Sharp County record., 1888-07-12
Then died of thirst because there was no mora

Oh. YES, he had trouble with it; and so
did Napoleon. After cOnquerlng natlOns
by the force Of his sword; be lies down 10
die, his entire possession the military
boots that he insisted on having upon MS
feet while he was dying. So it has oeen
with men who had better ambition.
Thackeray, one of the most genial ana
lovable souls, after he had won the ap-
plause Of all intelligent lands through MS
wonderful genius, sits down in restaur-
ant in Paris. looks to the other end OF the
room and wonders whose that torlorn and
wretched face is; rising up after awhile,
he finds that it is ThaCkeray in the mirror
Oh. yes, this world is a cheat. Talk ABOUT
A. man gaining the world Who ever
gained half of the wOrldH Who ever
owned q hen1isphereH Who ever gained a
continent? Who ever owned AslaE VINO
ever gained city? Who ever owned
Brooklyn? Talk about gaining the world
No man ever gained it, or the hundred
thousandth part Of it. You are de-
manding that I sell my soul, not for the
world. but for fragment of it. Here IS a
man who has had large estate for forty
or fifty years. He lies down to die. You
saw. ''That man is worth millions and
millions of dollars !" Is he? You call up
a surveyor, with his compass and CHAINS,
and you say:
There is a property extending three
miles in one direction, and three miles IN
another direction"
Is that the way to measure that mans
property? No! You do not want any
surveyor, with his compass and chains
That is not the way you want to measure
that mans property now. 1t is an UNDER
taker that you need, who will come and
put his finger in his vest-pOcket, and take
out a tape-line, and he will measure tVe
feet nine inches one way, and two ana
one-half feet the other way. That is the
mans property. Oh, no; forgot; not so
much as that, for he does not own even
the place in which he lies in the ceme-
terry. The deed to that belongs to the
executors and the heirs. Oh, what prop
erty you propose to give me for my soul!
If YOU sell bill Of goods you go into the
counting-room and say to your partner:
'Do you think that man is good for this
bill? Can he give proper security Will
he meet this payment"
Now, when you are offered this world as
q possession, want you to test the mat
ter. l do not want you to 60 into this bar
gain blindly. want you to ask about the
title, about the insurance, about whether
men have ever had any trouble with it,
about whether You can keep it, about
whether you can get all, or the ten-thou-
sandth, or one hundred -thOusandth part
of it,
There is the world now. shall say no
more about it. Make up your mind for
yourself, as l shall before God have to
make up my mind for myself, about the
value of this world. l can not afford to
make mistake for my soul, and you can
not afford to make a mistake for your
soul.
Now, let us look at the other property
the soul. We can not make a bargain
without seeing the comparative value,
The soul? How shall estimate the value
of it? Well, by its exquisite organization.
1t is the most wonderful piece Of mechon-
ism ever put together. Machinery is of
value in proportion as it is mighty and
silent at the same time. You look at the
engine and machinery in the Philadelphia
mint, and, as you see it performing its
wonderful work, you will be surprised to
sspd e. how silently it goes. Machinery that
silent machinery is often most efttGtfTe.
Now, so it is with the soul of man, with all
its tremendous faculties-lt moves IN
silence. Judgment, without any racket,
lifting its scales; memory, without any
noise, bringing down all its treasures;
conscience taking its judgment seat with
ont anv excitement; the understand
ing and the will all doing their work.
Velocity, majesty, might; but silence
silence. You listen at the door OF your
heart. You can hear no sound
The soul is all quiet. 1t IS so
delicate an instrument that no human
hand can touch it. You breaka bone, and
with splinters and bandages the surgeon
sets it; the eye becomes intlamed, the
apothecary's wash cools it; but q soul on
the track, unbalanced, no human power
can re-adiust it. With one sweep of its
wing it circles the universe, and over
vaults the throne Of God. Why, in the
hour of death the soul is so mighty 1t
throws aside the body as though 1t were
a TOW. 1t drives back medical skill as I'M
potent 1t breaks through the circle OF
loved ones who stand around the dying
couch. With one leap, it springs beyond
star and moon and sun, and chasms OF
immensity. Oh, it is a soul superior to all
material things No fires can consume it;
no floods can drown it; no rocks can crush
it; no walls can impede it; no time can
exhaust it. 1t wants no bridge on which
TO cross a chasm. 1t wants no plummet
with which to sound q depth. A soul so
mighty, so mighty, so swift, SO SILENT
must it be a priceless soul?
l calculate the value of the soul, also,
by its capacity for happiness. How much
iov it can get in this world out of friend
ships out of books, out of clouds, out OF
the sea, out of flowers, out of ten thousand
things; and yet all the joy it has here
does not test its capacity. You are IN
concert before the curtain hoists, and you
hear the instruments preparlng-the
sharp snap of the broken string, the
scraping of the bow across the viol.
"There is no music in that" you say. 1t
is only getting ready for the music. And
all the enjoyment of the soul in this
world. the enjoyment we think is real en-
ioyment, is only preparative; it is only
anticipative; i is only the first stages OF
the thing; it is only the entrance, the be-
| which cbpn hn the