Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-09-30
POVERTY.

IOVeTLy IL d SEeaL CuIse, ucopltS VI oAi Ihe
fine sentiment we hear about it from people
in warm homes, who are we'll fed, and have
good clothes on their backs. 1t embitters
manhood ; and saturates woman's heart with
gall 1t begets envy and fretfulness with
ones lot ; it makes men roll fiery eyes and
utter hard speeches on the good of others,
only because 1t is not their own. 1t furrows
the face of beauty with crows feet or unsoften.
ed lines of care. 1t makes its victims hard.
hearted, hard faced and quarrelsome in speech
and conduct. 1t robs the heart Of all re-
ining influences by taking away all means
of culture. 1t puts intellect and taste on
the the treadmill in quest for bread. 1t
makes the soul 20 on all-fours to furnish food
for the body. 1t chains mans nobility to
to his stomach, which goads him to despera-
ton by its unappeased cravings. And through
all this man sinks at best to the level Of the
rationnl brute.
We believe that it was a bitter trial to Je-
sus who had to endure it but temporarily,
not because his soul did not shudder at it.,
but because it was one among the many
wretcbed conditions surrounding His mortal
existence; and He bore it merely to show
that if it could not be enjoyed, it could be
borne with patience, and it behooved Him,
the Captain of our salvation, to be perfect
through sufferings. No sadder exclamation
ever fell from His lips, drawn by his necessi.
ties, as if from an almost intolerable sense Of
detection and debasement- birds Of the
air have nests [perches], and the foxes have
holes, but the Son of man hath not where to
lay his head" 1t was bitter necessity that
drew such a confession, and it needed all
His divine meeknes and patience to bear it.
There is heartless affectation in the Aippant
way many people talk about this thing.
1t is neither honest, intelligent nor heartful.
Poverty is Of itself a curse. 1t is true that
divine grace can extract some good out
of even curses, but the curses are not the
blessings but the grace. Poverty is often
more the mother of temptation than wealth.
1t is often teacher of lies and of the cum
ming and the abandonment Of theft. Itsends
men often to the bottle IN the vain hope Of
finding in its fiery contents that unconscious
ness which is wretched substitute for the
gripping want.
Adversely will tougher the fbers of endu-
rance and bring kind of grim patience. It
will make our wills more determined and
imperious, but it takes great grace to get out
of it anything amsable, tender, lovang and hap.
py. The soul is not tortured into goodness.
The frozen ungenial earth, soon to be the Sc.
pulcher of earth's life and beauties, is not
melted into drops or its frozen hands so re.
laxed as to let 90 summers blessings by the
raging March winds, or the descent of sting.
ing sleet, or the hoary breath of midnight
frosts. No, no. 1t is the smiling face Of the
returning sun that does this It is the kind
ly kisses of the south wind and the sunny
teardrops of April clouds which make the
earth repent of its coldness, and send its
heartless ice away, leaping down the rivulets,
to hide in the ocean, or to. obey the suns
commands to the slumbering forms Of beauty
and fragrance. Loose them and let them
Then, brethren, give up romancing about
the blessings of poverty. This is as vain as
to put life in corpse by putting wreath Of
flowers on its frozen head. Set yourselves to
work with will to relieve it. This is the
way to let Christ live in you, by letting his
love shine through you. Every church ought
to begin Dorcas work. Every family ought
to begin economy for the needy during the
coming months of the awful winter. Encon-
my to the rich, for Christs sake, is as great q
virtue as poverty unrelieved is curse to the
poor. What grand opportunity distress
affords the growth OF love in your souls, and
what school for pity in the hearts Of your
children !-Presbyterian.