The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-02-04
CUT OFF THE DEAD WOOD.

BY BISHOP CLARK. OF RHODE ISLAND.
This is good work for the beginning
of a new year.
Dead wood is not only unSightly. but
it is injurious to the tree We need t"
get rid of it. in order to give that which
is alive fair chance From the window
where | write | see a number of old
oaks that have begun to die at the top.
because Of the fish hawks who build
their huge nests there and saturate the
bark with salt water The tree is sure
to die unless the process is arrested. al,
though it may perish more slowly than
it would do if the root were affected.
Some men begin to die at the top
The action of the brain is affected. and
they become immpbile. inert. inlnlent:
the impulse is taken ont of their life
while the ordinary functions ofexiStenc
continue to act. and thev 90 on eating
and drinking. anl talking and sleeping
they cease t, he of any further Use il
the world. They are the dead wood d"
society. aud everybody feels that tine,
ire an inrumbrance. And it is the dea"
wood that breeds vermin. Inertia is the
mother of vices.
There is too much dead wood in tn,
e,rnei prnfeSS,nS. AMI i'll most Other
departments of life. Tue sap does MOI
seem tn have reached them. They ar
much to be ptiei but they are none thu
less in the WAY for all that. 1t may on
may not be their fault that they briuy
forth NJ fruit. They would be CAD T."
do something if they knew how: and
perhaps they might have accomplished
>,nn lrttl- work if they had not mis-
taken their voc ttion.
The Christian ministry would he none
the worse for a judicinu> pruning
There are lawyers and doctors no mighr
b.. laid on the shelf. and the world h
not worse off. The great army of tn
unemployed is Il sad spectacle t. l"'h
lpon: but. then. if one finds that he ha>
got in the wrong place. why need h.
stay there 50 per>StenJlv There i
something which every man eau do VIII"
mouth, and anv small mndicun of brains
IN his head. There is the soil to be til
led, and fish to be caught in the sea. an'
a multitude of other occupations which
require no special amount of genius, ami
why not turn in them for a living? Ii
is more honorable to work with til,
hands. in any honest way. than to dr"l
down on ones frien Is and eat the bread
of dependence.
In mid winter. as I look out OF my
window. | cannot distinguish the dead
from the live wood in the tree and it.
fact there is nothing left but the grin
skeleton: the leaves and every thing tina
indicated life. vanished W ekS ago. Bu'
the other night the strong wind blew.
aud the next morning the earth WAS GOV.
tIttt W I'LL Stt't'l SIlChS. Ut llN lH1 bIditl!-
es held on and dcIied the storm. hut the
poor, rotten dead things had to Civ.
wav Aud 50 it is when any great temp
est sweeps over the land: the lteleSs.
useless men. who in quiet times had
crept into the offices, are swept of; the
shamS are displaced. and the real men
c,me to the front. The law of the SUI
vival OF the strongest comes into play.
and the weak are dethroned. Grear
crises develop men, and then the men
shape the crises.
Dead wood is good FOR nothing but 20
be burned. and ii it his diel ~ the tree
it is not . nd for much even for fuel
1t is hard IL tell Just what to do with til,
lie ID wpnd in society. Hospitals for II
ineit and inefficient would only extrno
and pei petrate the evil.