The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-05-15
Sanding the AxIes.

A PERSON who can help but little is
sometimes able to hinder great deal,
1t requires but very little talent to stand
in the way of each others usefulness. It
would require but small ability for aroou-
ish boy standing by amachine, to sprinkle
q little sand upon the oiled and pol
ished axles on which the wheels re-
volved. 1t might be done easily, and
quickly, and remain unobserved: but
that sand, mingling with the lubricat-
ing oil, and being carried around on
the axles, would decrease the speed
consume the power, cut the aXles, in
jure the box, hinder the work, and de-
range and ruin the machine. If the
boy was trying to introduce pebbles or
rocks into the machine, he would do
less damage, for they would be OBJ
served and could be easily removed;
but the mischief would come from in
Producing the sand, so fine that it makes
its way every where, so small that no
one would notice it.
There are men in the church of Christ
who never have shown great ability to
plan or execute anything Of Importance.
Their main forte seems to be sanding
axles. They can get in the way of 9th.
ers; they can hinder, find fault, per-
vert and sow jealousy, dissension and
suspicion, as invisibly and as e1ectually
as boy can sand the journals of a ma
chine. No one suspects what they are
doing; nor can any one fasten their
misdeeds upon them, but the air grows
thick with distrust, and work is hin
dered by secret contrivances. and COM
binations; good men are burdeuca, DTS
heartened and worn out; noble enter
prises falter, fail, and are abandoned.
Every one notices that things 90 hard
and that something binders their prog
ress, but no one seems to know what
the trouble is, until that day comes for
a general clearing up, and then, 10, and
behold, the aXles are found covered
with sand.
1t requires very little ability in man
to fill the position of sand thrower.
Neither intelligence, talent, grace, nor
goodness are absolutely necessary for
this work. Conceit, envy, jealousy,
sourness and meddlesomeness are sutfi-
Gent qualifications under ordinary Cir
cumstances. 1t does not take much
religion for man to find fault some
men have been known to find fault who
did not have any. 1t requires no long
apprenticeship or great skill to throw
sand on axles; a man who does not
know enough to oil a machine properly
could sand it quite effectually
Here, for instance, is church, where
there are few people who try to do
something, and q number who succeed
in doing nothing except grumble be-
cause what is done is not done in DIFF
ferent way. Here is q person who from
love to the cause of God desires to
labor earnestly, energetically and eff
fectually in the Masters work; but by
the time he is under way, others who
have not succeeded in accomplishing
anything of Importance are ready to
throw sand on his axles and neutralize
his efforts until the other workers are
discouraged and the work Abandoned;
after which the sand-throwers relapse
into a condition of quietude. They
have done what they could, which was
simply to hinder others from doing
anything, and now their song is, Il
told you so; knew that nothing would
be done" Most churches have a sur
plus of these sand-throwers, who could
be spared; and if in their place could
be substituted few of those men who
oil the machinery, who Intricate instead
OF irritate, who feed the fires instead of
throwing water upon them, and who
are as ready to work as those sand
throwers are to grumble, nobody would
be damaged by the change. Better
still would it be if some of these very
men would cease throwing sand and
begin pouring on oil. They might be
a power for good and men might thus
be spared one of the grievous vexations
OF their lives. -Sdtegudrd.