Echoes From the Campfire

[Don Adkisson]

Echoes From the Campfire

     “Each problem must be taken by itself, and you have to leave emotion out of it. Be stern with yourself. Don't pamper yourself.”
               --Louis L'Amour (Reilly's Luck)

     "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid."
               --Proverbs 12:1 (NKJV)
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     It was 159 years ago, on April 3 in 1860 that a daring enterprise began. The trip consisted of speed and endurance for it was a distance of 1,840 miles and it was to be covered in 10 days. It was the Pony Express. Riders, young men, would have to ride their horses at top speed, night and day, and would be changed every ten to twenty miles. These riders would have to maintain a strict schedule in all kinds of weather.
     These young men were paid well for the time period and the pay was according to the terrain that must be traveled--$100 to $150 per month. "Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over eighteen," were wanted so went the advertising posters. It continued with a warning, "willing to risk death daily. Orphan preferred." They were given one item by their employers which they could carry, a Bible. They were to outrun any person so they would not need the weight of a gun. Then there was the oath!

          "I [name], do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors & Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language; that I will drink no intoxicating liquors; that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employees of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employer. So help me God."
                    --Pony Express Pledge

     "Riders who violated this oath could expect to be terminated, with the loss of back pay." Were these young men saint; no, but they understood ethics, duty, and loyalty. How many companies would even dare have an oath like that today? Think of the lawsuits when someone was terminated in this time period. It's not that we have become more complexed; it is more like we have become more confused. Morality has changed, no, the concept of morality has changed. God's truth; God's morals are always the same.
     "Profane language", is all around. People say that's just the way people talk today. Whenever a person looks on facebook, it seems that half of the pictures show a person holding some kind of alcoholic drink. Think about it; they could not be an employee of the Pony Express. The person understood the value and concept of loyalty and fulfilling their duties. They may not have been a Christian, but people in times past had a concept of God and the Bible. Sadly, today it seems that the more confusion in morals the better.
     I read this new gender the other day, "theybe". Can you imagine a snowflake, someone from Generation Z (or even a Millennial) one of those cupcakes applying to be a rider with the Pony Express. The interview process would be quite interesting, and then when it came time to take the oath there would be a massive commotion. "God!" they would exclaim. The problem is that people do not realize that they need the help of the Lord in times of distress and tribulation. No wonder the suicide rate in increasing, people are not looking to the Lord for direction. They have put Him out of the picture.
     Lord help us in our present state of confusion; help us in our present state of mind.

D.C. Adkisson