Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-09-25
SLIPPERINESS.


may any one of them require similar
kindness shown TO them under cor.
responding circumstances. In this
slippery world none ere 30 rough
shod but they may slip and possibly
fall. David, the man after God.
own heart (sometimes), found it true
in his own history, for he tells about
how his feet slipped from under
him, and he almost fell-yea, in my
opinion, he almost "quite" went
down. Abram, Moses, Aaron, and
many other old worthless had hard
times to keep their perpendicular.
So in the New Testament biogra-
phies it is not uncommon to see IN
the tracks they have left, indubitabe
signs of considerable effort to main
tain their equilibrium. SO the mas
ter apostle told all, not to treat un-
kindly, but lift up tenderly the
fallen. Every true minded person
will give the mede of praise and
the well done to the good Samaritan,
and only have contempt for the
Priest and Levite in the well-known
story of the man who fell among
thieves. We have no need to go TO
Palestine to find the road between
Jerusalem and Jerico as the place
infested by bandltties of highway
men. The spot is everywhere. The
robbers ambush In every highway
thicket. They waylay and rob and
murder. None exempt from their
purloiniDgs and dastardhness. They
trip US up, then rifle us and leave
us for dead. Dear reader, is 1t not
SO? 1t is hard enough to fall and
sustain injuries without being
blamed for II aiterward. If we
cannot help The unfortunate one
or rather will not help-for con
science sake and good behavior let
us 40 as well as The aforesaid Priest
and Leyite, pass by and pay nothing.
No one but an arrant coward viii
strike fallen man. TO be pleased
with the overthrow Of another is a.
nearly fendish as anything we
know. Let US love aud help while
we may, for soon the shades of
night will gather, and III the gloom
we pass out to al eternal reckoning.
We don't know why or how men
slip. We blame, but often if we
knew the inner battlings, and the
unseen conflicts, aud the terrific
wariares of some lives, we would
be ashamed of our criticisms and
uDjustness and would love instead
of ceusure. Last summer as was
sitting in front of store | was not
little amused to see people as they
passed down catch their toes against
the edge of one of the flags that IN
some ambition had risen above its
fellows. 1t was not so much the
stubbiDg against the stone, however,
as the looks, antics, and eXclama-
tons which invariably followed.
Some would stop and look at the
tlagstone, as though they wanted to
know II II was hurt, and like decent
people would pass on; others would
pick their foot up, to see | suppose)
If it was all there (the foot, mean)
but paid no attention to the stone;
others would limp off and say
nothing-at least, audibly, but per
haps thought good deal---not
seeming to care much about foot or
stone; some said, with peculiar
twitch of the face muscles and
bend not Grecian: "Ouchn' "Bother
the thingw ga COMPOUNDED nui-
sancew and other CALCULATIONS were
given vent to, not found, perhaps, in
a church catechism, but | did not
hear anything stronger used as |
remember.
Well, as | said, rather enjoyed
the thing, for it was amusing to say
the least (mean amusing to me; the
parties particularly concerned, |
noticed, did not SO much enjoy it.
Some of your readers may think
that my feeling amused at the mis-
fortune of others is hardly in keep.
ing with my foregoing remarks on
falling; but IN this case not slipping
OF falling, but some veritable kick
ing, and | am ueVerin favor of such
actions, and in this case the stones
had done nothing to deserve SO
much abuse, neither replied after re-
ceiving ii. No one should trample
on, and kick as well. Then, this
was not a spiritual matter, though
it may have affected the temper a
little; in some | think it did, at any
rate think | should not have asked
for contribution of those who
came in contact with the obstacle.
But something happened an hour
later that did not amuse me at all;
not a smile came DER my face, but
for moment something else, like a
shadow was there-at least | think
so, although | could not very well
see 1t. | had occasion to walk down