Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-09-11
SHORT PATENT SERMON.

SHORT PATENT SERMON.
My text is taken from the dramatic wri- |
ting of William Shakespeare, in these words:
To be or not to be, that is the question,
Whether 'hs nober IN the mind to bear |
The stngs and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or take IL arms against of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them.
Ny hearers-On this question of $40 be-
or not TO be-" appear before you, on this
occasion, as defender and supporter Of the
affirmative: that is, 90 in for having the
to be last just so long as Divine Providence.
in his mercy, shall ordaln ;--since existence
is one of the greatest blessings man can;
enjoy, if not absolutely indispensable to the
preservation Of the body, | am in favor Of
having lfe's brittle thread spun out to the
fullest extent its fine texture will admit,
and when it snaps, may it be in the evening
Sreeze Of age, while one end is secure be-
tween the thumb and finger of omnipotence
rather than in the meridian whrlwind of
manhood, whcn suicidal madness SO often
snatches il from tie distaft, rolls it up in
wad, & casts it into eternty, as snarIed up
botheration & too full OF the KINKS OF per-
pexity for human nature to bear. oon
believe my friends that man ever gained
any thing by committing suicide; and lie
is sure to lose a large amount of fun that
has been slowed away for him upon the up
per shelves Of the world, to be hauled down
by fortune, ere his natural existence shall
have been brought to close. In order to
illustrate the folly of suicide, allow me, my
hearers, to suppose that the three disciples of
Izaak Walton are seated on bank, engaged
in the patience-trying, but honorable profess
sion of angling for fish. Their names | will
call Tom, Dick, and Harry. Well Tom. be-
ing favored by the conjunctive influence Of
Providence and water Naiades, has the LOT
TEST kind of piscatory luck, inasmuch as he
is kept putting in and pulling out incessant-
| ": while the hopes Of the latter two are
not flattered by even so much as nibble.
Dick. in a foolish paroxysm of madness FOR
his misfortune. suddenly drops his pole land
goes off and hangs himself; and Harry in
the exercise Of more cool philosophy, holds
steadily on TO his, and reasons thus.-"lf |
90 and kill myself, ! am sure to catch no fish
bv that operation; so here I'll sit like pa
tience on monument smiling at a stubborn
catfish till they condescend 10 favor me
with bite! He continues angling, with
Christian forttude,-and eventually he ex-
periences bite. To that succeeds another,
and still another-till at last he departs for
home, laden with as glorious string Of fish
as ever gladdened Catholics eye of Fri
day.
Now. my friends, ask Of you, did not
M r.. l. l;,I, k,, los,
ing violent ham DIS on his own life, instead of
waiting patiently for that suspicious luck
which attended his comrades. You answer
yes: SO be it. This, then, is the moral OF
suicide.-you all cast hope. balted hooks IN
to The troubled waters OF the world; and II
YOU don't catch something more than gud-
geon, Instanter,-if your icipatlons are
: not fully realized forth with,-you so aud
make Judases of yourselves. What folly
what stupidity!
] tell you, my brethren. to keep on bob
, bing fish will bite by and by. The darkest
+ pail of gloom that has ever been spread o
!. yer the earth by wrathtuI spirits of the tenn
II pest has been removed by guardian angels
d of light and loneliness. Although your SUI
,, of hope should set IN the darkest clouds o
), dispalr, take swIg al the bottle OF cheer
: fulness, and doubt not but it will rise OF
n the morrow as clear as o bulls eye an,
n brighten in luslcr till it reaches The zenith q
1t mans highest expectations. Cheer NJ
cheer up, YOU saturnlne sons OF sorrow
= and sit no longer in the shade Of SelI-crea
- ted misery; but promenade up and dow
d the sunny aisle Of pleasure, where the hyf
e ocondriac iorgets his iancIed woes, an
,e where the blue devils dare not trespass.
le your moments, those little winged grant
lie children of the hours, come to YOU appa
ID emily dressed in the sable hahlliments c
in mourning, you may rest assured that the
II borrow their color from the black despoI
& dency of your hearts; for just behold thel
Us in the sunlight of mlrth, aud their tim
AZ wings will sparkle with golden etiul gene
~ like the Jewels oi an angels diadem in Il
a. sunshine of immortal glory. Believe thi
n my friends, although you are not bound
believe ALL say; for have the candor
en- admit, that give out the wheat OF truth i
er closed IN the husks OF error and human Ial
lll biiity, the same as any one does Dow