Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-03-07

the Royal Academy of Trouble and they
have the diploma written on their OWL
countenances. Ny! nv! What heartache:
they have had! What tears they
have wept! What injustice they
have suffered! The mightiest in.
fuence for publication and saliva
ton is trouble. No diamond fit for q
crown until it is cut. No wheat fit fol-
bread till it is ground. There are only
three things that can break off a chains
hammer, file or a fire-and trouble is al
three of them. The greatest writers, ora.
tors and reformers get much of their force
from trouble. What gave to Washington
Irving that exquisite tenderness and
pathos which will make his books favorltes
While the English language continues to
be written and spoken! An early heart
break that he never once mentioned; and
when. thirty years after the death of Ma
tilda Hoffman. who was to have been his
bride, her father picked up piece of en-
broidery and said: 'That is piece of
poor Matilda's workmanship" Washing
ton Irving sank from hilarity into silence
and walked away. Out of that lifetime
grief the great author dipped his penis
mlghtiest reinforcement 'Calvin's Insti-
tutes of Religion" than which a more
wonderful book was never written by hu-
man hand, was begun by the author at
twenty-five wears of age, because of the
persecution by Francis, King Of France.
Faraday toied for all time on salary of
! ESQ year and candles. As every brick of
The wall of Babylon is stamped with the
letter n, standing for Nebuchadnezzar so
every part of the temple of Christian
achievement is stamped with the letter T,
standing for trouble.
When in olden time a man was to be
honored with knigh hood he was struck
with the fiat of the sword. But those who
have come to the honor of knighthood in
the kingdom Of God were first struck not
with the fiat of the sword but with the
Keen edge of the cimeter. To build his
magnlhcence of character, Paul could not
nave spared one lash, one prison, one ston-
ing, one anathema, one poisonous viper
from the hand. one shipwreck. What is
true OF individuals is true of nations. The
horrors OF the American revolution gave
the country this side of the Mississippi
river to Independence, and the conflict
between England and France gave the
most of this country west of the Missis-
sippi river to the United States. France
owned it. but Napoleon, fearing that En-
"Ouiu ldh0 II, mau0 a
present to the United States-for he re-
celved only 1000 0O0-of Louisiana, Mis-
souri,, Arkansas Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa,
Minnesota. Colorado, Dakota, Montana,
Wyoming and the Indian Territory Out
OF tho fire OF the American revolution came
this country east of the Mississippi, out
or the European war came that west of the
Mississippi river. The British empire rose
through gunpowder plot and Guy Fawkes'
conspiracy. and Northampton insurrec-
ton, and Walter Raleigh's beheading, and
Bacon's bribery and Cromwell's dissolu-
ton of Parliament and the battles of Edge
Hill, and Grantham, and Newberry, and
Marston Moor, and Naseby, and Dunbar,
and Sedgemoor, and execution of Charles
l., and London plague, and London fire and
London '1surrection and Ryehouse plot,
and the vicissitudes of centuries. So the
earth itself, before it could become ap-
propriate and beautiful residence for the
human family had, according to geology,
TO be washed by universal deluge, and
scorched and made incandescent by uni
versal fires, and pounded by sledgeham-
mer of icebergs, and wrenched by earth
quakes that split continents. and shaken
passed through catastrophes of thousands
OF years before paradise became possible
and the groves could shake out their green
banners and the first garden pour out its
carnage of color between the Gihon and
the Hiddekel. Trouble a good thing fof
rocks, good thing for nations, as well as a |
good thing for individuals.
So when you push against me a sharp |
-. n
fer? L open the dark saying on harp and |
though L can neither play an organ, or |
cornet, or hautboy, or bugle, or clarionet, |
have taken some lessons on the gospel |
harp, and if you would like to hear me l |
will play you these: ''All things work to-
gether for good to those who love God"
Now no Christening for the present SEEM
eth to be joyous, but grievous; neverthe-
less afterward it yieldeth all possible
fruits of Righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby" weeping may
endure for night, but joy cometh in the
morning." What sweet thing is harp,
and l wonder not that in Wales, the
country of my ancestors, the harp has be-
come the national instrument, and. that
they have festivals where great prizes are
offered in the competition between harp
ehN hll Ps VI tIdI WSlTu o6DdSIldn |
was much of his time bent over this
chorded and vibrating triangle, and was
not satisfied until he had given it COM
pass of six octaves from E to E. with all
the semitones, or that when King Saul
was demented the son of Jesse came be-
fore him and putting his fingers among
he charmed strings of the harp played
the devil out of the crazed monarch, or
N II l. 1
1arping with their harps. So you will
not blame me for opening the dark saying
IN the gospel harp.
Your harps. ye trembling saints,
Down from the willows take;
Loud to the praise OF love divine
Bid every string awaken
Interrogation third: Why did a good
Tod let sin and trouble come into the
world when He might have kept them out?
Ny reply is, He had a good reason. He
lad reasons which He has never given us.
lie had reasons which He could no more
make us understand in our finite state | [
han the father starting out on some great
md elaborate enterprise could make the
wo-year-old child in it's armchair COM [
'rehend it. One was to demonstrate |
What grandeur of character may be
on earth by conquering evil. {
Had there been no evil to conquer and no {
rouble to console. then this universe
would never have known an Abraham or {
Moses or a Joshua or an Ezekiel or {
'aul or Christ or a Washington or a {
ohm Milton or a John Howard, and
1illion victories which have been gained
y the consecrated spirits of all ages ,
Tould never have been gained. -,
lad there been no battle there ,
~o,1ld haua haop No x-iotorr | =.