The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-23
SIMPLE FAITH.
Poor Mans Theory of the Plan of Human
Salvation.

Salvation.
Bill Nye in Texas Siftings
Up in Polk county, Wisconsin, not long
ago, man who had lost eight children by
diphtheria, while the ninth lowered between
lie and death with the same disease, went to
the health officer of the town and asked aid
TO prevent the spread of the terrible scourge.
Inc health officer was cool and collected. He
did not get excited over the anguish of the
rather whose last child was at that moment
towering upon the outskirts of Immortality,
He calmly Investigated the matter, and never
for moment lost sight of the fact that he
was town officer and professed Christian.
You ask aid, l understand" said he, ito
prevent the spread of the disease, and also
that the town shall assist you in procuring
new and necessary clothing to replace that
which you have been compelled to burn in
order to stop the further inroads of diph-
liberia. Am | right?'
The poor man answered afirmatively.
MAY l ask ii your boys who died were
Christian boys and whether they improved
their gospel opportunities and attended the
Sabbath-school or whether they were pro-
fame and given over to Sabbath brsaking?''
The bereft father said tina his boys had
never made profession of Christianity; that
they were hardly old enough to do so, and
that they might have missed some gospel
opportunities, owing to the fact that they
were poor and hadn't clothes fit to wear to
Sabbath-school. Possibly, too they had met
with wicked companions and had been
| taught to swear; ne could not say but they
might have sworn, although he thought that
they would have turned out to be good boys
had they lived.
II am sorry that the case is so bad" said
| the health officer. II am led to believe that
God has seen fit to visit you with affiction
in order to express His divine disapproval of
| profanity, and cannot help you 1t i'll be-
comes US poor, weak worms of the dust to
NEEDLE with the just judgments of God.
| Whether as an individual or as quasi-cor-
| poration, it is we'll to allow the Almighty to
work out His great plan of salvation and to
| avoid all carnal interference with the works
of God"
The old man went went back to his deso-
| lated home and to the bedside of his only
living child. met him yesterday and he
told me about it all.
81 am not professor of religion" said he,
''but tell you, Mr. Nye, 1 can't believe thai
this board of health has used me right.
| Somehow l amt worried about my little
fellows that's gone. They was little fellers
anyway, and they wasn't posted on the plan
of salvation, but they was always kind and
always minded me and their mother. If God
| is using diphtheria agin perfanity this seaA
son they didn't know about it, They was too
| young to know about it and l was too poor
| to take the papers, so didn' know it nuther.
I just thought that Christ was partial to litA
| tie kids like mine, just the same as He used
| to be 2, 900 years ago, when the country was
new. | admit that my little shavers never
went to Sabbath-school much and L wasn't
scholar enough to throw much light onto
| Gods system of retribution, but told 'em to
| behave themselves, and they did, and we
had good deal of fun together-me and the
| boys-and they was SO bright, and square,
and cute that didn't see how they could
! fall under divine wrath, and L don't believe
| they did. | could tell you lots of smart Its
tie tricks that they used to do, Mr.. Nye, but
! they want mean nor oussed. They was just
frolicky and gay sometimes because they felt
good.
Mind you, I don't kick because am left
here alone in the woods and the sun don't
seem to shine, and the birds seem little
backward about singin' this spring, and the
| house is so quiet and she is still all the same
and cries in the night when she thinks ana
| asleep. All that is tough Mr.. Nye-tough
as the old Harry, too-but it's so. and ain't
murmurin', but when the board of health
says TO me that the Ruler of the Universe
| is maxim tower of northern Wisconsin,
mowin down little boys with sore throats
because they say gosh can't believe it.
II know that people who amt familiar
with the facts will shake their heads and say
I'm child of wrath but can't help it. All
can do is to go up there under the trees
where them little graves is, and think how
ALFRED pleasant to me them little, short
lives was. and how every one of them little
! fellers was welcome when he come poor as
was, and how rastled with poor crops and
pine stumps to buy cloze for 'em, and didn't
care a cent for style as long as they was well,
That's the kind of hereto am, and if God
| is like father that settles it. He wouldn't
wipe out my family just to establish disci4
pline don't believe. The plan of creation
must be on bigger scale than that it seems
| to me, or else its more or less of fzzle.
THAT board of health is better read than
l am. 1t takes the papers, and can add up
figgers, and do lots of things that can't dot
but when them feilers tells me that they rep
resent the town of Bslsam Lake and the
Kingdom of Heaven, my morbid curiosity
| is aroused, and l want to see their stiffykits
of election"