West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1889-09-26
STREET LORE.
THE TIDE OF HUMAN LIFE.
Impressions Gathered From the Busy
Crowds by the Rev. DIR, TaImaRe.

TExr' "WiSiom cTieth tUithouf. she ~.
tereth her eofce IN The streets. PROV. 4. 20.
Wo are oil ready 20 listen 10 tho voices
OF naturo-tho voices Of tho mountain. the
voices OF the sea, tho voices OF the storm, the
cathodrals in Europe there is an organ al
either end Of the Building. and the one
instrument responds unsteady 10 tho
other, 80 In the great cathedral of mature
uay responds To day, and night TO night,
anu Hover 10 flower md star 20 star
in tho great harmonies Of the universe.
Inc spring timo IN an evangelist In
blossoms preaching Of Gods love; and tho
winter Is prophet--white bearded
announcing woe against our sins We ara
all ready 10 listen 10 tho voices of nature.
but how few of US learn ANYTHING from
the voices of tho noisy and dusty street
Sou go TO your merchandise, and your mech
onlSsiI, ana 10 your work, and you come back
aRoln-and often with an indifferent heart
you pass through the streets. Are there no
thlngs Tor MS TO learn from these paveinents
over which we passf Are there no tufts OF
truth growing up between these cobblestones
beaten with tho feet Of toll, and pain and
pleasure, tho slow tread Of old age and the
quick step of childhood? Ave, there are great
harvests TO be reaped and now trust I'm the
sickle because the harvest is ripe wisdom
Streets
In the first place the street impresses mo
with the fact that this life is n scene OF toll
and struggle. BY 10 o'clock every day the
CITY Is Earring with wheels, and shutting
with feet and humming with voices. and
covered with the breath of smokestacks. and
a rush with traiiickers. Once in while YOU
ma man going along with folded arms and
WIN leisurely step, as though no had moth
Ing TO do; but for the most part, as YOU find
men going down these streets ON the way
10 business there is anxiety in their faces
as though they had some errand
which must be executed at the first
possible moment. You are jostled by those
VINO nave bargains to make and notes to SELL
Up this ladder with hod OF bricks, out of
TINS bank with n roll of bills on this draw
with load OF goods, digging a cellar, or
smuggling roof or shoeing n horse, or
Dullding wall, or mending a watch or
binding book. Industry, with her thousand
arms, and thousand Dyes and thousand feet
goes ON singing her song Of work. work.
work while the mills drum it, and the steam
Whistles life it, All this Is not because men
love toll. Some one remarked: every man
Is as lazy as he can afford to be-"
buJ Id Is because necessity, with stern
prov ana with uplifted whip, stands over
then ready whenever they relax their toll to
make their shoulders sting with the lash,
Can 1t be that, passing up and down these
streets on your way TO work and business
you do not learn anything of the worlds toll
ana anxiety, and struggle? oh how many
dropping hearts, how many owes on the
watch, how many miles Travelled, how many
burdens carried, how many losses suffered.
how many battles fought, how many vic,
tories gained, how many defeats suffered,
now many oxasperations endured
wrotchcdncss,' what palior' what what
disease what agony what despairl
Sometimes l have stopped at the corner of
inc street as the multitude went hither ana
mime, and as looked upon It nv heart
broke. This great tide OF human life that
goes down the street is a rapid tossed and
turned aside, and dnshing ahead and driven
pach-peautlIul IN Its confusion and confused
In Its beauty. In the carpeted aisles of
the forest, in the woods from which
the eternal shadow is never lifted. OH tho
shore OF the sea over whose iron const losses
the tangled foam, sprinkling the cracked cliffs
WIN a baptism of whirlwind and temDest is
the best place TO study God: but i'm the rush-
ing, sWarmng, raving street is the best place
TO study man. Going down TO your place of
business and coming home again. | charge
you look about-see these signs OF Dovorty
Oh wretchedness, of hunger, of sin, of bo-
reayement-and as you go through the streets
ana come back through the streets Gather
up IN the arms OF your prayer all the sorrow.
All the losses all the suffering, all the bereave-
ments OF those whom You pass, and present
them IN prayer before an all symDothetic
God, Then in the great day OF eternity there
VIII be thousands Of persons with whom Won
IN TINS world never exchanged one word who
AtoS UP tlilNl t{ill you blessed. and there
WIN be thousand fingers pointed at you i'm
heaven, saying: THAT is the man. that is
the woman, who helped me when was hun
cry and sick, and wandering, and lost and
heart broken. That is the man, that is the
woman" and the blessing will come down
upon you as Christ shall say: ~ was hungry
and We fed Me, was naked and We clothed
Me, was sick and in prison and We visited
Me; inasmuch rs We did 90 these poor waits
OF the streets, we did il TO Me-"
Again. the street iutYrecuog ,,,o ,-;4I, Al.
Iact that all classes and conditions Of society
must commngle. We sometimes culture "A
wicked eXclusiyeness. Intellect despies ig-
norancc. Refinement will have nothing to
90 with boorishness. Gloves hate the sun
burned hand, and the high forehead desp;s,,,
tho Hat head; and the trim hcdgerow will
nave nothing 20 do with the wild copscwood
and Athens hates Nazareth. This ought not
70 be so. Tho astronomer must come down
from his starry rcvclry and help US i'm our
haNlZatlOn. The surgeon must come away
from his study Of the human organism and
set our broken bones. The chemist must como
away from his laboratory, where he has been
studying analysis and synthesis and help us
tounderstand the nature Of the soils. bless
God that all classes Of people are compelled
10 meet ON tho street The glittering coach
whecl clashes against the scavengcr's cart
tlhe robes run against the peddler's
PACK. Robust health meets wan sickness.
Honesty cOnfrOnts fraud. Every class OF
people meets every other class. Independ-
ciNt ullu HloleSly, PRIDE ana humility, DUR
lty and beastliness, frankncss and hypocrisy.
meeting on the same block, in the same street.
In the same city. OH that Is what Solomon
meant when he said: The rich and the Door
meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them
nll.' l like this democratic principle OF the
gospel Of Jesus Christ which recognizes the
iact That we stand before God on orc and
enc same platform. DO not take OIL any airs.
Whotevcr position you have gained in 80.
clety' You are nothing but n man, born OF the
same parent, regenersted by the same Spirit.
cieansed by the same blood 60 lie down i'm the
same dust, % get up In the same resurrection.
10 IS nigh time that we all acknowledged NOT
only the FatherhOod Of God, but the brother
hood Of man.
Again, the street impressos me with tho
iact That IT is n very hard thing for a man To
cop his heart right and 10 got TO heaven. In
unto temptations spring upon ms from these
places ot public concourse. Amid so much
aiuucnco how much temptation Co covotoue.
ness aud ~ DE Disconnected with our humblo
lot. Amid 50 many opportunities for over.
teacning. what temptation 90 cxtortiou.
Ainid ~ much display what temptation TO
y'htY Amid go many saloons OF strong
uIllE what ullurement 10 di2
lp'.ion In the maelstromq Of tho street
uy" many make quick and eternal shin.
WicF. ll "a inan-ofw war comes back from m
hattle and l9 tOwcd into the navy ward we
20 Town ~ look ut Che spIintercl spars and
count t1e bullet holes and look with patri.
oac a1miration ON the flag that noated i'm