Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-05-14
" What Did lie Dot"

A man lived till he passed his fourscore
yeas and suddenly died. lie was a good
man, and by those who knew his value as
Christian and a citizen, as well as by those
who loved him as a relative and friend
his death was deeply lamented. His life
had not been a public one. Most of his
days had been spent in the quiet of Sc
questered home. There he attended to his
daily duties, reared his family, worshiped
God, and served his day and generation.
| There he died and was buried
When a mother who knew and loved him
was expressing her sorrow over the announce
ment of his decease, and describing the value
! of his life, her son looked up and asked,
But what did he do ?" His inquiry was
both denial and an interrogation. He
meant TO say he had done nothing and that
therefore he need not be missed and mourned
in departing and TO ask that if he had ac-
complshed anything worthy of praise, it
might be told to him. His mind was full
of the thought that if a man do" anything
he must be known in public, and that his
name must be connected with the striking
achievements and conspicuous results of the
generation with which he has acted.
1t is natural to have such feeling, and
under the particular influences of this age
aud OF our methods of acting and estimat-
ing it is almost inevitable. We inseusibly
feel that the man of worth must be man
of publicity. We give no credit to the i'm
portance of those who live outside the range
of newspaper notoriety. This is natural, and
yet it is wrong. 1t is not necessary that one
shall be widely known and gazetted before
he shall be entitled to the reputation of hay
ing lived valuable life, and of having
han, ,nttn n,,t1. l. f.II
quiet places, pursuing his way purely and
peacefully, living honestly in the sight of
all men, and honoring God by life Of de-
votion to his gospel, he may be more truly
useful than many Others who are living in
the eye of the public. And no lesson needs
to be more insisted on in these days than
the simple one that if men or women, even
though they be in the humblest situations,
will be true to their environments, they will
receive the "well done - of heaven. It is
not publicity, it is faith in Christ and devo-
tion to his name, that brings the heavenly
The aged man concerning whom the |
above question was asked had done this
much : he had provided for himself home |
reared his children in comfort, intelligence |
and piety; sent son to the ministry; con-
Quoted himself so as to command the re-
spect and veneration of the best of his neigh
bors; proved his piety so that they who
knew him prayed his prayers and he died
at last in full faith in his Redeemer and
hope of heaven. 1t was enough. 1t was in
lnltely more than many another does who,
living through a conspicuous and advertised
career, dies amid the applause of his fel-
ows.
The tall flag or rush grows up by the road
way in the Summer, and no traveller passes
It without remarking upon its hasty growth
md unusual size. 1t has battled with the
winds, it has fiaunted garish flower, and
t has afforded resting-place for bird
hat chose it for its nest. That is all and
t falls under the early frost and disappears
The grass-bade on the hillside, although so
much smaller, has had much nobler mis-
ion. No one ever stopped to see or praise
t. and it afforded no special attraction or
lelp to any one, not even bird. But it
vas one of those which gave the slope its
'erdant beauty, which sweetened the Sum
ner air with fragrance, and which made the
andscape rich and joyous under the Sum
ner sun. Like it, the quiet life, lived among
many other similar lives, is valuable one.
And it will be remembered as beautiful and
enefcent when many noisy and promi-
ent one, like the coarse rush of the road
'ay, has sunk into the dust and oblivon.-
intel Presbyterian.