Nevada County picayune., 1891-04-09
WOOD UP!


ell fifty wears ago. remember a
journey thatsI made in 1885 fIom
Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania to New
Orleans. My chance of success IN
an important undertaking depended
upon my reaching New Orleans be-
fore a certain day.
ut was then late in November.
The cold was becoming intense. The
Ohio river was full of large blocks Of
floating ice. and there seemed to he
imminent danger that the channel
would close over before we could
reach the Mississippi. If it should
do so, there was no chance of reach
New Orleans by land. Tracts Of UNI
broken wilderness interviewed, and
the storms were frequent and heavy.
"'Can we make it, Captain" |
asked, as | stood beside the master
of the Messenger on the deck, watch
ing the wheel laboriously blowing its
way through the masses of ice.
81 don't know, sir he said.
The channel is nearly closed. If we
can cut our way through to warmer
water to-day, we are safe; but the
ice is making fast. Every minute
counts
Il was trembling with excitement.
My future largely depended on the
progress of this numbering old boat.
She seemed to me to creep, to crawl !;
finally, she stood still.
"The wheel was deliberately re-
versed. The boat quivered, ran to
shore, stopped.
Il leaped to the edge of the deck.
The pilot stood idle, the captain and
clerk joked leisurely together.
What has happened| l shout
ed. Why do you stop? l am ruin
ed if you do not go on
we are wooding up calmly
said the wheelman. Taking on flu
ell
The black deck-hands below were
throwing the wood to the boat from
a heap OH shore, accompanying their
motions with a slow, melancholy
chant.
4 grew wild with impotence. |
counted each lost minute as a step
toward disaster.
1.-The boat started again in half an
hour, but twice that night it stopped
to wood up, each time as l thought
losing ground hopelessly. But when
morning came she steamed triumph
ant out of the caking ice into free
water. We had passed on our way
two boats lying caught among the
icy hummucks.
They had not fuel enough to
keep their engines going, said the
Captain. They wouldn't stop at
the last station-thought they could
make it. In run like this, you
have got to make haste slowly if you
want to win
Il often think of the Captain S
saying, when | see ambitious young
people starting on their run for life.
They're too anxious-too eager.
They are not willing to stop to take
on fuel.
"When | see lad growing thin
and yellow over his books, making
haste to win his honors at college or
his degree in professionf feel like
saying to him, Lay by! Play ball
walk-sleep! You're are burning
up the fuel in your body; take on
more.
''Or when | see a middle-aged
man driving night and day at one
idea-business or book writing, or
even preaching-I think, you re
using up all your fuel. Stop. Go
cut among other men. Take in fresh
ideas, fresh emouons-make haste
slowly.
More than all, when | see men
who profess to be Christians, living
with no other instruction for their
daily life than that of a weekly sermon
| want to say to them, You must
take in fuel. Read your Bible. Dc
not omit prayer. You cannot make
spiritual progress simply with good
intentions. Wood up, or the motive
power will die out, and the better
life stop midway in its heavenward
journey-frozen in the ice -