The Red Cloud chief., 1890-11-28

eedercd and tho we'll OF nearly 100
pears ago was sunk through the sofia
rock.
When Jacob thus wisely insisted On
having bic own we'll he taught N not 70
b unnecessarily dependent on othera
Independence Of business chsractee.
Independence Of moral character. In.
dependence Of religious character.
Have your own we'll OF grace. your own
Vol OF courage, your own we'll Of divine
supply. II you arc IN invalid you have
. right to b dependent on otherA But
II God has given you good health, com.
mon sense. and two eyes and two earA
two hsndA and two feet. He equipped
you for independence Of all the universe
except Himself II He had meant you
70 DO dependent on others you would
have been built with . cord around POUR
vsist to tic fast to somebody else No:
you Are built with common sense to
fashion your own opin!ons. with eyes
to Ind your own way. with ears to
select your own music, with hands to
fight your own batt,ea There is only
one being In the universe whose advice
you need and that il God. Have your
OWE we'll and the Lord will oil it. Dig
It II need be through two hundred feet
Of solid rock. Dig It with your pen, or
dig 1t with your yardstick, or dig 1t with
your shovel, or dig it with your Bible.
In my small way ! never accomplished
any thing for God or the church. or the
world, or my family, or myself except
In contradiction to human advice and
in obedience to divine counsel. God
knows every thing and what is the use
OF gong for advice to human beings
who know 80 little that no one but the
s~ll-seeing God can realize how little
it is I suppose that when Jacob
began to dig his we'll on which we are
sitting this noontide. people gathered
around and said: ''What . useless *
pense you are going to when rolling
down from yonder Mount Gerizim and
down from yonder Mount Ebal. and out
yonder in the valley Ia plenty o: water"
%" replied Jacob. that is all true,
but suppose my ne:ghbors should get
angered against me and cut of my sup
ply of mountain beverage what would /
do. and what would my family do. and
what would my flocks and herds do?
Forward, ye brigade Of pickaxes and
crowbars and 60 down into the depths
of these rocks and make me %independ-
ent OF all except Him who fills the bot
ties of the clouds! must have my own
WE'LL"
Young man. drop cigars and cigar
cites, and wine cups. and the Sunday
excursions and build your " house
and have your own wardrobe and be
your own capitalist "Why. have only
$500 income 4 year," says some one.
Then spend $500 OF it in living and ten
per cent OF it or $50 in ~benevolence and
the other $50 in beginning to dig your
OWE we'll. Or, II you have 81. 600 ayear,
spend $500 OF 1t in living-ten per cent,
or 500 in b%enevolence and the rema n
ing 500 in beginning to dig your own
we'll.
/ suppose when Jacob began to dig
this we'll on whose curb we are now
seated this December noon, it was q dry
season then rs now and some n comes
up and says: "Now. Jacob, suppose
you get the we'll fifty feet deep or two
hundred feet deep and there should be
no water to fill it, would you not feel
silly?" People passing along the road
and looking down from Mount Gerizim
or Mount Ebal near by would laugh and
say: That is Jacobs we'll, q great
hole in tn: rock. illustrating tho mans
folly" Jacob replied. There never
has been q we'll in Palestine or any
other country. that Once Thoroughly dug
was not sooner or later filed from the
clouds, and this will be no exception"
For months after Jacob had completed
the we'll people vent by and out Of re-
spect for the deluded old man put their
hand Over their mouth to hide q smoker
and the we'll remained as dry as the
bottom of . kettle that had been hang
ing over tho fire for three hours But
one day the sun was drawing water and
the wind got round to the east and it be-
gan to drizzle and then great drops
splashed all over the we'll curb and the
heavens opened their reservoir and the
rainy seasons poured its flood for six
weeks and their came maidens to tho
we'll with empty pals and carried them
away full and tho camels thrust their
mouths into the troughs and were salts
fed and the water was in the we'll three
feet deep and fifty feet deep, and
two hundred feet deep and ak the
Bedouins OF the neighborhood and
all the passers-by realized that
JACOB was wise in having his vn
we'll My nearer. 1t is your part
+ dig your own we'll and it Is Gods
part to fill it. You do your part and He
will do His part
Much is said about good luck" but
people who are industrious and self-de-
nying almost always have good luck.
You can afford to be laughed at because
Of your application and economy. for
when you get your we'll dug and filled it
will be your turn to laugh.
But look up from this famous we'll and
see two mountains and the plain be-
tween them on which WAS gathered the
largest religious audience that ever as.
sembled on earth. about 500. 600 people.
Mount Gerizim, about 500 feet high. on
one side, and on the other Mount Ebal.
the former called the Mount of Bless
ing and the latter called the Mount of
Cursing. At Joshua's command six
tribes stood on Mount Gerizim and read
the blessings for keeping the Law, and
six tribes stood on Mount Ebal reading
the curses for breaking the law, while
the 500 600 people on the plain cried
amen with an emphasis that must have
made the earth tremble. Il do not
bclieve that" says some one. for those
mountain tops are two miles apart and
how could . voice bc heard from top to |
top?" My answer is that while the tops
are two miles apart, the bases Of the
are only half . mile apart |
and the tr, bes stood on the sides of the |
mountains. and the air is 50 clear and |
the acoustic qualities OF this great
natural amphitheater SO perfect that
voices can be distinctly heard from
mounia n to mountain. as has been |
by travellers fifty times in
fifty years
Can you imagine any thing more
thrilling and sublime and overwhelming