The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-05-21

SCIS0 "UlGS upOA ooo III SuIlS dIlu
moons and stars are not very big
things to Him, and He car with His
little finger turn back an entire world
as easily as you could set back the
hour. hand or minute-hand of your
clock or watch.
At the opening of q new year people
are moralizing on the flight OF time.
You all feel that your moving on
toward shutdown and many of you
are under a consequent depression. l
propose this morningto set the hand
On your watches and clocks to going
the other way. l propose to show
you how to make the shadow of your
dial like the shadow on the dial of
Ahaz to stop going forward and make
it 90 backward. While locking at the
sun-dial OF Hezekiah and we find the
shadow retreating, we ought to learn
that God controls the shadows. We
are all ready to acknowledge His
management of the sunshine. We
stand in the glow of a bright morn
ing and we say in our feelings if not
with 50 many words. This life is
from God, the warmth is from God"
Or, we have a rush of prosperity and
we say,
"THEsE SUCCESSES ARE FROM GOD.
But suppose this day is dark? You
have to light the gas at noon. The
sun does not show himself all day
long. There is nothing but shadow.
How slow you are to realize that the
storm is from God and the darkness
from God and the chill from God.
My friends, l cannot look for one
moment On the retrograde shadow on
Ahaz's dial without learning that God
controls the shadows and that lesson
we need all to learn. That he controls
the sunshine is not SO necessary q
lesson, for anybody can be happy
when things 60 right. When you sleep
eight hours a night and rise with an
appetite that cannot easily wait for
breakfast and you 60 over to the
store and open your mail to read
more orders than yon can fill, and in
the next letter you find a dividend far
larger than you have been promised,
and your neighbor comes in to tell
you some lattering thing he has just
heard said about you, and you find
that all the styles of goods in which
you deal have advanced Is per cent
in value, and on your way home you
meet your children in full romp and
there are roses on the center CT the
tea table and roses ofhealth in cheeks
all round the table, what more do
you want of consolation? l don't
pity you bit. You feel as if you
could boss the world. But for those
in just opposite circumstances my
text comes in with an
OMNIPOTENCE OF MEANING.
The shadow! Oh, the shadow! Shadow
of bereavement! Shadow OF sickness!
Shadow of bankruptcy! Shadow of
mental depression! Shadow of perse-
cution! Shadow Of death! Speak out,
Oh, sun-dial of Ahaz, and tell all the
people that God manages the shadow!
As Hezekiah sat in his palace window
wrapped in invalidism and surrounded
by anodynes and cataplasms and
looked out upon the black hand of
the only clock known at that time
and saw it move back 10 degrees, he
learned a lesson that a ma ority OF
the human race need this hour to
learn,-that the best friend a man
ever had controls the shadow. The
set-backs are sometimes the best
things that can happen. The great
German author Schiller could not
work unless he had in his room the
scent of rotten apples, and the decay
of the fruits of earthly prosperity may
become an inspiration instead OF a
depression. Robert Chambers's lame
feet shut him up from other work,
and he became the world renowned
publisher, and helped fashion the best
literature Of the ages. In 1861 the
shadow of the sun-dial of this nation
was set back, and all things seemed
going to ruin, and it was set back
further in 1862, and further in 1868,
and still further in 1866, but there is
not an intelligent and well-balanced
man, North or South, East or West,
but feels it was set back toward the
sunrise.
BUT I PROMISED TO SHOW YOU
how the shadows might be turned
back. First by going much among the
young people. In most family circles
there are grandchildren. BY this d.
vine arrangement most OF the people
who have passed the meridian of life
can compass themselves by juvenility.
1t is a bad thing for an old man or
woman to sit looking at the vivacity
of their grandchildren shouting. "Stop
that racket" Better join in the fun.
Let the 8O-year-old grandfather join
the s-years-young grandson or grand
daughter. My father and mother liv-
ed to see over sc children and grand
children and greatgrandchildren, and
a. more boisterous crew" were
turned out on this sublunary sphere,
and they all seemed to cry to the old
folks, "Keep young" and they did
keep young. Don't walk with a cane
unless you have to, Or only as defense
in a city afflicted with too many ca
mines. Don't wear glasses stronger
than necessary, putting on No. los
when LIS will do as we'll. Don't 60 into
the company of those who are always
talking about rheumatism and lum-
bago and shortness of breath and the
brevity of human life. 1t is too
much for my gravity to hear an octo-
genarlan talking about the shortness
of human life. From all l can find
| out he has always been here, and from
the present prospects he is always 60
ing to stay.
REMAIN YOUNG.
Hang up your stockings in Christ
mas time. Help the boys fly the kita
Teach the girls how to dress their
dolls. Better than arnica for your
stiff joints and catnip tea for your
sleepless nights, will be a large dose OF
youthful companionship.