The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-08-07

Through that gate OF Incidence how
many men and women have marched,
useless Oh earth, to destroyed eterni-
ty! Spinola said to Sir Horace We're,
"Of what did your brother der "Of
having nothing to do, was the answer.
"Ah," said Spinola, that's enough to
kill any general of u.s." Oh, can 1t be
possible In this world, where there Is so
much suffering to be alleviated, so
much darkness to be enlightened, and
80 many burdens to be carried, that
there is any person who cannot find
anything to doG
Madame de Stael did a world OF
work in. her time, and one day, while
she was seated amid Instruments OF
music, all of which she had mastered,
and amid manuscript. books which she
had written, some one said to her,
"How do you find time to attend to all
these thingsg' ooh" she replied,
''these are not the things l am proud
of. My chief boast is ia the fact that
I have seventeen trades, by any one of
which l could make livelihood If
necessary" And If in secular spheres
there is so much to be done, in spiritual
work how vast the fieldl How many
dying all around about us without one
word of comfort! We want more Abb
gals, more Hannahs, more Rebeccas,
more Marys, more Deborahs conse-
crated-body, mind. soul-to the Lord
who bought them.
Once more learn from my subject
the value of cleaning. Ruth going
into that harvest field might have said /:
'There is straw, and there is straw,
but what is a straw9 l can't get any
barley for myself or my lnother-in-law
out of these separate straws." Not so
said beautiful Ruth. She gathered two
straws and she put them together, and
more straws, until she got enough to
make sheaf. Putting that down she
went and gathered more straws, until
she had another sheaf, and another, and
another, and another, and then she
brought them all together, and she
threshed them out, and she had an
ephah of barley, nigh bushel. Oh,
that we might all be cleaners!
WE ARE ALL CLEANERS.
Elihu Burritt learned many things
while toiling in a blacksmith's shop.
Abercrombie, the world renowned phil
osopher, was physician in Scotland,
and he got his philosopy, or the chief
part oft, while, as physician, he was
waiting for the door of the sickroom
to open. Yet how many there are in
this day who say they are so busy they
have no time for mental or spiritual i'm
provement; the great duties of life
cross the field like strong reapers and
carry off all the hours, and there is
only here and there a fragment left
that is not worth cleaning. All. my
friends, you could go into the busiest
day and busiest week of your life and
find golden opportunities, which gath
cred might at last make whole sheaf
for the Lords garner. It is the stray
opportunities and the stray privileges
which, taken up and bound together
and beaten out, will at last fill you
with much joy.
There are few moments left worth
the cleaning. Now, Ruth, to the field
May each one have measure full and
running over! Oh, you cleaners, to
the fieldl And if there be in your
household an aged one or sick rela-
tive that is not strong enough to come
forth and toll in this field, then let
Ruth take home to feeble Naomi this
sheaf of cleaning, "He that goeth forth
and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoic
ing, bringing his sheaves with him."
May the Lord God of Ruth and Naomi
be our portion forever