Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-06-13
Sanding the Axles.

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 others usefulness.
1t would require but small ability for a
roguish boy, standing by machine, to
sprinkle little sand upon the oiled
and polished axles on which the wheels
revolved 1t might be done easily and
quickly, and remain unobseryed 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 boxes, hinder the work, and
derange 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 observ-
ed, and could be easily removed but
the mischief would come from intro
| ducing the sand-so fine, that it makes
it's way everywhere go 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 others; they can hinder,
find fault, pervert and sow jealousy,
dissension and suspicion as invisibly
and as effectually as boy can sand the
journals of a machine. No one sus-
poets what they are doing; nor can
any one fasten their misdeeds upon
them; but the air grows thick with
distrust, and work is hindered by
secret contrivances and combinations !;
good men are burdened, disheartened
and worn out noble enterprises falter,
fail and are abandoned. Every one
notices that things are going hard and
that something hinders their progress !;
but no one seems to know what the
trouble is, until the day comes for q
general cleaning 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 godliness are ahso-
lutely necessary for the accomplish
ment of this work. Conceit, envy,
jealousy, sourness and meddlesomeness
are sufficient qualifications under
ordinary circumstances. 1t does not
take much religion for q 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
efIectually. Here, for instance, is a
church, where there are few people
who try to do something, and number
who succeed in doing nothing, except
grumbling because what is done is not
done in different way. Here is a
person who, from love to the cause OF
God, desires to labor earnestly, ener
getically and effectually in the Masters
work +; but by the time he is well under
way, others, who have never succeeded
in accomplishing anything of import
anc, are ready to throw sand on the
axles and neutralize oil his efforts, until
the 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,
az told you so knew that nothing would be
DONE"
Most churches have surplus of these
sand-throwers, who could be spared
and if in their place could be substitut
ed few of thvse men who oil the
machinery, who lubricate instead o
irritate; who feed the fires instead o.
throwing water upon them, and who
are as ready to work as these sand
throwers are to grumble, nobody would
be damaged by the change. Better
still it would be, if some of these very
men should cease throwing sand, anc
begin pouring on oil. They might be
power for good and good men might
be thus spared one of the grievous vex
ations of their lives.-From the Chris
tian Safeguard.