Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-06-25

the East village uuflnB the Wtth IieNlou9'
The text was from Peter "a, %: "For all
flesh is as grass, and the glory Of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withereth and the
flower thereof falleth away but the word OF
the Lord endureth forever"
Mr.. Merrill commenced by saying that usu-
ally in presenting a subject, he had need to
search for illustrations TO enforce il ; but the
events of the past week had left for him sim.
ply the task of formulating truths that bad
been taught far more effectively than by the
common ministrations Of the familiar pulpit,
The apostle by the imagery of the text as
serts, that all that is characteristic OF man N
the present state of existence, his body that
crumbles to dust with its powers, the princi-
pie Of life that fickers like dying flame and
then goes out in darkness, must perish from
the root, like the grass that withereih, be-
cause it has no hold upon the Interchangeable,
no independent existence. The glory Of
man" is only the unfolding the bringing to
maturity of these perishable powers and gifts;
and like the bright consummate flower of the
grass, it must fall away at the top and disap-
pear. First and most Enthusiastically fleeing
among those things which are accounted the
glory of man are riches" They are among
those things least within the individual con-
troll. They are subject most to the whims of
the rabble to fashion, TO caprice, to the craze
of the hour, to the integrity of some one man.
The market value of commodities is the Their
mometer, which marks the rise and fall Of
the popular fancy and no effort Of the rea-
son can predict the unreasonable confidence,
or the unreasoning distrust, which sends up
or down the commodity that has a natural
level Of value determined by the law of sup
ply and demand. In the present artificial
state Of society, faith and confidence must ne
cessarily play 30 large a part in all business
NluN
ments are made, a large margin Of the value
must depend upon public opinion, over which
the individual investor has about as much in
fluence a drop of water the ocean.
The remark of a New York broker, before
the late rise in prices, was quoted to the ef-
feet that it was coming to be the opinion Of
business men, that the only thing which
could be relied upon as having fixed bottom
price, the only thing which could be taken as
a standard of values, was the government
bond and it was added, that if business men
could find no more solid ground on which to
anchor hope than the government bond, in a
country where party power is shifting every
two years, where the chief magistrate is elect
ed every four years, where thousands of ig-
nOrant, poor and desperate men have the bal
lot and would like nothing better than social
anarchy and where blatant demagogues stand
ready TO work upon these seething passions
and actually organize party to wreck the
credit Of the governmental this quakng
mire is the only secure foundation for perma-
nent riches, then heaven help the man who
puts his trust in them! 1t has been shown
here what popular opinion can do among
class Of people that have become proverbial
for conservatism, caution and shrewdneSs.
Even credit that has been questioned for
years has been able to give a value to that
which was valueess. well known school
was referred to, whose former ample funds
were Invested in real estate designed to be
occupied by teachers and pupils under the
immediate supervision Of the trustees, an in
vestment once thought to be unusually sound
and wise, but now made almost worthless by
the growth Of rival villages and institutions
of learning. These changes in value are what
take place during this life. There is little
need to speak Of the final and complete
change which occurs when we go hence with
empty hands folded upon the breast, clothed
in shrouds that have no pockets, to meet the
question, Whose shall those things be which
thou hast provided :" What matters it then,
the little or the much;
"what would it pleasure me to have my throat cut
With diamondsT or be smothered
with cassia? or be shot to death with pearls?
know thar death hath ten thousand several doors
For man to take his exit and It's found
They go onsueh strange geometIicAl hinges,
You may open them both ways"
After abiding to strength. or health, and
wisdom, the garnered fruits of the mind, as
being also perishable possessions, liable to be
at any time snatched away, or to become val
ueless through some accident or calamity, the
speaker said
Among all these perishable things. there is
given us that which is imperishable, new
life fashioned in holiness and righteousness
by the word of the Lord which endureth for
(lur pOseaeLippg hove have l;ttI,
nent value except for the molding influence
they have upon character If riches will
make us better, purer, more Christ like, then
riches are good for us to have; if strength
then strength is good if wisdom, then wis
dom is good. But better than the possession
OF any Of these, is it to be possessed by the
truth of God given to abide forever Fash
ion, caprice and credit cannot affect this. A
kind act is current coin the world over in
time and in eternity; and purity Of heart will
admit us to the choicest society, even fellow.
ship with the children of God
l cannot well leave this subject without i
speaking Of two things that must have been
impressed upon the minds of all of us by the
events of the past week And one is our
mutual dependence one upon another. One
member of the body cannot suffer except all
suffer with it. The far reaching effect of
this disaster no one can now estimate II
than others, and in truth it does but it will
soon diffuse itself through the whole commu-
NIFTY, and We shall all feel it in some degree. !
1t is then, in no official way that words of
sympathy are spoken, but with feeling of a
common loss. And if no other lesson is
learned by us, the event ought not to pass
without teaching us the foolishness of at
tempting TO live life of selfish independ
ehee, as though we could draw ourselves up
in our own narrow circle and say. 1--WE ask |
no favor of any, and we will give none :" |
THE public welfare is nothing TO me. I con
suit my own private interests" As society |
Is now constituted We can live in no such |
way We must place confidence in one |
another We must depend upon one another
We must give as well as take. If we are |
wise with only the wisdom of men of tbis |
generation, like the unjust steward of The |
parable, we shall be laying up treasures here
IN KIND offices, in helpfulness, in an open |
hahueu loerallty, that in our need We may |
ura" upon the affection of friends. And the |
other lesson is, that this disaster falls alike up.
on the evil and the good, upon those who |
have made wise and philosophical use of
their means, and those who have selfshly
clutched their last dollar and thought only Of
gain. This is the law with which our Father
IN heaven seldom interferes, the law Inv
which the rain from heaven falls alike upon
lhe Just ana the unjust. But aside from the
knowledge that God does not square his ae-
counts every Saturday night, there are com
pensating features. The man who has learn.
ed TO estimate the true value of riches bv n
faithful stewardship, does not suffer as much
as his ooyetOus neighbors, from losses equally
great. 1t is not the foundation of his homes
that has persisted. 1t is not part of his We
ry life that has been taken from him lido
not by any means beittle the losses of anv
only say they have been preparing them.
selves to bear their losses by transplantinp
their affections from things perishable to that
which is imperishable. And now they re-
ceNe their reward, the reward of consecra-
ted lives. 1t is no sudden wrench of conyic-
li0n Tint Inns hrnmnht lhnr.a 10 ..a...-.L - |