Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-07-23

I
upon the man, who nevertheless by hii
regrets makes 1t one which shall MIN
lister to purity and virtue in all his af
ter life. You who sit before me il
some ways have advantage over other
men whose minds are agitated by thu
hopes and fears OF active pursuits, who
find no time by their thoughts 10 MAKE
them tend to virtue and happiness
With each Of you in a little time tn,
great question will be not if you are t
be set free, not what the world thinks
Of you, not what you have, but what
you are, for death often knocks at the
door of your cells, and some of youl
number are carried from their narrow
walls to the more narrow walls Of The
l grave. Let it not be thought that ]
prove wrong may be done so that
good may follow. With st. Paul | pro
test against such inference from the
truth that men are saved by repent
an CO OF their sins.
"But let us look further into thi.
subject for it deeply concerns us
Though we are unable TO recall the
terrors of the past we may so deal
with them that they may promote ouI
virtue, our wisdom and our happiness
| Upon this point am not theorizing
Whoever thinks will learn that human
experience proves this. Let us take
the case of our errors. We could find
if we could rub them all out that we
should destroy the wisdom they have
given us, if we have taken care Ia
make our errors to teach MS wisdom
Who could spare their sorrows2 How
much that is kind and sympathetic in
our natures which lead us TO minister
to the wants Of others, and thus to
make our own give us consolation and
synpathies, grow out of what are felt
as keen calamities when they beiall us 2
Follow out the line Of my thought
when | assumed that | had the power,
and was compelled to drown in Lethe-
an waters certain acts, I1ound could
not spare errors which called forth re-
grets, mistakes which teach us wisdom,
or the sorrows which soften characters,
and make us sensible of the sympathies
which give beauty to the intercourse
of life, As had to obliterate twenty
events, found | could best spare the
successes or triumphs which had only
served TO impart courage in the battle
of life, and had but little influence in
forming character 1t is true, that
wherever and whatever we are, we
can so deal with the past that we can
make it give up TO us virtue and wis.
dom we can, by our regrets, do more
than the alchemist aims at when he
seeks to transmute base metal into
gold for we can make wrong the
seed Of right and righteousness we
can transmute error into wisdom we
can make sorrows bloom into thou
sand forms like fragrant flowers. These
great truths should not only give us
contentmcnt with our positions, but
hope for the future. The great ques-
tion what we are presses itself upon us
as we grow old or flashes upon us when
our lives are cut short by accident or
disease. Within these walls but few
days pass without that question is being
forced upon the minds Of some who
have reached the end of life's journey.
Surely, it should give hope and conso-
lation TO all TO feel that they can, in
the solitude of the cell or in the gloom
of the prison, by thought, by sclfex-
animation, make out of the past with
its crimes, its errors, and its sorrows,
the very means by which they can lift
themselves into higher and happier
conditions. This work of transmitting
evil into good is duty to be done by
all conditions Of men, and II can be
wrought out as well in the prisoners
cell as in the highest and most honor.
able positions. All human religion
holds out hope to men who feel regret
for every evil act. | wish To call your
minds to that amazing truth that there
is a Being who rules the world with
such benevolence that He enables
weak and erring mortals, if they will
to turn their very sorrows and errors
into sources of happiness. We have
many theories in these days, in which
men try to tell US how the world, ac
ting upon certain fixed laws, has evolv.
cd itself that il goes on by aprogress
that rctards nothing but certain rules
of advancement, regardless Of all other
considerations, save their own irrcsis
tible, seli-compelhng principles. But
here we have truth, not only given
us in holy writ, but proved by our own
lexperiense, that mental regret will
convert material wrong into bless
ing or, if the offender wills, it will
make the same hundred fold more
hurtiul if he rejoiccs in his wrongdo
ing or hardens his heart against re
gret. Materialism, evolution, pan
theism, or any OF the theories which
deny the government of an intelligent
God, are confuted by this truth, thai
we can, by conforming to His laws
which demand repentance, convert
evil into good, or by violating them
make evil ten.fold moro deadly and
destructive. We can by our minds
and sentiments change the influence OF
material events, and vary the action
of laws which govern the world. Il
man, with all his weakness, can dc
this, it can only be by the aid OF
higher power which shapes, directs ant
regulates.
II know that what ! have said il
but an imperfect stasementoi the great
truths, compared with the teachings ol
the pulpit, which you hear each Sun
day As my purpose is merely tC
speak to you what have learned il
the walks of life, could give you from
this narrow field but partial views o.
great truthes. They may be of nj
value to you, yet | trust you will &C
cept them at least as proof Of my sym
pathcs with your condition and sor
rows for IL any ambition fingers II
the breast of him who speaks to yoI
now, it is that he may be- the frient
and adviser of the erring and wrong
doer. He has been taught by seli.ex
animation and the study ofothers tha
we oil belong TO that class, and tba
we owe to one another any aid we cal
give To our fellows when they fall b.
the wayside."
SpARRows KILLS A CANARY..-A Mis-
Brannon, of HolIidaysburg, placed
cage in which was valuable canary
on nail in front of her fbousc, on
; day recently. Shortly afterwards
lot Of English sparrows congrcgatct
on the cage and killed the little song