Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-04
A SERMON FOR THE NEW YEAR,

A SERMON FOR THE NEW YEAR,
"Grandpa, when does a man have,
three handsg"
This question was put by a child to-
her grandfather, in the midst of the
family circle on Christmas evening.
They were ali merry with innocent fun
and chit-chat. Giving and guessing
riddles was M of the entertaining
pastimes Of the hour. The grandfath-
er repeated the child's question slow
ly. and, after thinking a moment, he
said: II give it up" The bright child
in great glee cried out: ga man has
three hands when he has a right hand
and a left hand and gets a little behind
hand"
All hands laughed heartily at grand
fathers failure to guess, and he looked
so grave over it they laughed the more
melrily.
But the "head of the house, did
not seem to join very heartily in the
amusement, and they rallied him by
asking if it was not a fair conundrum.
Certainly: not only fair, but excel
lent: the play on the word is very neat,
but it has set me thinking OF what comes
of getting a little behindhand, and some
other time, when YOU want to hear, it, 1
will give you q little sermon or lecture
on the subject"
"Now-now-let uss have it now!''
they all exclaimed; but he knew chill
dren too well for that, and, saving
that his sermon would keep, he told
| fhnrN TN cr0 m NIL <l>,s~ ..ll1u- -
stories.
The next Sabbath evening, when they
We're all in the parlor, the bright little
girl, who had puzzled her grandfather
with the conundrum. looked up from
the book she was reading, and said, with
a smile:
"Grandpa, are you not getting a
little behindhand with that sermon YOU
promised us?"
"You shall have it now, if you wish;"
and all sat still and attentive while the
good a began:
"To-morrow.w will he. the first day of a
new year, and q good time to take a
fresh start. To begin we'll is half the
doing, whatever it is The habit of
being on time, never a minute behind
hand, is one Of the greatest helps to sue
cess in life. While, on the other hand,
to get into the way of delaying, keep
inc. others waiting, not being prompt,
punctual and ready, is the secret cause
of failure in ten thousand cases, many
Of which l have seem in the course o.
my life. We notice it in children.
What you are in the morning, you will
be at noon, and probably at night.
The child is father OF the man. gust
as the twig is bent etc. The family
meet in the morning for worship and
breakfast; one child is late. She is
usually late, the same one. She was
behindhand in getting herself ready /;
the rest waited for her a few moments
and then went OF without her, and pres
entity she came. disturbing all and
making herself disagreeable and them
uncomfortable. The boy with such a
disposition is late at school, not pre-
pared with his lessons, always just a
little behindhand in everything. Per-
haps he goes to college or into business,
trade or profession, and if he is depend
ent on his WI exertions he makes a
failure in everything.
"Forty years ago 1 knew two smart
boys, helpers in q grocery store. They
were brothers. They seemed to Be
made Of steel springs. SO quick, prompt
and decisive were they in filling every
order. They were poor boys, appren-
tees then. But they worked as if the
concern was their own, and success de
pendedon their energy, push and faith
%tulness. Now they live on n of the
fashionable avenues Of New York in
their own large mansions, retired from
the grocery business in which they
made their fortunes. Holding impor-
tant trusts, they arc useful and respect
ed citizens and christians. They owe
their success solely, under God, to their
w promptness in performing every
promise, in being always ahead rather
than behind time. And there are me-
chanics and tradesmcn with whom I
once had dealings and now have de-
serted, because they would never
fulfill an order in season. would not send
athing home to me when they promised
and invariably keptme waiting whatever
:night be my distress to be served.
This vice run in the blood sometimes,
and whole families are distinguished by
taking it easy, time enough YET be-
Ing their motto and rule. They drop
behind in the race of life. They would
foe run over # some one did not pick
them up and help them on. Half the
world has thi7 work to do, besides do
ing its own. IN the absence of positive
crime, this tabit OF taking it easy
causes the poverty and failure of the
greater part o. the human family. With
the same CHI; nces, with equal health
and wits, in che same field. one man
succeeds and another makes a dead
failure. AnS why: Because one took
time by the r"rclock. was ever prompt.
and therefore prosperous. The other
was always u little b~ehindhand, and by
and-by SO faI behind as to be counted
out as OF no account.
when You are old enough your
selves to meet and move with men and
women in business and good works oflife,
you will soon find some who are late at
the appointed time, who come bustling
in, ten or fifteen minutes after the hour,
saying: Il had no idea it was so late;'
MY watch ntver deceived me betore:'
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