Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-10-09
manor sh,ps or ,orscs or birds, and you

p9per. ships or ioGscs or birds, ana you
\ Know they are to be craftsmen or artists
of some kind. And you find others
cypherin9 out difficult problems with
rare interest and success, and you know
they are to be mathematicians And
others making wheels aud strange con-
trivances, and you know they are going
to be machinists. And others are found
experimenting with hoe and pillow and
sickle, and you know they will be farm
ers. And others are always swapping
1ackknives or balls or bats and making
something by the bargain, and they are
going to be merchants.
When Able de Rance had so advanced
in studying Greek that he could trans
late Anacreon at 12 years of age, there
was no doubt left that he was intended
for a scholar. But in almost every lad
there comes time when he does not
know what he was made for, and his
parents do not know, and 1t is a crisis
that God only can decide. Then there
are those born for some especial work,
and their fitness does not develop until
quite late. When Philip Doddridge,
whose sermons and books have har-
vested uncounted souls for glory, began
to study the ministry, DR.. Calamy, one
of the wsest and best men, advised him
to turn his thoughts to some other work.
Isaac Barrow, the eminent clergyman
and Christian scientist-his books stand
ard now. though he has been dead over
200 years-was the disheartenment of
his father, who used to say that If it
pleased God to take any of his children
away it might be his son Isaac. So
some Of those who have been character
lied for their stupidity in boyhood or
girlhood have turned out the mightiest
benefactors or benefactresses Of the hui
man race
These things being so, am J. not
right in saying that in many cases
God only knows what is the most ap-
propriate thing for you to do, and
He is the one to ask. And let all
parents and all schools and all universe
ties and all colleges recognize this, and
a large number of those who spent their
best years in stumbling about among
businesses and occupations, now trying
all, would be able to 60 ahead with a
pose, saying, "To this end was born"
momentous. Let me SAY that you are
Judge this from the way you are built.
You go into shop where there is only
one wheel turning and that by work.
mans foot on treadle. and say to your
self, .sHere IS something good being
done, yet on small scale" but if you go
into o factory covering many acres, and
you find thousands of bands pulling on
thousands of wheels, and shuttles flying,
and the whole scene bewildering with
activities, driven by water or steam, or
electric power, you conclude that the
factory was put up to do great work and
on vast scale. Now, look at you, and
i! should find that you had only one
faculty of body, only one muscle, only
one nerve, II you could see but not hear,
or could hear and not see, if you had the
use Of only one foot or one hand, and, as
to your higher nature if you find only
one mental faculty, and you had memory
but no Judgment, or judgment but no
WILL and il you had soul with only one
capacity, would say not much is ex-
pected OF you.
But stand up, o man, and let me look
you squarely in the face! Eyes capable
of seeing everything. Ears capable of
hearing everything. Hands capable of
grasping everything. Mind with more
wheels than any factory ever turned,
more power than Corliss engine ever
moved. A soul that will outliye all the
universe, except Heaven, and would
outlive all Heaven if the life of other
immortals were moment short of the
eternal. Now, what has the world
right to expect from you? What has
God right to demand of you? God is
the greatest of economists in the uni
verse, and He makes nothing uselessly,
and for what purpose did he build your
BODY, mind and soul as they are built?
There are only two beings in the uni
verse who can answer that question.
The angels do not know. The schools
do not know. Your kindred cannot GER
tainly know. God knows, and you
ought to know. A factory running at
an expense of $500. 900 year. and turn
ing out goods worth seventy cents year
would not be such an incongruity as
you, 0, man, with such semi-infinite
equipment doing nothing, or next to
nothing, in the way of usefulness.
"What shall do?" you ask. My
brethren, my sisters, do not ask me.
Ask God.
There's some path of Christian use-
fulness open. 1t may be rough path,
or it may be smooth path, long path
or short path. 1t may be on mount
of conspicuity or in a valley unobserved,
but it is path on which you can start
with such faith and such satisfaction
and such certainty that you can Cry out
in the face of earth and hell and Heaven,
ITO this end was born" Do not wait
for any extraordinary qualifications.
Philip the Conqueror gained his greatest
! victories seated on a mule, and if you
wait for some comparisoned Bucepha-
lus to ride into the conflict you will
never get into the world wide fight at all.
Samson slew the Lords enemies with the
! iawbone of the stupdest beast created.
Shamgar slew 600 of the Lords enemies
with an on goad. Under God spittle
| cured the blind mans eyes in the New
Testament story. Take all the faculty
you have and say: 80 Lord, here is
what have. Show me the field and
back me up by omnipotcnt power. Any
where. anyhow. any time for Cod
| Two men riding on horseback came to
a trough to water the horses While the
horses were drinking. one of the men
! said to the other a few words about the
value of the soul, and then they rode
away, and in opposite directions. But