The Opelousas courier., 1893-01-21
Reflections for Family Reading,
.7dnudru 18th.

January 18th.
1t is eminentIy proper that VT
should studiously endeayor to know
ourselves. External objects are GER
tainly deserving of study, but nothing
is as important. after all, as self knoWi-
edge. We are the prodigies of crea-
tion. Our entire organism is proof
positive of this.
The mysterious union of mind and
matter, of soul and body-the power of
the will over our bodies-are all self
evident, but, just how they are made
Sc, puzzles the understanding. Man is
the very best exemplification of the
perfection of Gods wisdom and power.
No human being can tell how it is that
the immaterial will or mind acts on the
material members of body. Yet 1t IS
evident that it does, as long as there IS
no paralysis of our limbs. Think of
the five senses, and how completely
they serve our practical purposes. The
food we eat is in the process of dIges
ton, one of the many wonders OF our
organism The bread we eat goes in-
to our stomachs, and by a process as
wonderful as it is necessary, Is so ope-
rated upon by the gastric Juices that
some goes, by mysterious distribution,
through our bodies, to restoring and
replenishing the wasted particles of the
blood, some to rebuild by supplying
the osseous system; some to supplying
one waste and some to another, until
the result is that while our physical
identity is apparently preserved, the
whole of it has been rebuilt and kept
in a condition.to sustain life. In all this,
the fact is made evident to a reason
ing mind that the hand that made us Is
Divine.
January 10th.
Man is inclined to murmur, and often
does it without reason for it He is
naturally selfish, and the greatest aim
in life is to attain selfish ends. Some
of the finest and most philosophical
writers, have contended that, even ID
his hopes of heaven, the motive is sell
fish. Being inclined to murmur when
ever obstacles are interposed to his
self-will, he plains-turns a deaf
ear to the voice of Nature. speaking
through its works, and shuts his eyes
to the astounding uniformity and con
sistence of it's wonderfully diversified
and infinitely multiplied opera
tions. With his finite understanding
man too frequently ventures to judge
and crtcise the incomptehenslbie man :,
ifestations of the infinite wisdom and
omnipoterce of God. "Jadge not the
Lord by feeble sense
As man very frequently forgets anu
disregards the kindness which frlend
has shown him at intervals through
many years of social intimacy, because
some trifiing cause of vexation or lrri-
! tation has arisen, so he acts with his
Maker. He enjoys all the blessings
which are continually showered upon
him from the opening to the close OF
his life, and should Providence visit
npor him the slightest aff1iction, he
complains, and in doing so is frequent
ly oblivious of the manifold mereies OF
his Creator. We should ever bear il
we'll in mind that 'feaeh partial evil ls
Il universal good"
January 18th.
Nature REQUIRES rest and winter Is
piven in the rotation of seasons FOL
that all wise purpose Look abroad
and see on every hand how wisely Goe
has ordained the practical operations
of his diversified handiwork In thf
spring the cold earth is warmed by the
ardent rays of the great solar ORB the
trees bud and put forth their lnxurlanl
foliage-the blossoms come forth ahe
| in due season the fruits gernlnate-
grow, develop, ripen and supply thf
wants of man and beasts. Then comes
the autumn. and in the falling OF tht
leaves, proclaims to the world thai
the labor of the trees is ended and thal
they must suspend their functions ano
rest in the lap of winter. The colo
comes on, the vital functions are sus
pended, not destroyed and their forcs
and activity reinVigorated Tor tnei'
successful labors when the producing
time again returns. As our mothers
moved by anxious cares and tendel
love give their best efforts to proVlo'
for their offspring not only the neeessl
ties but the comforts also OF life, just 81
it is with Nature. She provides for I'll
with anxious and never ceasing care
She is busy from year to year IN sup
pIying all our necessities. Our food
our raiment are all taken from he
| bountiful hand What to us were tn
consequences, If from any cause sh'
should permit the seeds not to germl
nate, open and expand, or the herbs e
bud 1? Do we mediate sufficiently Of
these and kindred topics9 Wearie'
but not exhausted, beneficient natuE
rests from her labor to regain ne
strength in winter and go about he
fostering work in the spring time Wit
restored energy.
January 18th.
Happiness is not the peculiar herr
tage of particular classes of society, o
nations of peoples. We find ever
class enjoying its appropriate and nee
essary modicum, without reference t
climate or civilization. The means c
! happiness may be multiplied or Unite
nv necuIiar situations and clrcumstaD
ces. Behold the Laplander living o
, the borders of the Arctic circle IN
country formed of towering mountain
, continually capped with snow and Ice
tt NAV be said that one perpetual wiz
ter reigns with awful and sublime tel
rer. viewed from our standpoint. N
alterations of day and night as W
have here. But one day in the yea
and of feeble light and one night IN til
course of the year. The houses al
; without chimneys and without door
} They hibernate in them and kind
i, their fires in the centre. The smoE
rtsyrn 7a0 n