Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-05-05

believing him TO be the star NORWOOD
of the text. AS the regions h~edevastatcd
were parts most opulent with fountains
ana streams and rivers, you see how
graphic my text is: There fell "A great
star from heaven, burning as it were a
lamp, and it fell upon the third part OF
the rivers, and upon the fountains OF
waters; n the name OF the star is called
Wormwood."
Have you ever thought how many en-
Uttered lives there ARE all about US, mis-
anthropic, morbid, acrid. saturniney The
European plant from which NORWOOD
is extract td, artemisa absintheum, is q
perennial plant and all the year around
it is ready to eXude its oil. And in many
human lives there is a perennial dlstilla-
ton of acrid experiences. Yes. there arc
some whose whole work is TO shed a bale.
tul influence on others There are Att.
las Of the home. or Attilas of the social
circle, or Attilas of the church, or Att;las
of the state, and onc-third of the waters
of all the world, if not two-thirds Of the
waters, are poisoned by the falling Of the
star Norwood. 1t is not complimentary
10 hum IN nature that most men as soon
rs thy get great power, become over
bearing. The more power men have the
better, if their power be used for good,
The less power men have the better, If
they use it for evil.
Birds circle round and round and round
before they swOop upon that which they
are aiming for. And if my discourse so
far has been swinging round and round,
his moment it drops straight on your
heart and asks the question: Is your life
to Others Il benediciion or an emblttei-
ment, a blessing or Il curse, u balsam OF a
NORWOOD.
SoMe OF you, ! know, are morning
stars, and you are making the dawning
life of your children bright with gracious
influences and you are bcaming upon AL
The opening enterprises of philanthropic
and Christian endeavor, and you are her,
aids Of that day of gospelization which
will yet flood all the mountains and val
lcys OF IN sin.curscd earth. Hail, morn
Ing star. Keep on shining with encour-
agement and Christian hope.
Some OF you are evening stars, and you
are cheering the last days of the Old
people, and though u cloud sometimes
comes over you through The ~qucrulOus-
ness or unreasonableness Of your old
father and mother, ii is only for a mo-
mcnt, and the star o o come out clear
again and is seen from all the balconies of
the neighborhood. The old people will
forgive your occasional short comings,
for they themselves several times lost
their patience with you when you were
young and slapped you when YOU did not
deserve it. Hail, evening srarl Hang on
the darkening sky your diamond coronet.
But are any of o the star NORWOOD?
Do you sCold and growl from the thrones
paternal or maternal? Are your children
everlastingly peckcd at? Are you always
crying: Hush TO the merry voices and
swift feet and their laughter, which oc-
~caslonally iricklcs through at wrong times
and is suppressed by them until they can
hold it no longer and all the barriers burst
into unlimited outlaw and exclamation,
az IN high weather the water has trickled
through IA slight opening in the mill dam
but afterwards makes wider and wider
breach until it carries all before it with
irresistible freshet. Do not be too much
offended at the noise your children now
make. 1t Will be still enough when one
of them is dead. Then you would give
you right hand to hear one shout from
their silent voices or one step from the
still foot. You will not any one of you
have to wait very long before your house
is stiDler than you want ii Alas
that there are SO many homes not knowti
to the Society for the Prevention 81
Cruelty to Children, where children Are
put on the limits and whacked and Gnffed
and ear pulled and senselessly ca9icd to
order and answered sharp and suppressed
until it is a wonder that under 'ICh pro-
ccssos they do not all turn o4t Modocs
and Mana Sahibs.
What is your influence ugon the neigh
borhood, the town or tb" city of your
residence2
| will suppose that ou are a star Of
wit. What Kind of/ays do you shoot
FORTH Do you usfthat splendid faculty
TO irradiate the wf3rld or to raukle itY |
bless all the apostolic college of humor-
lists. The MAJ that makes me laugh is
my benefactor. | do not thank any body
to make me cry. | can do that without
any assistance. We all cry enough and
have en"ugh TO cry about. God i'ess all
skillfus punsters, all reparteeists, all pro-
pOuraers of ingenious conuudrums. all
t.C,Te who m|irthfully surprise MS with
UNUSUAL iuxtaposition of words. Thomas
FOOD and Charles Lamb and Sidney
! Smith had a divine mission, and SO have
their successors in these times. They
stir into the acid beverage Of life the
saccharinc. They make the cup of
earthly existence, which is sometimes
stale, effervescc and bubble. They pla-
cate animosities. They foster longevity.
They slay follies and absurdities which
all the sermons of all the pulpits cannot
reach. They have for examples Elijah,
who made fun of the Baalites when they
called down fire and it did not come, sug-
gesting that their heather god had gone
hunting or was off on a journey or was
asleep and nothing but vOclferaiion could
wake him, saying: Cry aloud for he is
q god; either he is talking or pursuing or
pcradventure he sleepeth and must be
walked" They have an example in
Christ, who with healthful sarcasm
showed up the lying. bypocIitical Phari-
sees by suggesting that such perfect peo-
pie like themselves needed no improve
ments, saying: The whole need not a
physician but they that are sick"
But what use are you making of your
witt? Is it besmirched with profanity
and uncleanliness? Do you employ it in
amusement at physical defects for which
the victims are not responsible? Are your
powers Of mimicry used to put religion in
contempt? Is it a bunch of nettlesome in