Milford chronicle., 1888-05-11
MILFORD, DEL, FRIDAY, MAY IL, 1888.

look at your property for the purpose Of Civ
ing you a policy upon il. and while he stood
in front Of the house he should say; THAT
house is on fire now in the basement" you
could not get any insurance upon it Yet
you talk about this world as though It were
a safe investment, as though you could get
some insurance upon it when down in the
basement it is ON lire.
[ remark, also, that this world is a pro
perty, with which every body who has taken
it as possession has had trouble. Now,
know a large reach of land that is not built
on ask what is the matter, and they reply
that everybody who has had anything to do
with that property got into trouble about it
It is Just so with this world; everybody that
has had anything to do with it, as a posses
sion, has been IN perplexity How was it
with Lord Byroni Did he not sell his i'm
mortal soul for the purpose Of getting the
worldf Was be satisfied with the posessioni
Alasl alasl the poem graphically describes
his case when it says;
Drank every cup OF Joy,
Heard every trump Of fame;
Drank early, deeply drank.
Drank draughts which common millions might
have queuched,
Then died OF thirst because there was no more
to drink
Oh, yes, he had trouble with it; and so did
Napoleon. After conquering nations by the
force of the sword, he lies down to die; his
entire possession, the military boots that he
insisted on having upon his feet while he was
dying SO it has been with men who had
better ambition TLackeray, one Of the most
geuial and lovahle souls, after he had won
the applause Of all intelligent lands through
his wonderful genius. sits down in a restau-
rant in Paris, looks 70 the other end Of the
room, and wonders whose that forloru and
wretched face is; rising up after while, he
finds that it is rhackeraY in the mirror Oh,
yes, this world is a cheat Talk about a man
gaining the worldl Who ever gained half
OF the worldi Who ever owned a hemis-
phere, Who ever gained a continents Who
ever owned Asiai Who ever gained cityI
Who ever owned Brooklynf Talk about
gaining the worldl No man ever gained it,
OF the hundred -thouandth part of it. You
are demanding that | sell my soul, not foI
the world but for fragment CT it Here is
a man who has had a large estate for forty
or fifty years lie lies down to die You say:
THAT man is worth millions and millions
OF dollars Is hei You call up surveyor,
with his compass and chains, and you say;
There il "A property extending three miles
in one direction, and three miles in another
direction Is that the way to measure that
mans propertyl mol You do not want any
surveyor, with his compass and chains That
is not the way you want to measure that
mans property now. 1t is an undertaken
that YOU need, who will come and put his
finger III his vest pocket, and take out tape
line. and he will measure five feet nine inches
one way. and two feet and half the other
way That is the mans property Oh, no,
forgot. not so much as that, for he does not own
even the place in which he lies in the GENE
terry The deed to that belongs to the execu-
tors and the heirs. Oh, what property you
propose TO give me for my soul! If you sell
a bill of goods you go into the counting room
and say 10 your partner: DO you think that
man is good for this bills Can he give
proper security win he meet this paymentr
Now. when you are offered this world as a
possession, want you to test the matter, /
do not want you to go into this bargain
blindly / want you to ask about the title,
about the insurance, about whether men
have ever had any trouble with it, about
whether you can keep il, about whether you
can get all, or the ten-thousandth or one
hundred -thousandth part of it
There is the world now shall say no
more about It, Make up your mind for your
self. rs snail before God have 10 make up
my mind for myself, about the value of this
world cannot afford to make mistake
for my soul, and you cannot afford to make
a mistake for your soul
Now, let us look at the other property
soul We cannot make a bargain without
seeing the comparative value. The SOUL
How shall estimate the yalue OF itf Well,
by its exquisite organization. 1t is the most
wonderful piece Of mechanism ever put to
gether Machinery is Of value in proportion
as it is mighty and silent at the same time
You look at the engine and the machinery in
the Philadelphia mint, and, as you see
it performing its wonderful work, you
will be surprised TO find how 81
lently it goes. Machinery that roars and
tears soon destroys itself, but silent ina
chinery is often most effective Now, so it
is with the soul OF man, With all its tire
mendols faculties-it moves in silence.
Judgment. without any racket, lifting its
scales: memory. without any noise, bringing
innu all its treasures, conscience taking its
Judgment seat without any excitement; the
understanding and the will all doing their
work Velocity, majesty. might, but silence
silence You listen at tile door Of your
heart You can hear no sound The soul is
all quiet. 1t is SC delicate an instrument
that no human hand can touch It. You
break a bone, and with splinteIs and band
ages the surgeon sets it, tine eye beomes in
famed, the apothecary's wash cools IT,, but
soul off the track, unbalanced, no human
power can read Just it. With one sweep Of
its wing il circles the universe and over
vaults the throne Of God Why, in
8 81 10 rfrtt
throws aside the body US though it were a
toy 1t drives back medical skill as impo-
tent It breaks through the circle of loved
ones who stand around the dying couch.
With one leap, it springs beyond star aud
moon and sun. and chasms Of intensity
Oh. 1t is n soul superior to all material things
No fire can consume it. no floods cau drown
il. no rocks cal crush it; nc walls can i'm
peLe 1t. no time can exhaust it. 1t wants no
bridge on which TO cross a chasm II wants
no plummet with which TO sound depth. a
soul so mighty, so swift. so silent, must be
priceless soul
calculate the value Of the soul, also, by
its capacity for happiness. How much JOY
it can get in this world out OF friendships
out OF books, out OF clouds, out Of the sea
out OF flowers out of ten thousand things
and yet all the JOY it has here does not test
its capacity You are in concert befors
the curtain hoists, and you hear the instru
luents preparing-the sharp snap of the
broken string, the scrapins Of the bcw across
the viol 'There is no music in that" yor
say 1t is only reitine ready for the music.
And all the enjoyment Of the soul in this
world, the enjoyment we think is real enjoy
ment, is only preparative it is only anti.
cipatve; it is only the first stages Of the
thing it is only the entrance the beginning
Of that which shall he the orchestral bar
monies and splendors OF the redeemed
You cannot test the full power Of the soul
for happiness in this world How much
power the soul has here TO find enjoyment in
friendships but, oh, the grander friendships
for the soul in the skies How sweet the
flowers herei but how much sweeter they
will be therel / do not think that when
flowers die on earth, they die forever /
think that the fragrance OF the flowers is the
spirit being waited away into glory, God
says there are palm trees in heaven and fruits
in heaven. If so, why not the spirits Of the