Milford chronicle., 1891-03-27

I y
that it makes no particular difference, and
that if you had told the truth you would
have lost the job, and that people expect
to be disappointed, but that excuse will
not answer. There is a voice of thunder
rolling among the drills and planes and
shoe lasts and shears which says, "All liars
shall have their part in the lake that burn
eth with fire and birthstone"
ECCLESIASTICAL LIES.
/ next notice ecclesiastical lies-that is,
falsehoods told for the purpose Of advanc-
/ ing churches and sects, or for the purpose
Of depicting them. There is no use in
asking many a Calvinist what an Arminian
believes, for he will be apt TO tell you that
the Arminian believes that man can con-
vert himself; or to ask the Arminian what
/ the Calvinist believes, for he will tell you
that the Calvinist believes that God made
some men just to damn them. There is no
need in asking pado- Baptist what Bap-
tist believes, for he will be apt to say that
I the Baptist believes immersion to be posi-
/ lively necessary to salvation. It is almost
I impossible for one denomination Of Chris
tians, without prejudice or misrepresenta-
tion, to state the sentiment Of an opposing
sect. If man hates Presbyterians, and
/ you ask him what Presbyterians believe,
he will tell you that they believe that there
are infants in hell a span lOngl
1t is strange, also, how individual
churches will sometimes make misstate-
ments about other individual churches. It
4 is especially 50 in regard to falsehOods told
with reference to prosperous enterprises.
/ As long as a church is feeble, and the sing
/ ing is discordant, and the minister, through
the poverty of the church, must go with a
/ threadbare coat, and here and there wor-
shipper sits in the end of a pew, having all
the seat to himself, religious sympathizers
/ of other churches will say, What pityW
/ But let a great day Of prosperity come, and
even ministers of the Gospel, who ought to
be rejoiced at the largeness and extent Of
/ the work, denounce and misrepresent and
/ falsify, starting the suspicion in regard to
/ themselves that the reason they do not
! like the corn is becanse it is not ground in
/ their own mill How long before we shall
| learn to be fair in our religious criticismsl
The keenest jealousies on earth arc church
/ iealousies. The field Of Christian work Is
so large that there is no need that our hoe
handles hit
SOCIAL LIES.
Next 1 speak Of social lies. This evil
makes much of society insincere. You
know not what to believe. When people
ask you to come you do not know whether
or not they want you to come. When they
send their regards you do not know
whether it is an expression of their heart
or an external civility. We have learned
to take almost everything at discount.
| Word is sent mot at home, when they
are only too lazy to dress themselves.
They say, 'The furnace has just gone out"
when in truth they have had no fire in it
all winter. They apologize for the un-
usual barrenness of their table when they
never live any better. They decry their
most luxurious entertainments to win a
shower of approval They apologize for
their appearance, as though it were un-
usual, when always at home they look
just so. They would make you believe that
some nice sketch on the wall was the work
of a master painter. sit was an heirloom,
and once hung on the walls of a castle,
and duke gave it to their grandfather"
When the fact is that painting was made
by man down east" and baked so as
to make it look old. and sold with others
for ten dollars dozen. People who will
lie about nothing else will lie about piet-
ure. On a small income we must make
the world believe that we are affiuent, and
our life becomes a cheat, a counterfeit and
a sham.
Few persons are really natural WhenI
say this l do not mean to slur cultured
manners. 1t is right that we should have
more admiration for the sculptured marble
than for the unknown block Of the quarry.
From many circles in life insincerity has
driven out vivacity and enthusiasm.
frozen dignity instead floats about the
room, and iceberg grinds against iceberg.
You must not laugh outright; it is vulgar.
You must smile. You must not dash rapid
Ia ao-ose tha 1onnn. vOu rnuat Glide There
is a round of bows and grins and batteries
and ohsl and ahs and simpering and
neutrality-suspicious. world Of which is not
worth one good, round, honest peal of
laughter From such hollow round the
tortured guest retires at the close of the
evening and assures his host that he has
enjoyed himselfl
What a round of insincerities many peo-
pie run in order to win the favor of the
worldl Their life is a sham and their death
an unspeakable sadness. Alas for the poor
butterflies when the frost strikes themi
A COMPARISON OF LIVES
Compare the life and death of such one
with that of some Christian aunt who was
once blessing to your household. l do
not know that she was ever offered the
hand in marriage. She lived single, that
untrammeled she might be eyerybOdy's
blessing. Whenever the sick were to be
visited, or the poor to be provided with
bread, she went with a blessing. She
could pray, or sing Rock OfAges" for any
sick pauper who asked her. AS she got
older there were days when she was lit
tie sharp, but for the most part auntie was
sunbeam-just the one for Christmas
eve She knew better than any one else
how to fix things. Her every prayer, as
n..11 Of f,r,1rr IA
mad trouble. The brightest things In all
the house dropped from her fingers. She
bad peculiar notions, but the grandest mo-
tion she ever had was to make you happy.
She dressed well-auntie always dressed
well; but her highest adornment was that
of meek and quiet spirit, which, in the
sight of God, is of great price. When she
died you all gathered lovingly about her,
aud as You carried her ont to rest the Sun
day school class almost covered the coffin
with iaponicas, and the poor people stood
at the end Of the alley, with their aprons
to their eyes, sobbing bitterly; and the
man of the world said, with Solomon,
"Her price was above rubies," and Jesus,
as unto.the maiden in Judea commanded,
81 say unto thee, ariseP
But TO many, through insincerity, this
life is a masquerade ball. As at such en-
tertMnmentS gentlemen ana lauies appear
in the dress of kings or queens, mountain
bandits or clowns, and at the close Of the
dance throw of their disguises, SO in this
dissipated life all unclean passions move
in mask Across the floor they trip mer-
rily The lights sparkle along the wall or
drop from the ceiling-a cohort OF firel
The music charms. The diamonds glitter.
The feet bound Gemmed hands stretched
out clasp gemmed hands Dancing feet
respond to dancing feet. Cleaning brow
bends to cleaning brow. On with the
dancel Flash and rustic and laughter and
immeasurable merry making But. the
languor of death comes over the limbs and
blurs the sight.
Lights lowerl Floor hollow with sepul-
chral echo. Music saddens into wall.
Lights lowerl The maskers can hardly
now be seen. Flowers exchange their fra
GRANGE for sickening odor, such as comes
from garlands that have lain in vaults Of
T L. . NaI