Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-11
Palm Trees of the Human Kind.

Oh. Lord God, give us more palm trees
men and women made for nothing but to be
useful; dispositions all abloom; branches of
influence laden with fruit; people good for
everything, as the palm tree. If kind words
are wanted, they are ready to utter them
II helpful deeds are needed, they are ready
to pei. orm them. If plans of usefulness are
TO be laid ont. they are ready to project
them. If enterprises are to be forwarded,
they are ready to lift them. People who say,
"les Yes when they are asked for assist
auce Dy word or deed, instead OF "No! Nor
Most OF the mysteries that bother others
do not bother me, because adjourn them,
hut the mystery that really bothers me is
why God made so many people who amount
10 nothing so far as the worlds betterment
j. concerned They stand in the way. They
object. They discuss hindrances. They
suggest possibilities of failure. Over the
road OF lire instead of pulling in the traces,
thev are lying back in the breechings. They
are the everlasting No They are bramble
trees: they are willows, always mourning,
or wild cherry trees, yielding only the
bitter, or crab apple trees. producing only
the sour, while God would have us all
flourish like the palm tree. Planted in the
Bible that tree always means usefulness.
But how little any of us or all OF us accom- D.
nsh in that direction. We take 20 or 30
years to get fully ready for Christian work.
and in the aiterpart of life we take 10 or 20
years for the gradual closing of active work,
and that leaves only so little time between
opening and stopping work that all we ac-
cOmpiSh is so little an angel OF God needs to
exert himself to see it at all.
Usefulness Taught by the Natural World
Nearly everything 1 see around, beneath
and above in the natural world suggests
useful service. II there is nothing in the
Bible thar inspires you to usefulness go out
and study the world around you this spring
time, and learn the great lesson of useful
ness. Oh, my friends. if everything in the in
animate worl d be useful, let US immortal men
and women De useful, and, in that respect,
he like the palm tree.
Notice that it WAS beautiful and lawful
robbery of the palm tree that helped make
MP ChTist's triumph on the road to Jerusa-
lem that Palm Sunday. The long, broad
green leaves that were strewn under the
feet of the colt, and in the way of Christ
were torn from the trees. What a pity
someone might say, that these stately and
graceful trees should be despoiled The
Sap oozed ont at the places where the
branches broke. The glory of the palm tree
was appropriately sacrificed for the Sayior's
tI'iumphal procession. So it always was, SO it
always will be in this world-no worthy tri-
1mph of any sort without the tearing down
of something else.
The Kingdom OF God advances in all the
earth, but it must be over the lives of
missionaries who die OF malaria in the
juagIes or Christian workers who preach
and pray and toll and die IN the service. The
savior triumphs in all directions but beauty
and strength must be torn down from the
I.alm trees of Christian heroism and conse-
Grafton and thrown in his pathway.
Our Best Use Is Self-Sacrifice.
To what better use could those palm trees
on the southern shoulder of Mount Oifvet
and clear down into the Valley of Gethse-
name put their branches than to surrender
them for the making of Christ's journey
toward Jerusalem the more picturesque, the
more memorable and the more triumphant?
Aud to what better use could we put our
lires than into the sacrifice for Christ and
His cause and the happiness of our fellow
creatures?
The process is going on every moment in
all directions. What makes that father have
such hard work to find the hymn to-day?
He puts on his spectacles and holds the book