The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-04-26

ful influence on others There are Atti-
las Of the home, or Attilas Of the social
circle, or Attilas of the church, or Atti-
las Of the state, and one third Of tho
waters Of all the world, II not two
thirds the waters are poisoned by The
falling Of the star Wormwood- It is not
onlpiiHentary to human nature that
most men, as soon as they get great
power men have the better. II their
power be used for good. The less power
men have the better. II they uss it for
evil.
Birds circle round and round and
round before they swoop down upon that
which they are aiming for. And II my
discourse 90 far has been swinging round
and round. this moment 1t drops straight
on your heart and asks the question: Is
your life to others q benediction or an
embitterment, blessing or q curse,
balsam or wormwood?
Some of you, l know, are morning
stars, and you are making the dawning
life Of your children bright with gracious
influences, and you are beaming upon all
the opening enterprises of .philanthtQfdc
and Christian endeavor. and youares Her
aids Of that day of gospeiization which
will yet food all the mountains and val
ieys Of our sin cursed earth Hail. morn
ing starl Keep on shining with encour-
agement and Christian hope.
Some Of you are evening stsrokand
you are cheering the last days of old
people, and though cloud sometimes
comes over you through the queruious-
ness or unreasonableness of your old
father and mother, it is only for mo-
ment, and the star soon comes out clear
again and is seen from all the balconies
of the neighborhood. The old people
viii forgive your occasional shortcom-
ings, for they themselves several times
lost their patience with you when you
wese young and slapped you when you
did not deserve it. Hail, evening star!
Hang on the darkening sky your diamond
coronet.
But are any of you the star Worm
wood? Do you scold and growl from the
thrones paternal or maternaP Are your
children everlastingly pecked at? Are
you always crying: "HushP' to the
merry voices and swift feet and their
laughter, which occasionally trickles
through at wrong times and Is suppressed
by them until they can hold it no longer
and all the barriers burst into unlimited
guffaw and cachinnation, as In high
weather the water has trickled through
slight opening in the mill dam but af-
terward 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 your right hand to
hear one shout from their silent voices
or one step from the still foot. You will
not any of you have to wait very long
before your house is stiller than you
want it. Alas that there are SO many
homes not known to the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children, where
children are put on the limits and
whacked and cuffed and ear pulled and
senselessly called to order and answered
sharp and suppressed until it Is a
wonder that under such processes they
do not all turn out Modocs and Mana
| Sahibs.
What is your influence upon the neigh
borhood, the town, or the city of your
| residence?
will suppose that you are star Of
wit. What kind of rays do you shoot
forth2 Do you use that splendid faculty
| to irradiate the world, or to rankle ita
bless all the apostolic college of humor-
lists. The man that makes me laugh is
my benefactor. do not thank anybody
to make me cry. can do that without
any assistance. We all cry enough and
have enough to cry about God bless all
slxillful punsters. all reparteeists. all
propounders of ingenious conundrums,
all those who mirthfully surprise us with
unusual iuxtaposition Of words. Thomas
Hood and Charles Lamb and Sidney
Smith had divine mission and 30 have
their successors in these times. They stil
into the acid beverage of life the saccha-
rine. They make the cup of earthly
existence, which is sometimes stale
effervesce and bubble They placate ami
mosities They foster longevity. they slaJ
follies and absurdities which all the ser
mons Of all the pulpits cannot reach
They have for examples Elijah, wht
made fun of the Baalites when the
called down fire and it did not come
suggesting that their heather god ha,
gone hunting or was off on journey, O
was asleep and nothing but vociferatiol
could wake him, saying: 'sCry aloud. fo
he is god; either he is talking or pursu
ing; or peradventure he sleepeth ant
must be awaked." They have an ex
ample in Christ, who with healthfu
sarcasm showed up the lying, hypocriti
cal Pharisees by suggesting that such per
feet people like themselves needed no i'm
provements. saying: ''The whole neet
not a physician but they that are sick. 7"
But what use are you making of you
wit? Is it besmirched with profanit,
and uncleannessf Do you employ it il
amusement at physical defects for whicl
the victims are not responsible? Ar
your powers of mimiory used to put re
ligion in contempt? Is it bunch of net
tlesome invectives2 Is it a bolt of unjus
scorn? Is it fun at others misfortune
Is it glee at their Disappointment and de
feat2 Is it bitterness put drop by dro
into a cup? Is 1t like the squeezing o
Artemisia Absinthium into draught al
ready distastefully pungent2 Then yo1
are the star Wormwood. Yours is th
fun of rattlesnake trying how well
can sting 1t is the fun of a hawk try
ing how quick it can strike out the ey
of dove.
But I will change this and will sup
pose you are 9 star of worldly prosperity
Then you have large opportunity. Yo1
can encourage that artist by buying hi
picture. You can improve the fields, th
stables, the highway, by INTRODUCING
higher style of fowl and horse and COY
and sheep. You can bless the worl
with pomological achievement in the OF
, chards. You can advance aboricultur
and arrest this deathful iconoclasm of tf
American forests. You can put piec
Of sculpture into the niche of that publ
academy. You can endow a college
You can stocking a thousand bare fee
from the winter frost, You can build
church. You can put missionary c
Christ on that foreign shore. You ca
help ransom world. A rich man wit
, his heart right-can you tell me hoy
much good Q James Lennox or q Georg
m a *