there was a little more moral courage in the world to save men, the world would not Ire so much of a wreck as it is to-day. If you saw that a friend, a brother was taking a wrong course, what would you do f AVould you merely say', “ Dear, dear, dear ! how painful it is that so many men are going wrong. Just as sure as he continues that course he is a lost man ; but he will go ■dear, dear, dear!” and when y'ou hear the despairing cry com ing up from the depths, add, “I told you so !” Now what should do I Should you not lav you your hand on him and say, “ My friend, you are going wrong!” What if ho sweats at y'ou ? Never mind ; save him if you can. Many' a man hasn’t got so far from your sympathy but that one word kindlv said in his ear, “ My friend, you are going wrong,” will check you. The difficulty is that we let men go so far from our sympathy that we cannot reach them. Mow, it is this in dividual work that I believe is to reform the world, and bring it back to God.—John B. Gouyh. THE GOSPEL OF GL.ASS. It has been left to the Dean of Raphoe to promulgate another now faith, which has been made visible through the newly-erected stained glass windows in an Epis copal church in Derry. We will let the Dean speak for himself. In a sern;on preached at the opening of the church referred to, the other day, ho thus eloquently spoke : “ The light is no longer a vague cold shining. It streams in splendor along the aisle by which the feet of the worshippers draw near, and bathes in manifold glory each hallowed object with in the sweep of its tide.” This is verv grand—it is almost over whelming. But there is more to follow'—“ T h e s e windows do much for y'our church, in that they' glorify its fabric W'ith the vesture of gorgeous colors; but they do more, in that they hold themselves up before you as au abiding witness of the truths that are believed and taught among us, and a present memorial of the men who first delivered these truths—in a word, as a visible Gospel! As the window, then, is not the mere opening to let in the light for us to see bv, but is become rather a triumphal arch through which the light may' en ter in the pomp of its manifold splendors bearing with it the form it may be of saints and prophets, or it may be the form of Him of whom prophets spake,” and so on, and so on. This is tlie Gospel according to the Dean of Raphoe. Some may be inclined to call this tw’addle, but others will pity’ a denomination that can submit to a Gospel that is so derogatory' to the teachings of the Word of God. —London Wceldij Bevieiv. PERSONAL HABITS. The importance of culture in tlie ministry', especially in re gard to personal habits, is thus set forth by Dr. Sherman iu his address at the matriculation of the new class in the Boston The ological School, who said tliat within the circle of his observa tion, more ministers have failed iu preserving their acceptableness and usefulness among tlie peonle on account of offensive little liab- its, or readily curable deficiencies of character and culture, than for other reasons. An unfortunate pitch of voice, a habit of using slang phrases,a lack of tlie mark ed graces of a gentleman, the us ing of one’s hand iu place of a handkerchief, the prominent re lief of an iiritation in the head or throat in an offensive or disgust ing way', tlie ill-concealed quid of tobacco or its poisonous stains down the sides of the mouth or upon the quite prominent tooth— sucli occasions as. these, small enough in themselves, indeed, but serious enough iu their cer tain consequences, have cost many a minister of no inconsid erable ability’ and scholarship, his place iu tlie pulpit and his ef ficiency' as a preacher of the gos pel.— Christian Wo/Id. NEVER TEMPT A MAN. thought he. would try the sinceri ty' of the chief's temperance. The family were seated at din ner, and tliere was excellent home brewed ale upon the table. John addressed the old chief; “ Zacli, this beer is very fine, will you not taste it?” The old man dropped his knife and leaned forward with a stern intensity' of expression, and Ids fervid eyes, sparkling with angry iiidionation, were fixed upon me. “John,” said he, “you do not know wliat you are doing. You are serving the Devil, bivtl Do you know’ that I am an Indian ? If I should taste your beer I should never stop til I got rum, and I should again become the same contemptible wretch your father remembers me to liave been. John, never again /chile yon live ieinpt a man to break a good resolu~ tion.—Central Brotestant. POOR ANO PROUD. Young men out of businesa, says the the Rome (Gl.) Senti nel, are frequently sadly' hamp ered by' pride. Many young men wlio go west take more pride than money’, and bring Ijack all the pride and no money' at all, A young man that works for his board, 110 matter what honest work he does, has no reason for shame. A young man w'ho oats the bread of idleness, no matter h )W' much money he has, is dis graced. Young men starting in' life ought to aim—first of all—to find a place where they can earn their bread and butter, with lioe, ax, spade, wlieel-barrow', currv- oomb, blackiug-bi ush—no matter li )W', Independence first. Il.e bread and butter que.sfion settled, let the young iiuii) perform his duty so fiiithfully, as to attract attention, and let him .con.staiitly' keep his eves open for a chance to do better. About half the poor proud young iiieii, and two- thirds the poor discouraged vouug men, are always out of work. The y'ouiig man who pockets hi.s pnde, and carries an upper lip as still as a cast-ii'oii door-step-ser.i- per, need not starve, and stands a good chance to become rich. WAKING THEM UP. Among the Mohegans, an In dian, by the name of Zachary was heir to the cliieftainship. He w'as a brave man and an excellent hun ter, but as drunken and worthless an Indian as could well be found. By the death of intervening heirs, Zachary found himself entitled to the royal power. In this moment the better genius of the man as sumed sw'ay, and he reflected se riously', “How can such a drunken wretch as I be chief of this noble tribe? What will my people say'? How shall the shades of my glori ous ancestors look down indignant upon such a succession. Can I succeed to the great Uncus? Ay, I will drink no more.” And he sol emnly resolved to drink nothing but water. One day' at the annual election, the Mohegan chief dined with the Governor at Hartford. John, the Governor’s son, mischievously' It is related of a certain school teacher, who held family prayers nightly iu the household where ho boarded, that at the conclusion of the exercise the father of the fam ily found it necessary to go around the room and wake up his boys that tliey' might know it ^ was bed time. If men will per sist ill reading the llDth psalm, and praying for everything, as one has“phrased it, ‘ from a grass hopper up to an elephant,” the boys are not much to blame if they should fall asleep before the catalogue has been finished.— Central Protestant. Will you never break off or leave off that unseemly', irrever ent and unjustifiable practice of talking in the congregation imme diately before and after divine service? Must it ever be contin ued ? Must it ever be that so soon as the benediction lias been pronounced people and preaobers, young and old, grave and gay, in all parts of the church, engage in promiscuous conversation ? Is it becoming? Is it proper? Is it right? May' not that be the way and the time when “ the wicked one cometh and catcheth away that which was sown in the heart ?” Think of it.—Selected.' SOB
The Orphans’ Friend (Oxford, N.C.)
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Dec. 12, 1877, edition 1
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