The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-07-06

usei TO put religion in contempt Is it a
bunch Of nettiesome invectivet Is it n bolt
Of unjust scorni Is it fun at Others mis-
fortunsi Is It gies at their disappointment
and defeat Is it bitterness put drop by drop
into a cupi Is It ike the squeezing Of arte-
misia absinthium into a draught already dis
tastefully pungenti Then you are the star
WormwOod. Yours is the fun Of rattle
snake trying how well it can sting 1t IS the
fun Of a hawk trying how quick 1t can strike
out the eve Of dove.
But l viii change this. and l will suppose
you are q star OF worldly prosperity. Then
YOU have large opportunity. You can en-
courage that artist by buying his picture
You can improve the fields the stables, the
highway, by introducing higher style OF
fowl aud horse and COW and sheep You can
bless the world with pomological achieve
ments in the orchards. You can advance
arboriculture and arrest this beautiful icono-
elasm Of the American forests You can put
a piece Of SCULPTURE into the niche OF that
public academy. You can endow college.
You can stocking a thousand bare feet from
the winter frost. You can build church.
You can nut a missionary OF Christ on that
foreign shore. You can help ransom world.
A rich man with his heart right. Can you
tel me how much good james Lennox or a
George Peabody or a Peter Cooper or VIII
lam z Dodge did while living, or is doing
town or neighborhood that has not glorious
specimens Of consecrated wealth
But suppose you grind the face OF the poor.
Suppose when a mans wages are due You
make him wait for them because he cannot
help himself Suppose that because his
family Is sick and he has had extra expenses
he should politely ask you 70 raise his wages
for this year, and you roughly tell him if he
wants better place to go and get it. Sup
pose by your manner YOU act as though he
were nothing and you were everything.
Suppose you are selfish and overbearing and
arrogant Your first name ought to be At
tia, and your last name Alta, because YOU
are the star NORWOOD and you have EN-
Uttered one third, il not three-thirds, of the
waters that roll past your employees anSu
operatives and dependents and associates
and the long line of carriages which the I'M
dertaker orders for your funeral in order to
make the occasion respectable, will be filed
with twice as many dry, fearless eyes as there
are persons occupying them The clumsy
pail bearers may make the gates of your
sepulcher quake by striking your silver
handled coffin against them, but the world
will feel no jar as You go out of it.
There is an erroneous idea abroad that
there are only Few geniuses. There are
millions OF them; that is. men and women
who have especial adaptation and quickness
for some one thing. 1t may be great, it may
be small The circle may be like the circum-
ference Of the earth or no larger than a
thimble There are thousands of geniuses
here this morning. and in some one thing
YOU are a star. What kind of a star are
youf You will be in this world but few
minutes. As compared with eternity the
stay OF the longest life on earth is not more
than a minute. What are we doing with
that minutei Are we embittering the domes-
tic or social, or political fountains, or are
=. =
the wilderness complained that the waters
Of Lake Marah were bitter and they could
not drink them, their leader cut of the
branch Of a certain tree and threw that
branch into the water. and 1t became sweet
and slake the thirst of the suffering host
Are we with n branch of the tree of life
sweetening all the 5rackish fountains that
we can touchi Dear Lord, send us all out
on thy mission All around US embittered
lives. embttered by persecution. embittered
By hypercriticism, embittered by poverty,
embittered by pain, embittered by in
Justice emhttered by sim Why nos
20 forth and sweeten them by smiles,
by inspiring words, by benefactions,
by hearty council by prayer, by
gospelized behavior Let US remember
that il we are NORWOOD TO others we are
norwood 10 ourselves, and our life will be
bitter and our eternity bitter. The Gospel
Of Jesus Christ is the only sweetening power
that is sufficient 1t sweetens the dispose
ton II sweetens the manners. 1t sweetens
life. II sweetens mysterious Providences.
Il sweetens Affections. 1t sweetens DEATH
Il sweetens everything. have heard people
lskei in social company: "lf you could have
three wishes gratified what would your three
wishes be r II / could have three wishes
met this morning tell you what they. would
b. First-More Of the grace Of God. Sec
OF the grace of God. Third
More of the grace OF God In the door yard
Of my brother John, missionary in Annoy,
China. there Is tree called the emperor
'rae, the tNd characteristics OF which are
hEt it always grows higher than Its sur
-oundings ald its leaves take the form OF
.rown- II this emperor tree be planted by a
'oSe bu.ii q grv~s ;-ttio higher than the
lush. and spreads out above 1t crown II
be plnntfd by tie side OF another tree Il
.ruws "A little d cher than that tree and
preads above it crown Would God that
his religion Of Christ, a more wonderful
Emperor tree. might overshadow all your
ives; are You lowly in ambition or circum.
tanoe, putting over YOU its crown; are you
nigh in talent and position, putting over You
Is crown Oh. for more of the saccharine
n our lives and less of the wormwoodi
WHAT is true Of individuals is true Of ma
ions. God sets them up TO revolve as stars,
put they may fail NORWOOD.
Tyre-the atmO'phere of the desert fra
grant with spices coming in caravans to her
airs; all seas cleft into foam by the keeis Of
her laden merchantmen; her markets rich
with horses and canals, from Togarmah,
Der bazaars filled with upholstery from
Deian. with emeralds and coral and agate
rom Syria. with wines from Helbon, with
work from Ashur and Chill
mad Where now the CLEAN of her towers,
where the roar Of her chariots where the
nasts Of her ships, Let the fishermen who
Try their nets where once she stood, let the
YEA that rushes upon the barrenness where 1
nee she challenged the admiration Of all ma
ions, Jet the harbarians who set their rude
ents where once her palaces ghttered, an
wer the question. She was star, but by
Ter own sin turned TO wormwood and has
allen.
Hundred gated Thebes-for all time to be /
he study OF antiquarian and hieroglyphist; |
Ter stupendous ruin spread over twenty /
even miles. her sculptures presenting in
igures OF warrior and chariot the victories |
With which the now forgotten kings Of Egypt |
hook the nations: her obelisks and columns;
arnac and Luxor. the stupendous temples I
I her pride. Who can imagine the greatness I
( Thehes in those days, when the hippodrome !
ang with her sports and foreign royalty |
owed at her shrines and her avenues roared /
nth the wheels Of professions in the wake OF /
efurning con1uerors} What dashed down /
10 vision or chariots and temples ans
lronesi What hands pulled upon the
olumns Of her gloryi What ruthlessness
efaced the sculptured wall and broke obeiisks
nd left her indescribable temples great
keletons Of granitei What spirit of de
,ruction spread the lair OF wild beasts in her
oval sepulchers. and taught the miserable
0ttagers OF to-day TO build nuts n the courts
her temples. and sent desolation and ruin
xulking behind the obelisizs and lodging
mong the sarcophagi and leaning against
be columns and stopping under the arches
nd weeping in the waters which 90 mourn
ally by as though they were carrying the
,aTs OF all agesf Let the rnummies break
ieir long silence and come up to shiver in
ie Oscillation and point TO fallen gates and
latterel statues and defacad sculpture, re-
londing: "Thebes built not one Hssi.ss1s %
cd. Thebes hated Righteousness and loved
n. Thebes was a star, but she turned 70
lormwood and has fallen
Bahylon-with her go towers ana ner
razen gates and her emhattled vans me
DIendor Of the earth gathered within her
alaoes, her hanging gardens cuilt by
TO please his bride Amylttas,
-ho had been brought up in a MOUNTAINOUS
1unfrv and could not endure the fiat country
ound Babylon, those hanging gardens built
rrace above terrace. till at the neishl Of
% feet there were woots waving ana
luntains PLAYING the verdure, the ioilnfe,
ie glory looking as il a mountain were On
Ne wing. On the tip top king walking
18th his queen, among statues snowy wni e,
,oking up at birds brought from disu Mt
.nds. and drinking out Of tankards OF so-id
old, or looking of over rivers and lakes Up
d nations subdned and tributary, crying Is
Of this great Babylon which | have bnli ~
ybaf battering ram s.note the walls What
lowshare upturned the gardens, What ir-
~ shatter.-l the hrazen gates. What