The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-10-24
HAVE EVERYTHING READY
BY HENRY WARD BEECHFR.

BY HENRY WARD BEECHFR.
If you are living at home, and are not
trained as wisely as you ought to be, one
going untimely into your room will find
your raiment scattered, and your books
and papers lying loose everywhere and
IF, suddenly, you were called away, it
would be impossible for you to gather up
your effects. and be prepared to leave at
. moments notice. But if man Is trav-
cling in Europe, and he stops, for in
stance, at Rheims over night, and is to
depart OF four o clock the next morning,
his courier says to him when he retires,
have everything ready so that we need
not be delayed a moment }" and he does.
The traveller, OF one who is purpetually
changing places, keeps everything he
has with him packed snug. If he ex
poets TO stay days. and weeks, and
moaths, and time Is of no account to
him, he is apt to leave his affairs in
careless state, and his effects distributed.
And so, men who have no thought Of
dying let their affairs go on loosely.
There is a great deal of foolish living
In the physical aspect, because men have
the impression that they are going to
1--we forever. They know that they shall
not; but they live as if they expect to-
And this delusion is not confined to youth
and middle lite but Sgoes down into old
age. Even in their declining years men
have the feeling that everybody else will
die, but that they shall not die.
There were three of the class to which
my father belonged in Yale, who lived to
be old men and a few years ago, when
49, "a How rro,r ol.vo On ia ,,,,x,
years Of age, infrm and quivering, came
Staples and l were in the same class
Staples is dying in New York; and
when your father dies [ wish you would
tell me. | shall Their be the remnant of
the class. /" Everybody but him he
thought was going to die. There was no
consciousness in his mind that he was to
go. And so we train ourselves, by habit
Gal reconsideration, to the vague feeling
that there is an endless period Of time
still lying before US. But where men
have the feeling that their time is limi-
ted. and that 1t may be cut short at any
moment, they keep their affairs closely
jolnted, well buckled, safely harnessed.
1t IS very seldom that when a man
comes to die, he is prepared, even
- 1tte OtAtN diu Iie, 10 leave. Ills mousse |
hold economy Is not as it would have
been If be had expected the summons
lis business affairs are not as they would |
have been If he had anticipated being
called away. But it seems to be that
Christian fidelity should leave every
man as Ear as possible, each year, to ad-
lRst ms affairs, so that, if he should die,
biz household would not be subject to
any loss, and no trouble would be en-
tailed on his executors. The duty of
leaving his affairs in such a shape that
they can be easily taken care of after his
death is encumbent upon every man.
Are you living so? Think of what
would happen if you should die to-mor-
row. 1t would not hurt anybody to
think Of the condition of his property in
the light OF his probable or possible
death. " hat are your plans2 Are you
not like vessel with its sails spread from
the deck to the topmost spar, while
storm is breeding which you know
nothing about ?
Captain Knight said that once he
looked up in his berth and saw the baro.
meter plugging down in a manner which
indicated . marked change in the atmos-
phere and that he rushed on deck and
called all the hands up, and had them
take IN sail, though there was brilliant
sky overhead. The men thought he
was crazy TO begin to trim the ship then
and yet, before they could get in all their
SAL, there arose storm which struck
them, and came near laundering them,
as Il was. They struggled many hours,
and just managed to save themselves.
1t was by the prophecy of this dumb in
strumont that they we're saved.
Many men glide along on the TRANQUIL
sea OF life all unconscious that eternity is
coming, and that it will sweep every
thing before It, and perhaps send them
to the bottom. How many men [ have
seen who have been carried down by
bankruptcy time and againi How many
times have | seen men heart-broken by
reason of their failure in business How
many men have | attempted to comfort
IN the pressure of their affairs And
when they were drawing near to death,
what u mercy it was that they did not
know what q sto, N was brewing, because
the indications of it were hidden from
their sight " hat blessing it was that
they dIduot toresee the SCATTERING of their
enterprise, the dispersion of their house
ilo'eSs VIC C"Ae anu sofEoS vi tHelr lOVeQ
ones, the disappointment of those that
Were near and dear to them, and the
revolution that would take place, because
they had been living without any wise
consideration ofthe imminence of death,
and Of the condidition of things which
exist should they suddenly die? | hold
that every man, as part of his business
and economy. should measure the pro-
babe duration of his life, not by the
tables of life insurance companies, but on
the principle which our Saviour laid
down when he said, I'm such an hour
as We think not, the Son of man COM
eth y