Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-11-21

one place the sides so close he had to put
his hands over his head i'm order to get
through and then he tainted away, and
lay at the bottom of the we'll as though
dead until, hours after his recovery, he
came to the surface.
1t is not like other wells. digged down
to fountain that fills it, but a reservoir
to catch the falling rains and to that
Christ refers when speaking to the
Samaritan woman about spiritual sup
ply he said that he would, if asked. have
given her Giving waters" that is. water
from Il flowing spring in distinction from
the water of that well which was rain
water. But why did Jacob make res
ervoir there when there is plenty of
water all around and abundance of
springs and fountains and seemingly no
need OF that reservoir? Why did Jacob
go to the vast expense of boring and dig
ging we'll perhaps two hundred feet
deep as first completed. when. by going
little way off, he could have water from
other fountains at little or no expense.
All, Jacob was wise. lie wanted his own
we'll. Quarrels and wars might arise
with other tribes and the supply of water
might be cut off, so the shovels and pick
axes and boring instruments were or
dered and the well of nearly four thou
sand years ago was sunk through the
solid rock.
When Jacob thus wisely insisted OH
having his own we'll he taught us not to
be unnecessarily dependent on others.
Independence of business character. In
dependence of moral character. Inde-
pendcnce of religious character. Have
your own we'll of grace, your own we'll
of courage, your own well of divine sup
ply. If you are an invalid you have a
right to be dependent on others. But if
God has given you good health, common
sense and two eyes and two ears and two
hands and two feet, He equipped you for
independence of all the universe except
himself. If He had meant you to be de-
pendent on others you would have been
built with cord around your waist to
tie fast to somebody else. No; you are
built with common sense to fashion your
own opinions, with eyes to find your own
way, with ears to select your own music,
with hands to fight your own battles.
There is only one being in the universe
whose advice you need and that is God.
Have your own we'll and the Lord will
fill it. Dig it if need be through two
hundred feet of solid rock. Dig it with
your pen, or dig it with your yardstick,
or dig it with your shovel, or dig it with
your Bible.
In my small way never accomplished
anything 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
everything, and what is the use of going
for advice to human beings who know so
little that no one but the all seeing God
can realize how little it is? l suppose
that when Jacob began to dig this well
on which we are sitting this noontime
people gathered around and said, ''What
USELESS expense you are going to, when
rolling down from yondcr Mount Gerizim
out yonder in the valley is plenty of
watcr!' 'Oh,' replied Jacob, ''that is
all true; but suppose my neighbors
should get angered against me, and cut
off my supply of mountain beverage,
what would do, and what would my
family do, and what would my focks and
herds do? Toward, We brigade of pick
axes and crowbars, and go down into the
depths of these rocks, and make me in
dependent of all except Him who fills
the bottles of the clouds! l must have
,.sy ssellr'
Young man, drop cigars and cigarettes
and wine cups and the Sunday excursions,
and build your own house and have your
own wardrobe and be your own capital
list! ''Why, have only five hundred
dollars income year!' says some one.
Then spend four hundred dollars of it in
living; and ten per cent. of it or fifty
dollars in benevolence, and the other
fifty in beginning to dig your own we'll
Or, if you have a thousand dollars a year,
spend eight hundred dollars of it in liv-
ing, ten per cent. or one hundred dollars
in benevolence, and the remaining one
hundred in beginning to dig your own
well. The largest bird that ever flew
through the air was Matched out of one
egg, and the greatest estate was brooded
out of one dollar.
On and on we ride until now we have
come to Shiloh, a dead city on hill sur
rounded by rocks, sheep, goats, olive
gardens, and vineyards. Here good Eli
fell backward and broke his neck, and
lay dead at the news from his bad boys,
Phineas and Hophni; and life is not
worth living after ones children turned
out badly, and more fortunate was Eli,
instantly expiring under such tidings.
than those parents who, their children
recreant and profigate, live on with
broken hearts to see them going down
into deeper and deeper plunge. There
are fathers and mothers here to-day to
whom death would be happy release
because of their recreant sons. And if
there be recrcant sons here present, and
your parents be far away, why not bow
your head in repentance and at the
close of this service go to the telegraph
Office and put it on the wing of the
lightning that you have turned from
revil ways? Before another twenty
four hours have passed take your feet
off the sad hearts at the old homestead.
Home to thy God, o prodigal!
But turn from this Shiloh of Ellis
sudden decease under bad news from his
boys, and find close by what is called
the Meadow of the Feast While this
ancient city was in the height of it's
prosperity of this ssMeadow of the
Feast" there was an annual ball, where
the maidens of the city amid clapping
cymbals and blare of trumphets
danced i'll glee, upon which thousands of
spectators gazed. But no dance since
the world stood ever broke up in such a
strange way as the one the Bible de-
scribes. One night while by the light of