Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-04-03
Booms.
"Be content with such things as ye h

all things under implicit faith in the just
ness of Divine Providence, there is to be
found in his teachings nothing that sane
tions lethargic contentment with condition
in life that might be improved by industry
and perseverance,. The apostles words con-
vey far more useful and instru ctive lesson I;
that is, quiet contentment with an humble
position in life, if it cannot by any earthly
means be improved.
Solomon, indeed, mourned over blasted
hopes and the vanity of all earthly plans,
but at the same time he rebuked the slug
gard and directed him to seek instruction
from the ant, which "provideth its meat in
the summer and gathereth its food in the
harvest"
Thus we see that the wisest instructors
that the world has ever known, while al
ways depending upon q power stronger
than anything that earth can afford, depre-
Gated sluggish ease, the tendency of which
would be to clog the wheels of progress and
reduce the enlightenment of the world un-
til its primeval state of barbarism should be
reached.
Nor should we be governed by Paul's
teachings alone, for his life was a beautifully
illustrated book of instruction. Others
preach but do not practice, but his works
were such indubitable proof of the SINGER
ity of his heart that not even the skeptic and
the infidel would be willing to doubt it
His lille was one of almost continuous hard
ship and privation, but his zeal was unfag-
ging and his labor exhaustive but tireless
The footprints which he has left upon the
sands OF time" are not only immutable, but
have been the true guide to the earnest and
hopeful heart in all the ages OF the past and
in every condition of life.
The present is peculiarly period of dis
content with the American people. The
words of Paul are lost sight of under an in
satiable hunger for wealth and an overpow-
ering desire to obtain it quickly by wild
ventures and without recourse TO CALLING
labor. Business is run under high pres
sure and portable power. The paternal
home, which inspired patriots to deeds of
valor in the youth of our country, is con-
temned as place of shiftless ease and the
abode Of the ignorant and stupid. Even
the rural home, which the poet extols as a
place of blooming violets and shady groves,
is at the present day transferred to the grip
sack and the national bank. The "mur-
muring of silver brooks" and the "roar of
the waterfall" is forgotten beside the hum
Of the spindle and the clanking of the trip
hammer. The "ramble through the silent
forest" is exchanged for the hurried flight
over the streets of the subdivision, paved
with free silver and Argonautic gold
1t is question to excite doubt whether
the "boom" is substantial benefit to any
country. The accounts OF fabulous wealth
gained by subdivisions is u fruitful cause of
that unrest which is against real progress.
1t is but another name for speculation-one
of the most beguiling words in the vocabu-
larry of trade, and yet the most poisonous
and deceptive. There is kind OF boom by
which the monarch of the forest loses its
identity and reappears in another form in
the cottage of the peasant and the palace of
the king. A boom of that kind has proved
a blessing to humanity, but the boom that
dams the ever moving stream of humanity
to catch the unsuspecting seeker of fortune
and saw and shave him of his substance,
too often proves a curse
Tradition tells us ofa boom which led the
followers of Jason to tempt the dangers of
land and sea in quest of the fabulous gold
en- fleece; but there was boom that took
place in the recollection of many now liv-
ing by which the Argonaut of '49 sought the
golden fleece on the Pacific slope, and in
many cases left his body in the fathomless
snow of the Sierras and his bones to bleach
on the burning sands of the "Great Amer
ican Desert"
Later still comes the great Oklahoma
boom, which led men TO tempt a desert,
fruitful under the waters of excited imagi-
nation, but producing SUCH frult only Hes
perides presented to Juno which vanished
at his touch.
Happy indeed is he who is cont ent to re-
main in peaceful possession of the home en-
deared to him by the associations of child
hood and the presence of those who have
labored with him and borne his trials and
shared his pleasures throughout the period
of his best manhood, happy and contented
to bear the humble honors of pure and
faithful life among the sincere and honest
of his paternal home.
There may be more fertile lands than
ours, but few can show more beautiful and
productive homesteads than "Old Mont
| gomery," and few that have a greater com
bination of advantages to make home hap
py and lle enjoyable. Fabulous stories of
the wealth of distant lands may tempt the
unwary IRON his native home, but how OF.
! ten, when in far distant lands he has sought
the golden fruit of fortune, the product of u
heated imagination, does 1t shrink to ashes
at his touch and leave him to mourn over
the loss of his old home, from which pov
erty and shame, or disease and death, will
separate him forever
Comus, March 30th, 1891. Y.