Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-09-23

blessings you will never think Of merkionknS
before God.
We must see a blind r1aa lex, along by 1s
GO; b@.ose We learn what a grand thing p.
II have ones eycsish:. We must seq a r1aa
with -. Vitts's dance before We learn what a
grand thing it l. 20 have the use o. our paysi-
ca energies. Te mus: So some soldier
craFpie-. i-np;ng along on hts crutch or his
efEpty coassleeve pinned up. before We learn
what 4 grand thing II 10 to have the use o:
III our physical faculties. In other words.
W are 50 stupid that nothing but the mistor-
fIa"- 0! others can wake us up TO en- appre-
h1atI1n - eue couanon blessings
~" set on board a train and start for Ros-
ton and cone to- Sorwaik bridge. anil the
draw" Is Of and crash. goes thu train.
EFi'v lives dashed out. We escape. We
con" home n great excitement and call our
friends around rs. and they congratulate Us.
al we all kneil down and thank God for our
escape while 50 many r.rished. But to
| morrow morning you get on q train O. cars
To- Boston. You cross tina. bridge a, Nor
walk ydtt cfoss all the other bridges you
get - Boston in safety. Then you return
ho0c. Not an accident. not al alarm. N
| thanks.
Il ether words. you seem to be- more CRATE
III when 80 people lose their lives and you
gel on than you are grateful to God when
you all get of and you have no alarm at all.
Now, you ought to be thankful when you es-
cape from accident. but moro thankful when
they all escape. In the one case your graft
tude IS somewhat selfish III the other 1t is
more like what 1t ought to be-
| On. these common mercics. these common
blessings, how little we appreciate them AID
now soon We forget them Like the OK
grazing. WITH roe clover up 70 IA eyes. Tx.
tn bird picking tho worm OH. Of the f4rrow
-aaver thinking to thankAGoi. who makes
the grass grow and who gives iife 10 every
| ! ~, thine fp~~n W. clz.I 4 L..
t. the ~araph on the throne. Thanksyivin.
on the eth OF November. In the autumn 81
III" year. but blessings hour 10y hour anl dav
by lay and no thanks at al.
compared our Indifference 90 the brute.
but perhaps / wronged the brute. do n.
know but that among its other instincts II
may have an instinct by which it recognizes
The divine hnnd that feeds 1t. | do no. know
but that God lie through it holding comrnu-
nleation with what wo call .'irrational cr.s!-
ton TIL COW that stands un ier the vii
low hy the water course chewing its cul
looks very thankful, ind who can tell how
much a bird means by its song? The aroma
Of the flowers smell like incense. ani the
mist arising from the river looks Ike tho
efnoHa OF q morning sacrifice. Oh. that We
Wore rs responsive
II YOU were thirsty aud asked me for q
drink anil | gave YOU this glass ot water. your
cotnmon instinct would reply. Thank YOU"
-NAN -Nt' ~ Aiihb tihfiIN VI iJLfItN Ht ~
hour ~ hour from the hand Of the Lord, our
Father and our King, and w. d. not even
think to say. Thank you. More lust 10
men than We are just TO God.
Who thinks Of Thanking God for the water
gushing up in the we'll, ioaminX In the cas-
cade, laughing over the rocks, pattering In
the shower. elapping its bands in the sea?
Who thinks to thank God for that? Who
thinks to thank God for the air. the fountain
OF life. the bridge OF sunbeams, the path Of
sound. the great fan on a hot summer dav?
Who thinks to thank God for this wonderful
physical organism, this sweep OF vision, this
chime OF harmony struck into the ear,
this crimson tide rolling through arteries and
veins. this drumming q the heart on the
march OF immortality?
convict myself and | convict everyone
Of you while ! say these things. that We
are unappreciative OF the common mercies
of life. And yet if they were withdrawn. the
heavens would withhold their rain and the
earth would crack open under our feet. and
desolation and sickness Hni woe would stalk
across the earth. and the whole earth would
become q place Of skulls.
on. my friends, let US wake up to an ap-
probation OF the common mercies OF life. Let
every day ba u Sabbath, every meal a sacra-
ment. every room 4 holy of holies. : We all
have buplens to bear lH us cheeriulIv bear
them. We all have ~lsattles to fight let us
courageously fight them.
II We want TO die right. we must live right.
You 20 home and attend to your little sphere
OF duties. | will 50 bonn" and attend to NV
littl" sphere OF duties. You cannot do nv
work | cannot do yonr work. Negligence
AMI Incidence will win the hiss OF eyerllst-
ing scorn, while faithfulness Will gather its
garlands and wave Its sceptro and sit upon
Its throne long after tn, world has put on
ashes and eternal ages have begun their
march.