The Opelousas courier., 1893-01-28
Reflections for Family Reading.
Januar4 22nd.

not the most important achievement OF
the Divine purpose. We are forced to
this conclusion by considering the fact
that God SO loved the world, (by
which we understand the human fami-
ly), that he gave his only begotten son
to die for its redemption and final saliva
tion from the penalty of violated law
He does nothing inconsistent with his
primitive design, and when even we
think we see manifestations of his
power, which appear to initiate against
our welfare and happiness, we may
rest assured that we are in error as to
the purpose He has in view. Just at
this time our journals announce the
falling of unusual quantities Of snow
the georging of the Northern rivers by
ice. Now, these phenomena are all
wisely comprehended in the general
plan adopted by our Creator for the
well being of all created nature One
lesson may be learned from all this
which, if needed, would prove greatly
advantageous to mankind. Change
in all material things is one of the first
laws of being The snow cannot last
always, nor can the ice; both must
thaw,, melt, dissolve in due course of
time, oand under changing circum-
stances, and so must we. We, too,
have our day, and then pass away to
the mysterious world. In our studies
we should assiduously endeayor to fill
our minds with those rich materials
of knowledge which, in the hereafter,
may the better qualify us to under,
stand the wisdom and goodness of God.
Such course rightly pursued, would
save us from that dissipation which so
often leads to unhappiness and ruin
January 23d.
The misanthrope doubts and mis-.
trusts everyone around him. The
miser fears robbers and final poverty
the superstitions, apparitioDs. There
is nothing of sound philosophy in these
perturbed conditions of the mind. We
are naturally sociable beings, and were
we rightly organized in mind and heart,
it would be our pleasure to regard our
fellows as members of one great family
whose author and father is Gsd. There
is apparently more reason for the fears
of the miser, bpt when properly con-
there is error at the bottom -ef
his apprehensions. His digestion is no
better for his unnecessary accumula
tions His intellectual powers are no
more expanded by them, and at the
end of his mortal state, he must leave
all behind him. Apparitions seem to
be the offspring of ignorance and per-
verted religion, There was time
when such imaginary illusions were
pardonable, but in this age of gene
rally diffused knowledge, there can be
no excuse for them. Yet, we frequent
ly see that such notions are enter
tanned by persons living among intel
ligent people How wonderful it is
that man, poor man, not satisfied with
tile actual 'sills that flesh is heir to-
must tax his powers of invention to
coniure up others as unsubstantial as
the fabric of vision"
And having excogitated them from
the fecund imagination, makes
himself unhappy, perhaps miserable.
BY persistently contemplating them.
We should uniformly guard against the
illusions of the Imagination and con
tent ourselves with the assurance that
G cd is all in all that is real.
January Gath
There are many persons in the world
who profess disbelief in the existence
of an nil wise, omnipotent Being.
Whether they really believe there
is no God, such as the balance of in
formed mankind conceive him to be,
we do not know, but do gravely doubt.
They cannot look ont on The starry
heavens on cloudless night, and tell
us who placed the myriad worlds there
and set them 10 motion if they deny
the existence of God. They, cannot
see the dark clouds roll up, and see the
vivid fash and hear the
deep toned reverberations of thunder
roll along the cloud and almost shake
the earth, and tell US who it was that
pnt the causes of snch wonderful
display of power in operation, if it was
not our God. They cannot see and
feel the power of the winds that often
times sweep over sea and land, hurting
the waters of the oceans into mighty
waves, and prostrating great forests,
and rejecting upon the causes of these
terrible manifestations of power, say
who but God conld bring them about.
It is idle To say that all results from
chance, for if there We're no design-no
methodical purpose in 1.-THE spheres
would be thrown into cODfusioD, the
winds fly llowling through space and
leaving destruction behind, and the
lightning strike without regard to any
law of attraction. Chaos would come
again, because all the elements of Ma
tnre would be without law to direct
their operations.
Tn all these wonderful demonstra
lions of power and order, we behold
something beyond the power of man to
originate, modify or control We are
therefore compelled to believe that one
mightier and wiser than he created
MI we see that He alone can control,
govern it, and that being must be God,
the omniscient omnipotent. worthy of
our alteration.
January 25fh.
Comets have their revolutions round
the sun and derive their name from the
yapors which surround them. They
appear to be fnll Of spots when seen
through q powerful telescope. Their
train or tail is transparent, which is
known BIZ the fact that fixed stars may
be seen through and beyond it. It has
been computed that the number of
comets III nnr sysiem is about twenty
one. When they arr nearest the snR,