The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-08-24
for a moment upon their oars they
caught the words
Jesus, lover Of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fiy,
While the waters near me roll.
While the tempest still is high"

r, hkulu lcdfu iToiu WIS tuae VIC al
exerting an influence on others when W
may least expect it. We read tina
Paul and Silas sung in that prison anC
T. the prisoners heard them" | see tn
prisoners as one after another is awak
ened at that midnight hour. They ask
What is that sound ?" Then fallin!
back on their rude beds they say, " l
is the singing of the two men arrested
last evening" Don't you suppose tina
the singing as it sounded out upon TIT
darkness aud the stiffness of that mid
night hour, brought comfort to the heart
of more than one fellow prisoner They
said religion that will enable one to
sing songs in dungeon is a religion
worth having.
Wherever We are we are exertlng an
influence on others. We are ever sur
rounded by fellow prisoners who are
either cheered or discouraged, made bet.
ter or worse, by hearing us. A father
and his little boy went into bar-room
The father called for glass of whisky
The landlord in jest said to the boy,
"and my little man what will you take?
The boy replied, I" L will take what
father takes" The fathers face Grim
soned. He set 5own the half emptied
glass, took his little boy by the hand
and left the room, never more to call
for liquor, at least in the presence of
his child
The Matterhorn, that gigantic noun.
tain of Switzerland, rears its lofty sum-
NIT 1900 feet above the level of the
surrounding country. Lord Frederick
Douglass and six others made the peril
GUS ascent of the mountain, and on their
return they walked in single file about
fifteen feet apart. For better protection
they were roped together. When about
half way down, the foremost man made
misstep and went down the steep de.
clivity with great velocity. This bro't
down the second aud he the third, and
thus on to the fifth, when the rope broke.
The bodies of the five were picked up at
the mountains base In society none
Of us stand by ourselves, alone, isolated
from all others, We are linked together
by that invisible rope called influence.
One IN his fall brings down others.
Then again, this influence, this invis-
ible rope, may be used to keep others
from falling. In Pilgrims Progress
disciple is represented as going down
into deep dark valley. As he creeps
along, not knowing the way in the dark
ness he begins to be afraid and is about
to attempt to retrace his steps. just
in this moment of despair he hears
voice, strong and clear, just ahead of
him, chanting " Though | walk thro'
the valley of the shadow of death will
fear no evil" When he hears this he
takes courage and goes on. Do you not
know of some halting discouraged, soul
that might be cheered if you would but
speak word of love and comfort? If
SO, DO hot leave that word unspoken.
D. When this jailor is in trouble he
proposes, like many of modern time, TO
seek relief in selfmurder 8 And the
keeper Of the prison awaking out of his
sleep, and seeing the prison doors open,
he drew out his sword and would have
killed himself, supposing that the pris.
oners had fed" 1t was death for a
Roman jailer to suffer the escape of
prisoner. This jailer supposing that
these prisoners are gone, is about to com.
init suicide as the quickest way out of
his troubles. But Paul said to him, "Do
thyself no harm"
How many to-day when in trouble
seek relief in self.destruction. do not
know that public sentiment plants itself
squarely enough against the crime of
suicide. In ancient times, in some
countries, the suicide was buried at the
crossroads and the people passing by
would cast stones upon the grave, thus
sgnifying their adherence of the crime
Of self.murder' The newspapers of Milan
have agreed to record no case of suicide
where they do not add some word of
of such deeds. No matter
what the trouble, do not take your own
life. Are you farmer and your land
under mortgage that you can't remove?
Are you merchant, trade dull, rent
high, creditors clamorous ? Are YOU a
barely able to find work
even at lowest wages? Is your home.
life filled with a sadness that you tell
40 one hut your most intimate friends
10 all such comes the words OF Paul
Do myself no harm" The clouds are
lark and ominous now, but let us hope
that they may by and by break away,
and the SUI come forth in its brightness.