Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-07-12
Oysters For a Thousand Years.

There was an ancient god, according to tue
old mythologies, who reigned before Jupiter,
who made an oyster and then rested a thou
sand years, After resting through such a
long Sabbath OF inactivity he awoke and at
once went TO work and made another oyster
He saw that his oysters were perfect things OF
their kind, and SO kept on making them aud
made nothing else. lie fell into the habit of
making oysters, and was too conservative to
make anything else, oysters seemed so per-
feet and so excellent
But the universe desired something else,
and so the old oyster maker divinity was de-
posed and new gods reigned on Olympus.
But ever since that far distant time worlds,
and peoples and men have kept on doing
things simply because they have fallen into
the habit OF doing them aud with no better
reason whatever
Nations and colonies around the world
yield their allegiance to Queen Victoria be-
cause Rollo the Norseman pirate lMded In
Normandy and set up his outlaw dynasty
there more than q thousand years ago His
defendant, William the Conqucror, captured
the throne of England, and Williams and
Rollo's blood flew In the veins OF Victoria.
Men have fallen into the habit OF yielding
allegiance 10 her family, though IL has pro-
duced many roy al dots and not few impc-
rial villains Never since the days OF William
OF Orange aud he was only scion OF her
stock by marriage, has there king or queen
regned over England with natural abilities
greater than those OF respectable school
master; and many OF them have been dsgraccd
by vices which no uncrowned wretch could
possess aud keep clear of he clutches of the
law.
Yet this mediocre family is kept seated on
the most powerful throne In the world simpl Y
because men have fallen into the habit OI
keeping them there. Here is family without
any royalty OF soul, without any regnant
quality of intellect ruling over many un.
crowned sovereigns who are their superiors.
and over many unsccptered kings born In the
purple OF native sovereignty OF mind aud
heart and SOUL
Victoria is a good woman, much better In
her morals than the majority of her ances-
tors; she Is good enough, morally, and so are
millions OF wives and mothers In England, ia
Canada, ia Australia, In ludia, and just as
well-fitted To reign rs she. Men acknowledge
her as sovereign simply because they have
fallen into the habit OF so doing.
But there is an hereditary momentum that
carries people along Ia America. AS well rs in
England or anywhere else We have all secn
the hereditary voter, 10 nj To the faith OF his
EIduulhIucg, True 10 tue pilllcal cTcet Oi h,s
ancestors. his vote is merely autoInat teal
Like these weighing machines we see In the
de pots, his grandfather put ballot in the
slot, and the political RutOmation turns out
the democratic or republican ticket, accord
ing TO the old ancestral wish. Such a voter
never examines the ground OF his political
faith. lie votes just MS he smokes or takes
snuff, simply, because he has fallen into the
habit Voting is matter of custom like his
other vices Like the old god he would 70 on
making oysters Tor thousand years.
So men go on believing creeds and dogmas,
just AS they go on wearing buttons on the
backs OF their coats long after all helpfuncss
aud usefulness has gone out of them. "Our
fathers believed them" say they, land they
are good men," True, but a man is false To
his fathers memory ana smaller man than
he, unless he is hereto OF some of his father s
creeds. Shall we keep on making oysters for
a thousand years because cur fathers found
them pcrfecti 1t is better to be The founder
OF line than the end of IT, Let us honor
our fathers By keeping abreast with the gen
Grafton into when they have begOtten u.s..
Let us rebel against a regime of oysters for
thousand years. Ydtkse Blade.