Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-09-19

uO"ef anu not wear 1t GA the outside OF our
nature, but wearit on our soul and wear it
forever, Its radiance and aroma not more
wonderful for time than wonderful for etsr.
nifty.
Stu further, must speak OF kininsss of
word. When you meet anyone do you say
apleasant thing or an unpleasant Do you
tell him OF agreeable things you have heard
about him, or the disagresable9 When he
leaves you does ne feel better or does he feel
worses On, the power OF the tongue for the
pro iuetloa of happiness or misery One
would think fro II tha way the tongue Is
Gagged in we might take the hint that it has
danger power. First it is
chained to tho BACK OF tbs mouth by
strong muscles. Tnea it is surrounded BY
the teeth Of the lower jaw, 50 many ivory
bars aud then by the taeth of the upper
jaw, more ivory bars. Then outside OF all
are the two lips vita ths power of compress
sion AMI arrest, and yet notwithstanding
these four imprisonments or limitations how
many take no hint in regard to the danger
Gus power OF the tongue, AMI the results and
liberation, sterilization and damnation.
There ara those il they know good thing
about you and bad thing will mention the
bad thing an act as though they had never
heard the good thing. Now there are two
sizes to almost eyeryone's character, and we
have the choice Of overhauling the virtue or
the vice. We can greet Paul and the ships
crew as they come up the beach OF Malta with
the words: "W hat sorry looking set you arei
How little OF navigation you must know
to run on these rocks Didn't you know
better than to put out on the Mediterranean
this wintry month"; 1t was not much OF a
snip anyhow, or it would not have gone TO
pieces so soon as that. Well what do you
want? We have hard enough work to make
living for ourselves, without having thrust
on us two hundred and seventy-six raga-
mullins
Not so, said the Maltese. l think they
said; Come in! Sit down by the fire and
warm yourselvesl Glad that you all got
oft with your lives. Make yourselves at
home You are welcome 10 oil we have
until some ship comes in sight AMI you re-
sumo your voyage. Here, let me put a
bsndage on your forehead, for that is an
ugly cash you got from the floating tim
bers, and here is man with broken arm.
We will have doctor come to attend to this
fracture And though for three months
the kindness went on, we have but little
more than this brief record, "fhe bsrbarous
people showed us no littls kindness"
Oni say the cordial thinyi Say the useful
thing! Say the hospitable thing! Say the
nelpIui thing Say the Christlike thingi
Say the kind think l admit that this is
easier for some te npe-aments than for 9th
cis' ooIie are DJfn pSsSlnliSbs, anu Some
are born optinists, and thar demonstrates
itself all through everything. 1t is
a cloudy morning. You meet a pessimist
AMI you say, what weather to-dayy He
answers, Its going to storm, and UNI
brella under arm and waterproof over
coat show taat ne is honest in that utter
ance. On the Same block, minute after
You meet an optimist, and you say, What
weather to-dayF' "Good weather, this is
aniV fnr md Tia
absence of umbrella and absence of water
proof overcoat SHOW it is an honest utter
ance
On your way at noon to luncheon YOU
meat an optimistic merchant and YOU saw,
What do You think OF the commercial
prospecbs| and he says: "Glorious Great
crops must bring great business. We are
going 10 have such al autumn and winter
Of prosperity as we have never SEEN" On
your way back TO Your store you meet
pesSimistic merchant. what do you think
of the commercial prospsctss' you ask. And
he answers: ''Wel!, don't know. So
much grain viii surfeit tae country Farm
ers have more bushels but less prices, AMI
the grain gamblers will get thsir fist in
There is the Mckinley bill, and the hay
crop is short in some places. and in the
southern part or Wisconsin they had hall
storm, and orr business is as dull as it ever
was You will find the same difference in
Judgment of character. A man of good
reputation is assailed and charged with some
evil deed. At the first story the pessimist
viii believe in guilt "The papers said So
and that's enough. Down with him."
The optiulist will say Il don't believe
word of it. ] don't think a man that has
been as useful and seemingly honest for
twenty years could have got of the track
like that. There are tao sides to this story,
and will wait to hear the other side bsfore
condemn him." My nearer, il you are by
nature a possimist. make special effort by
the grace of Col to extirpate the dolorous
aud the hypercritical from your disposition.
Believe nothing against anybody until the
wrong is established by at least two wit
nesses OF integrity AMI if guilt be proved,
hnt out the extenuating circumstances if
there are any.
And taen commit to memory 50 that you
can quote for yourself aud quote for Others
that exquisite thirteenth chapter of First
Corinthians about charity that suffers
long and is kind, and hopeth all things and
endureth all things. By pen, by voice, in
public and in private, says all the good about
people you can think of, and if there be
nothing good, then tightea the chain of
muscle on the back end of your tongue, and
keep the ivory bars OF teeth on the lower jaw
and the ivory bars of teeth on the upper jaw
locked and the gate of your lips tightly
What place Brooklyn would be to livefn,
and all the other cities ana neighborhoods to
live in. il charity dominatsdl What if all
the young aud old gossipers were deadi The
Lord hasten their funeralsl What if title
tattle and whispering were out Of fashion!
What if in cipering out the value OF other
peoples Character, in our moral arithmetic,
we stuck to addition instead of satisfaction!
kin1nessi Let us morning, noon and night
nro " fOr If until w If w han
speak gooi word for some one speak it, IT
you can cons cautiously give letter of COM
mendation, give it, Watch for opportuni-
ties for doing cool fifty years after you are
dad
All my life has been atfsctsl by the letter
of intro iuction that the Rev. Dr. Van Vran-
ken, of New Brunswick Theological Semi
nary, wrote for me, boy under him, when
| was seeking settlement in which to
preach the Gospel. The letter gave me my
first pulpit. DR.. Van Vranken has been
dead more than thirty years, yet | feel the
touh OF that magnificent old professor.
Strange sensation was it whsn | re-
ceived a kin1 message from Rev. Thomas
Guard, of Baltimore, thu grsat Msthoiist
orator, six weeks after his death By way
o. the eternal worl1? Oh, no, by way of
this world. / did not meet the friend to
whom he gave the message until nearly two
months after Thomas Guard had assembled.
So you can start word about some one that
will be on its travels and vigorous long after
the funeral psalm has been sung at your
obsequies Kin tness Why, il fifty men
all aglow with it should walk through the
lost world, methinks they would almost
abolish perditioD.
Furthermore, there is kindness of action.
That is what Joseph showed to his out
rageous brothers. That is what David
shoS we'd to Mephibosheth for his father
Jonathau's sake. That is what Onssiphorus
shovel TO Paul in the Roman peniteatiary
That is what William Cowper recognizs1
when he said he would not trust man who
would with his foot nee 1lessly crush a worm.
That is what our assassinatei Presi-
dent Lincoln demonstrated wdel his
private sa2retary found him in the
Capitol grJllds trying to get a
bril- back II the nest from which it hal
fallen, and which quality the illustrlous man
exhibited years before when having with
some lawyers in the carriage on the way to
court passed. on the road swine fast in the
mire after awhile cried to his horses, "Hor
and said to the gentlsmel, Il must go back
ami help that hog out OF the mire" An he
did go back and put on soli1 grounl that
most embarrassing quiirupsd.
That was the spirit that was manifested
by my departed frieui, Honorable Alexan-
der Ii. Steph ems of Georgia land lovelier
man never exchanged earth for heaven,
when at Washington A s9nator's wife who
told my wife of the circu instances said to
him, Mr.. Stephsn, come and sea my dead
canary bird" Aud he answered, 'No,
could not looi at the poor thing without
crying" That is the spirit that Grant
showed when at the surrender at Apo
mattox he said to General Lee, '.As
many of your soldiers are farmers ami will
need the horses and mules to raise the crops
to keep their families from suffering next
winter, let elch Confederate who can claim
horse or a mule take it along with him.