Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-24
tom OF the Atlantic ocean.

Duuufeu UHOuSunu innings UDhL we are not
responsible fort De not blame us for being
in our manner cold as an iceberg, or nerv.
Gus as a cat amid a pack of Fourth OF
July firecrackers. If you are determined
to blame somebody, blame our great-grand
fathers or great grandmothers, who died
before the Revolutionary war, and whomay
have had habits depressing and ruinous
There are wrong things about US all, which
make me think that one hundred and fifty
years ago there was some terrible crank ia
our ancestral line Realize that, and it
will be a relief semi-inlinite. Let us take
ourselves as we are this moment, and then
ask (which way?" Get all the direction
you can from careful and constant study
If the Bible, and then look up and look out
and look around, and see if you can find
the finger of God.
PERTINENT ILLUSTRATIONS.
H. is remarkable thing that sometimes
no one can see that finger but yourself. A
year before Abraham Lincoln signed the
proclamation of emancipation the White
House was thronged with committees and
associations, ministers and laymen, adj
wishing the president to make that procla-
nation. But he waited and waited, amid
scofI and anathema, because he did not
himseu see the nnger OF God. After
awhile and at just the right time he saw
the divine pointing and signed the proc
lamatiOn The distinguished Confeder-
ates, Mason and Slidell, Were taken off an
English vessel 10y the United States gov
eminent. Don't give them up" shouted
all the northern states. Let us have war
with England rather than surrender
them" was the almost unanimous cry Of
the north. But William II. Seward SAW
the finger of God leading in just the OPP
posite direction and the Confederate were
given up, and we avoided war with.Eng-
land which at that time would have been
the demolition of the United States gov
eminent.
In other words, the finger of God as it di-
reefs you, may be invisible to everybody
else. Follow the divine pointing, as you
see it, although the world may call you a
fool. There has never been man or a
woman who amounted 30 anything that
has not sometimes been called fool
Nearly all the mistakes that you and !
have made have come from our following
the pointing of some other finger, instead
of the finger of God. But, now, suppose
all forms of disaster close in upon man.
Suppose his business collapses. Suppose
he buys goods and cannot sell them. Sup
pose by new invention others can furnish
the same goods at less price. Suppose n
cold spring or n late autumn or tho coming
of an epidemic corners a man, and his notes
come due and he cannot meet them, and
his rent must be paid and there is nothing
with which to pay it, and the wages of the
employees are due and there Is nothing with
which to meet that obligation, and the
bank will not discount, and the business
friends to whom he goes for accommoda-
tion are in the same predicament, and he
bears up and struggles on, until, after
awhile, crash goes the whole concern.
He stands wondering and saying: Il do
not see the meaning all this. have done
the best could. God knows | would pay
my debts if | could, but here ! am hedged
in and stopped" What should that man
do in that case-go TO the Scriptures and
read the promise about all things working
together for good and kindred passagesS
That is WELL But he needs to do some
thing beside reading the Scriptures. He
needs to look for the finger of God that is
pointing toward better treasures; that Is
pointing toward eternal release; that Is
urging him to higher realms. No human
finger ever pointed to the east or west or
north or south so certainly as the finger Of
God Is pointing that troubled man to high
er and better spiritual resources than he
has ever enjoyed. There are men of vast
wealth who are as rich for heaven rs they
are for this world, but they are exceptions.
If man grows in grace it is generally
before he gets 100000 or after he loses it.
If man has plenty of railroad securities
and has applied TO his banker for more; If
the lots he bought have gone up fifty per
cent in value; If he had hard work to get
the door of his fircproof safe shut because
of new roll of securities he put in there
just before locking up mt night; If he be
specializing in n falling market or a rising
market and things take for him right
turn, he does not grow in grnce very much
that week. Do you know what made the
great revival of 1851, when more people
were converted to God probably than in
any wear since Christ was bOrn2 1t was
the dcfacations and bankruptcy that swept
American prosperity so flat that it could
fall no f1atter,
am speaking Of whole souled men.
Such men are so broken by calamity that
they are humbled and fly to God for relief
Men who have no spirit and never expect
anything are not much affected by finan.
cial changes. They are as apt to go into
the kingdom under one set OF circum-
stances as another They are deadbeats
wherever they are The only way to get
rid Of them is to lend them dollar and
you will never see them again. | have
tried that plan and it works well. But
am speaking Of the effect Of misfortune on
high spirited men. Nothing but trial will
turn such men from earth to heaven 1t is
only through clouds and darkness and
whirlwind Of disaster such a man can see
the finger OF God.
WATCH THE POINTING.
A most interesting rs well as a most use
full study is to watch the pointing Of the
finger of God In the Seventeenth century
South Carolina was yielding rosin and tur
pentine and tar AS her chief productions
But Thomas Smith noticed that the ground
near his house in Charleston was very
much like the places in Madagascar where
he had raised rice, and some of the NADIA
gascar rice was sown there and grew 81
rapidly that South Carolina was led Il
/ make rice her chief productions Can you
/ not see the finger of God in that incidentt
| Rev. John Fletcher, Of England, man!
/ will know, was one of the most use
ful ministers Of the Gospel who eve
preached Before conversion he joined tn,
army aud had bought his ticket on tn,
ship for South America. The morning h,
was to sail some one spilled on him kettle
of water. and he was so scalded he coult
not go. He was very much disappointed
but the ship he was going to sail ON wen