The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-11
An I.SSAY

AN ESsAY
Read Before the Disciples Sunday
Aci.ooi Convention IN this city on ti,e
a3d Of srpicn,ber.
BY Irene T. Mye'.. Il wUt Liberty. 1t r
THE silHLL AND TllE KERNEL. ~
Not very poetic subject, but bringing
visions Of autumn loneliness, Of long ram.
bles through Natures bower OF beauty
when the winds were softly signing q rc'
ouiem for the dying SUMMER; Of thy golden
,r,,dienco OF tho sunlight OH yellow and
crimson leaves; OF the queer little three
cornered bcCcl,.n nuts md their thorny cov-
erinys; OF that wonderful acorn and Its cup,
That served for saucer, plate and platter In
no many childish play houses, oil the run
from the school house among the trees 10
the tall old hickory ut the loot Of tho nv
10 gather tho freshly fallen nuts; OF the tri.
u,nphanl home goine aud tho proud cxhl.
bition Of the carefully boarded treasure;
these, and thousand aud one other thing,
far removed from Sunday Schools and
Sunday School work, even crowding into
memory ut the reading OF this simple sub.
il vou have ever lived In tho country
and have gathered nuts for yourself, or II
YOU hive lived ia city, aud some one else
Inns gathered them for you, You have prob
ably noticed that the nut always appears
10 lie composed Of tho shell aud the kernel,
although sometimes tho kernel is not there,
but probably you never did notice that n
nut at all resembles u Sunday School, ami
more tllnn likely tho resemblance will
never fully dawn upon you, until you are
called upon to write Sunday School essay
on the subject; but then 1t will all be ny
plain as day, and Sunday School rules and
regulations will stand out clearly as the
shell OF the nut, and its influence in form.
ingand devclopnga character will be repre-
sented by. the kernel. Did you ever exam
inc the shell OF n nut, and notice how reg,,.
lar 1t is in la irregularity? There are many
grooves and ridges, but order Is stamped
upon them all, and the effect OF the whole
il harmonious. AS well may We cx.
poet the laws Of nature to change, as
10 fancy that without order good
can be accomplished. although We
work in the name OF high heaven. Order
IL m attribute OF God. We seeit in The
deicately yeined leaf in the rocky ribs OF
the mountains side, in the ieathery forms
oftIe snow flake, in the succeeding waves
0ttl,e ocean. low can nan, himself planned
no wisely, hope 10 accomplish anything il
he neeects to observe this law OF his Ma
ker? As the shell OF the nut molds and
fashions the kernel to its own form, sup.
pressing It here and developing it there, SC
does the machinery Of the Sunday School
suppress and develop its influence upon
the heart, Of the child. AS in the one
Nature saw fit 10 employ both, SO i'll the
other both should be used; suppression 10
check the impulses that are wrong; deyel.
op,nent to train and exercise the higher
nature. till faults shall die OF their own
lack OF vitality.
Theshelt is matured long ere the kernel i:
pleasant to the taste. As its ripencss and
sweetness are only developed by biting
frosts, SO must many good influence wall
for the sharp uses OF adversely" and bit
ter sorrows ere it expands in its full rich
ness and gloriiies lie. The. shell and thu
kernel are necessary the one to the other
The one, alone, is useless; the other, alone
cannot exist. Did you ever notice little
child select the largest and prettiest OF his
treasures. and after repeated and unusual
efforts succeed in crushing the shell, onl,
to find black decay within and have you
noted his look Of disappointment and dis
gust ? Something like, it seems to me, what
good mans feeling must be, when within
some fair outward seeming Sunday-schoo
organization, he finds dead influence
not merely pain because OF its nothingness
but indignation because OF its pretensons
When We consider the great importance
OF the shell, preserving oittimes the kerue
from destruction, and keeping it safe until
in its rich ripencss it may fulfil its ap.
pointed use, wewll observe its analogy witl
that which many times exercises M intlu
encc over little child. that may, in aitci
years, save it from life Of wickedncss and
death Of despair.
Once upon time, not many years ago,
shell and a kernel had u quarrel. They
had Iivedtoge,her probably for some time
but Mt length the kernel imbibcd false
ideas oi its own strength and greatness; it
felt that it wag very able TO take care OF it
self; it accused the shell OF concealing its
delicious ripeness, and avowcd its intcn
ton OF letting its light shine before the
world without any further hindrancc. The
shell slipped away quietly, and dried (up)
its tears in silence, and for short time thu
kernel rejoiccd in its freedom but the
sun dartel his fiery rays through it and
again through it, until it was parched 10 its
very heart; then the winds and the rains
attacked it., and the silly little kernel
wonld gladly have retrcated to its old sEel.
Ter, but ii could not, and finally, when al.
most wasted away, and fallen to the ground
i'll its darkness, great big footed horse
pround it to powder beneath his lsooi.
This little story has moral which you
may deduce, while VIC make the applica-
ton. Once upon a time there was a Sun.
day school, tlonrshin. under the best OF
systems, training well the minds and
hearts within its shelter, and fashioning
them in beautiful harmony. But it said,
my influence Is limited and restrained BY
NIL these rules; will shine with truer lus.
ire without them; will cast them OIL. It
did so; it knew no order; it knew no law.
1t exposed itself to all the storms that rs.
sail m unprotected Sunday School, II was
Frustrated md unable to help itself, and
finally the big footed horse-this time n
mouth Of extremely cold wcather-cxtcr.
minated it. -
Who can estimate the influence OF n
well regulated, well taught Sunday School?
II one should tremble NJ responsibility ever
it must be when he attempts to impress
convictions on youthful minds, for he will
touch chords strung by M Infinite Organ.
list, which will vibrAte long after he shnl
be gathered to his fathers, which will echo
and re.echo from hill TO hill down the val.
ley Of life, and reverberate along the shores
OF Eternity. Who can tell what thought
may bring forth? 1t may undermine sys.
tens and remodel society. 1t may start a
new life, spread a new earth and establish
Il new Heaven for the soul. Better seek to
measure tho universe than the influence OF
II thought. \ yirtuous impression may
redeem n whole life from misery, al evil
one my work corresponding ruin. Que
may talk to ase, but the opinions and hab-
its held and cherished for years willp,event
his words from penetrating farther than the
ear.drum. So, he may lecture to manhood
in its yigor, but the world will roll its great
Inf nj husinrsl fame md DIN hef,roan h;,,