Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-23

ttlas OF the home, or Attilas of
THE SOCIAL CIRCLE,
or Att1las OF the church, or Attilas of the
state, and one third of the waters of al
the world, il not two-thirds the waters,
are poisoned by the falling of the star
NORWOOD. It is not complimentary to
human nature that most men, as soon as
they get great power, become overbear-
ing. The more power men have the bet
ter, If their power be used for good. The
less power men have the better, If they
use 1t for evil.
Birds circle round and round and round
before they swoop down upon that which
they are aiming for. And If my discourse
SO far has been swinging round and round,
this moment it drops straight on your
heart and ssks the question:: Is your life
to others benediction or an embitter-
ment, blessing or q curse, q balsam or q
wormwood2
Some OF you, 1 know, are morning
stars, and you are making the dawning
life of your children bright with gracious
Influences, and you are oeaming upon all
the ope ming enterprises Of philanthropic
and Christian endeavor, and you are her
aids OF that day OF gospelization which will
yet food all the mountains and valleys Of
our sin-cursed earth. Hail, morning
star! Keep on shining with encourage
ment and Christian hope.
Some OF you are evening stars, and you
are cheering the last days Of old people,
and though cloud sometimes comes over
you through the querulousness or unreS-
sonab!eness of your old father and moth
er, it is only for moment, and the star
soon comes out clear again and is seen
from all the balconies Of the neighbor-
hood. The old people will forgive your
occasional shortcomings, for they them
selves several times
LOST THEIR PATIENCE
with you when you were young and slap.
ped you when you did not deserve it.
Hail, evening star! Hang on the darken-
ing sky your diamond coronet.
But are any of you the star Worm wood?
Do you scold and growl from the thrones
parental or maternal? Are your children
everlastinglY pecked st2 Are you always
crying "Hush!" to the merry voices and
swift feet and their laughter, which &C.
casionnlly trickles through at wrong
times and is suppressed by them until
they can hold it no longer and all the bar
riers burs. into unlimited guffaw aud
cachinnatioD, as in high weather the water
trlckles through slight opening in the
milldam, but afterward 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 30 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
earpulled and senselessly called to order,
and answered sharp and suppressed, un-
til 1t is wonder that under such pro-
cesses they do not all turn out Modocs
and Mana Sahibs.
What is your influence upon the neigh
berhood, the town or the city of your
residence?
1 will suppose that you are a star OF
wit. What kind of rays do you shoot
forth? Do you use that splendid faculty
to irrsdiate the world or to rankle il? 1
bless all the apostolic college of humor-
lists. The man that makes me laugh is
my benefactor. l do not thank anybody
TO make me cry. l can do that without
any assistance. We all cry enough and
have enough to cry about. God bless all
sKILLFUL PUNsTERs,
all reparteeist g, all propounders of in
genious conundrums, all those who mirth-
fully surprise US with unusual juxtaposi-
f,h
Charles Lamb and Sidney Smith had q
diviue mission, and 80 have their success
sors in these times. They stir into the
acid beverage OF life the sacchsrine. They
make the cup Of earthly existence, which
is sometimes stale, effervsce and bubble.
They placate animosities. They foster
longevity. They Stay follies and absurdi-
ties which all the sermons of all the pull
pits cannot reach. They have for ex-
smples Elijah, who made fun of the Basil
ties when they called down fire and it did
not come, suggesting that their heather
god had gone hunting or was of on 8
journey or was asleep and nothing but
vociferation could wake him, saying:
"Cry aloud for he is god; either he is
talking or pursuing or persdventure he
sieepeth and must be walked" They have
an example in Christ. who with healthful
sarcasm sho we'd up the lying, hypocriti-
cal Pharisees By suggesting that such per-
feet people as themselves needed no i'm
provements, saying: "Tns whole need
not q physician, but they that are sick"
But what use are you making of your
wit? Is it bssmirched with profanity and
uncleanness? Do you employ 1t in
amusement al physical defects for which
the victims are not responsible? Are
your powers OF mimicry used to put re-
ligion in contempt? Is it bunch OF net
tlesome invective? Is it bolt of unjust
SCOTT? Is it fun at another's mist )rtune?
Is it glee at their disappointment and de-
fest? Is Il bitterness put drop by drop
into q cup? Is it like the squeezing of
artemissis sbsinthium into draught al
ready distsstefully puDgent? Then you
are the star Norwood. Yours is the
fun Of 8 rattlesnake trying how well it can
sting. 1t is the fun Of hawk trying how
quick it can strike out
THE EYE OF DOVE.
But will change this, and 1 will sup
pose you are star of worldly prosperity.
Then you have large opportunity. You