The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-16


one court decides, it ascends to another
court and is decided in the opposite
direction, and then new evidence is
found, and the trials are all repeated.
The children, who at the fathers funeI.
81 seemed to have an uncomfortable
grief, after the will is read go into elab.
crate process to prove that the father
was crazy, and therefore incompetent to
make will. and there are men on the
jury who think that the fact that the
testator gave so much of his money
to the Bible Society and the Missionary
Society or the opening of free Ii.
hrary is proof positive that he was
insane, and that he knew not what no
was signing when he subscribed to the
words: I'm the name of God. amen.
!, being of sound mind. 10 make this
my last will and testamen.
The torn wills, the fraudu,eat Wills,
the broken wills have recently .1een
made such spectacle to angels and 70
men that all over the land successful
men are calling in architects and saying
to them: How much would 1t cost for
me to build picture gallery for our
town." or What plans can you draw me
out for concert hall?' or II am special
ly interested in the incurables,' and
how large a building would accommodate
800 OF such patients?" or. ''Ths Church
of God has been great help to Lie Gil
my life, and l want you to draw mo q
plan for church, commodious, beauti.
full, we'll ventilated and with plenty Of
windows to let in the light / want you
to get right at work in making out plans
Of such building, for, though am we'll
now, life is uncertain, and before leave
the world I want to see some thing done
that will be an appropriate acknowl.
edgement OF the goodness Of God to me
and mine; now when can hear from
youT
In our own city we have
many examples Of this. What
grandeur of .benefcence has
our fellow-citizen, Mr.. Pratt, demon
strated. building educational ins.itu-
tions which will put their hands on
the nineteeth century, and the TWEEN
tieth century, and all the centuries! All
honor to such man! Do not say SO
when he is dead, say it now. 1t would
be good thing II some of the eulogies VIZ
chisel on tombstones were written on
paper in time for the philanthropists to
read them while yet they are alive.
Less post norton praise and more anti
norton! +s3ls 't!i
A poor Scotch lad came to America al
~ years OF age and went to Pittsburgh.
He looked around for work and became
engineer in cellar. then rose to be a
telegraph messenger boy, then rose to a
position in railroad Office, then rose to
place in a telegraph Office, then rose to
be superintendent of railroad, then
rose till he became an iron and steel man.
ufacturer, then rose until he opened free
libraries in his native land, and last
month free library in Allegheny City,
and now offers $2. 900, 900 for free libra.
ry in Pittsburgh! This example will be
catching until the earth Is revolutions
izea, Ho&ymt isssttiS sv.A men in com
| D0IioOn Wltu 6OIHO WQg vi
who amass wealth and clutch it with
both hands until death begins to feel fol-
their heart-strings, and then they die.
tate to an attorney u last will and tesla
ment, in which they spite some daugh
ter, because she married against heI
fathers wish, and filings in few crusts
to God and suffering humanity, as much
as to say: 81 have kept this surplus
property, through all these severe win
ters, and through all these long years
from needy and suffering world, and
would keep it longer If l could, but as
must give it up, take it, and much goot
may it do you'll" Now we begin to un
derstand the text, Better Is a living
dog than dead lion"
Who would attempt to write the obit
nary of the dead lions Of commerce, tn,
dead lions Of law, the dead lions of med
icine, the dead lions of social influence
Vast capacity had they and mighty
range, and other men in their presenct
were as powerless as the antelope o.
heifer or giraffe when from the Jungle ;
! Numidian lion springs upon its prey
But they get through with life. They
lay down in their magnificent lair
They have made their last sharp bar
gain. They have spoken their las
hard word. They have committed
their last mean act. When a tawny
inhabitant of the desert rolls
over helpless, the lioness and whelp'
fill the air with shrieks ant
howls, and lash themselves into lamen
tation, and it is genuine grief fol
the poor things But when this deaf
lion of monstrous uselessness expires
there is nothing but dramatized woe
for Better is living dog than dead
lion"
My text also means that an opportu
nifty of the living present is better thar
a great opportunity passed. We spen(
much of our time in saying. "lf / only
had" We can all look back and Sc,
some occasion whoro VIC might hags
done great deal, or might have eff
fected an important rescue, or we nigh
have dealt stroke that would have &c
complished vast result. Through stu
pidity or lack of appreciation OF the cri
sis, or through procrastination, we le
the change go by. How much time w
. have wasted in thinking of what w
might have said or might have done
We spend hours and days and years
in walking around that dead lion
We can not resuscitate it. 1t will new
err open It's eyes again. There will new
er be another spring in its paw. Dead a.
any feline terror of South Africa
|, through whose heart thirty years agt