Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-03-05
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He who laughs at cruelty sets his
heel on the neck of religion.


heel on the neck of religion.
-lilte IS as beautiful as a panorama
that moves on the great and filial eli
max, when the curtains of eternity are
drawn, and the marvellous beauty of
the universe opens endless visions of
glory TO our enlarged sight, and the
dreams of the past are concealed from
the view IN the glaze of the never end
ing present The toy the sword and
the toy make up the sum of our ex-
istence, for the old and the young are
nearest heaven Prattling childhood
and old age walk hand in hand, and
laugh at gamboling lambs, and make
pretty speeches to the bright birds and
butterflies, for the veil of time Is but 4
mist to the right and left of them, and
love aud innocence stand like cherubs
by the cradle and the grave.
She who is fully imbued with the
true, Gospel spirit, not only labors and
prays to have every thing-the small
est matter even done right, but as
right as possible. And if she fails of
her resolution to du every thing in this
manner, she mOurns over delinquency,
and is In bitterness on account of it
and resolves again. Indeed, she re-
peats her resolution and efforts, if need
so requires, to the thousandth or ten
thousandth time.
And then, if at any time she sue
ceeds and conscience approves Of her
course as having been the wisest and
best which was possible under the cir
cumstances, even this does not fully
satisfy nature not wholly intended
for this world. She is never really to
be sfefotypyd. She is never so per-
feet as to be willing to remain station
airy, The higher the ascent she climbs
to-day, the greater her courage that
she can climb little higher tomorrow.
Speaking Of those who study the
Bible as historians, the Rev. De Witt
Talmadge says in his last sermon
Well, if you come as historian, you
will find in this book how the world
was made, how the seas fed to their
places, how empires were established,
how nation fought nation, javelin ring
ing against javelin until the earth was
CHASTITY with the dead You will see
the coronation Of princes, the triumph
of conquerors and the world turned up
side down aud back again and down
again, cleft and Scared with great ag-
onies Of earthquake, and tempes and
battle 1t is a wonderful history, put
ting to the blush all others in the ac-
curacy of It's recital and in the STU
pendous events it records. Homer,
and Thacydides, and Gibbon could
make great stories out of little events
but it took Moses to tell how the heav-
ems and the earth were made, in one
chapter, and to give the history of
thousand of years upon tow leaves"
Some men toll and grOan to be or
thodox, to have every point of their
creed, and of the creed of everybody
else, exactly sound and square. But
one single effort to get the truth is
better than years Of such painful or
thodox. One hearty, earliest, genu-
Inc longing for light, and struggle TO-
ward it; one conscientious putting
aside of prejudice, party feeling, pri-
vate interest, in order to correct our
possible errors,-is valued no doubt,
far more By God than lazy assent to
a whole bushel Of propositions, be they
never SO sound and true. Yes, there
is more faith in honest doubt than in
ever 50 much cowardly and indolent
acquiesence; and in the day of judg
ment, | am sure there will be many a
man who passed for an infdel here,
and was lashed by all the orthodox
pulpits, rostrums, and newspapers for
his heresies, who will shine forth as
the Kingdom of the Father; for his
soul was white, and he kept his mind
unspotted from the world.
i was travelling upon road which
[ had never passed over before. There
was a long train Of cars crowded with
passengers. In the afternoon, while
there yet remained an hour of day
light, | noticed the lamps were being
lighted. We Journeyed on, and [
watched their faint glimmering flames
scarcely could they be distinguished in
the bright light of day. | wondered
why they were lighted SO early. Sud
denly we passed into darkness. Then
the light shone with strong, steady
raw. All through the tunnel they
burned brilliantly. How dependent
were we upon them. Could it be pos
: sible they were the same flames which
a few minutes before burned SO dimly
Yes they were the very same, only
brought into view by the surrounding
gloom.
How like Gods promises, | thought
When the sun of prosperity shines up,
on US, we may greatly undervalue them
But when adversely and affection ell
closes us with the thick shades of night.
our night, our faith bursts into strong
and steady fame, and ehases away the
darkness and gloom of despair. We
feel how weak and feeble we are. We
cannot take one step without the light
which comes from above to guide our