The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-23


OF acrid experiences. Yea, there are
some whose whole work is TO shed n bale
iul influence on others. There are Attilas
OF the home, or Attilas of the social circle
or Attilas of the church, or Attilas of the
State, and one-third of the waters of all
the world, II not two-thirds the waters.
are poisoned by the falling of the star
Norwood. 1t is not complimentary to
human nature that most men, as soon as
they get great power, become overhearing
The more power men have the better, il
their power be used for good The less
power men have the better, If they Use II
for evil.
Birds circle round and round and round
before they swoop upon that which they
are aiming for. And il my discourse so
TAR has been swinging round and round,
this moment it drops straight on your
heart and asks the question; Is your life
to others benediciion or an embitter-
ment, blessing or curse, balsam or
wormwood?
Some OF you, / know, are morning stars,
and you are making the dawning life OF
your children bright with gracious inlu-
ences, and you are beaming upon all
the opening enterprises of philanthropic
and Christian endeavor and you are her
aids OF that day OF gospelization which will
yet Hood all the mountains and valleys OF
our sin-cursed earth. Hail, morning starl
keep on shining with encouragement and
Christian hope.
Some of you are evening stars. and you
are cheering the last days of old people,
and though cloud sometimes come over
you through the querulousncss or unrea-
sonabencss Of your old father and mother,
II If only for moment, and the star soon
comes out clear again and is seen from all
the balconies of the neighborhood. The
old people will forgive your occasional
shortcomings, for they themselves several
times lost their patience with you when
you were youngand slapped you when you
did not deserve IL. Hail, evening star
Hang on the darkening sky your diamond
coronet.
But are any Of you the star Wormwood2
Do you scold and growl from the thrones
patcrnal or maternal2 Are your children
evcrlastingly pecked at? Are you always
crying "llush" TO the merry voices and
swift feet and their laughter, which occa-
sionally trickles through at wrong times,
and is suppressed by them until they can
hold II no longer, and all the barriers
burst through into unlimited gufIaw and
exclamation, rs in high weather the
water has tricked through n slight open
ing in the milldam, but afterward makes
wider and wider the breach until IL car
| ries all before ii with irresistible frcshet?
| DO not be too much offended at the noise
your children now make. II 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 feet. You will not any
Of YOU have TO wait very long before your
house is s,iller than you want Il. Alas, that
there are so many homes not known 10
the society for the prevention Of cruelty "a
| children, where children are put on their
limits and whacked and cuiied and ear.
pulled and senselcssly called To order, and
answered sharp and suppressed, until Il /,
a wonder that, under such processes, they
do not all turn out Modocs and Mann
Sahihs.
What is your influence upon the neigh.
borhood, the town or the city OF your resi-.
doncc2
will suppose that you are star Of wit,
What kind Of rays do you shoot forth2 Dc
You usc that splendid faculty Ia irradatc
the world or 10 rankle Il? bless all the
apostolic college Of humorisis. Tho man
that makes me laugh is my beneiactor
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 skilliul punstcn, all
rcpartecisis, all propounders Of ingenious
conundrums, al those who mirthiully
surprise us with unusual iuxtaposiiion OF
words. Thomas Hood and Charles lamb
and Sidney Smith had a divine mission,
and 20 have their successors in these
times. They stir into the acid beverage
Of life the saccharine. They make the cup
Of earthly existence, which Is sometimes
stale, encrycsce and bubble. They pla.
cate animosities. They foster longevity.
They slay follios and absurlities which all
the sermons Of all the pulpits cannot
reach. They have for examples Elijah
who made fun Of the Baalitcs when they
called down fire and Il did not come, sug
costing that their heather god had gone
hunting, or was oil on journey, or wa
asleep and nothing but yocilcation coult
wake him, saying "Cry aloud, for he u
4 god; either he Is talking or pursuing, o
pcradvcnture he slccpeth aud must b
awakened" They have an example IN
Christ who, with healthy sarcasm, showct
mp the lying, hyrocritical Pharisccs by
suggesting that such perfect people lik'
themselves needed no improvements, ay
ing "ihe whole need not physician
but they that are sick"
But what use are YOU making Of you
wit? II II bcsmirched with profanity an,
unclcanlincss7 DO You employ II In amusc
ment nj physical defects for which th
victims are not rcsponsiblo2 Are You
powcn oi mimicry used 10 put religion Il
contempt? IL II q bunch Of nettlosono In
ycctiyc2 Il Il a bolt Of unjust scorn2 !
Il inn nj Others misioriunc2 II it glce a
their disappointment aud defcat2 Il
bitterness put drop by drop into n cup2
, n like the squeezing oi Aricmisia Absir
thium into dranght already distastciull
, pungent7 Then you arc the star Worn
wood. Yours is the fun Of n mitlesnak
! trying how well Il can sting. IL il the lu
ola hawk trying how quick Il can sirik
/ out the eye OF a dove.
. But will change this, and | viii SUI
/ pose you are n star Of worldly prospcrt,
/. Then you have large opportunity. io
! can encourage that artist by buying b
O picture. You can improve the fields, III
c stables, the highway by iniroducin
o higher style of fowl and'horsc and COW an
/ sheep. You can bless the world with ~
d mological achievement In the orchard
i You can advance arboriculturc aud arrc
g this dcaihiul iconoclasm OF the America
Q forests. You can put piece Of sculpiu
!. into the niche Of that public academ
i You can ondow a college. You can slocl
}. Ing 1000 bare feet from the winter iros
| I..slI .I....al. a