Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-01-05
IN THE FURROW.
The Sermon That Secured Rev
MOultOn q Good Wife.

When the new minister arose in his
pulpit and announced his text, the con-
grcgation settled themselves in the
pews with an air of satisfaction. They
were confident that they were about tC
listen to fine sermon, and they were
not to be disappointed. They admired
and esteemed Rev. Thomas MOulton,
who had come to them from a country
parish which his liberal views and tai.
ents had outgrown. Modest and sincere,
the young man appealed to his hearers,
by his good sense and by the simple
beauty of his thoughts In laundering
oratorical power he was deficient, but
his voice was clear and pleasant, his
manner was earnest and pleasing
When he addressed an audience, nc
won their confidence, and they believed
him to be what he was, n thorough
gentleman, man chcrishing high
ideals and sympathizing warmly with
the trials of his fellow men.
Rev. Mr. Moulton was unusually
happy in the sermon to which particu-
lar reference has been made. He
spoke fcclingly in behalf of the thou
sands who are the victims of an unfa-
vOrablc environment, who are pre-
vented Ivy thwarting circumstances
from attaining those places IN society
in which their naturally high qualities
Of mind could best flourish. There
was aStranGc inequality in life. Choice
gifts and excellent opportunities often
fell to the lot of dull or ignoblc per-
sons who failed to use them properly;
on the contrary, these good things
were rs frequently unuccountably
withheld from those to whom they
were admirably adapted. Fortunate
ty, of the millions in the world who
lived in poverty, sQualor and ignorance,
the greater part did not possess keen
sCnSibiliticS and ambition, and consc-
qucntly did not experience the suffer
ing which tcndcr-hcartc but unphilo.
sophie persons imagined for them. In
deed, the capabilities of this large class
of people were so limited that when
they were sometimes placed by Jealous
philanthrOpiStS in Il sphere higher
than that to which they were acccuS-
toned, they became positively misera-
bic and longcd to return to a lower
condit on. Nevertheless, n gradual i'm
provrmcnt in the environment of the
Al
provrmcut in these people themselves.
Therefore the fact that they were Sc
largely wontrd to their present condi-
ton did not excuse the moro fortunate
from cCaSing their cndravOrs to elc-
vate them. The millions deserved at
tcntion, but iuasmuch as they did not
suffer acutcly, and in many instances
were happier than were people above
them, it was not necessary to lie awake
nights for the purpose of dcvising
plans in their behalf. But in the same
environment with the millions were
| thousands of superior people who were
| the great sufferers, and who deserved
speedy and generous aid and sym
| pathy They were daily and vainlv
making desperate efforts to overcome
| the circumstances that thwartcd them.
| They were fitted for something better
| and they longcd to attain it, but there
was some lack, either of health, C1
money, of energy or of something else
| which prevented them from escaping
| from their unfavorabIe surroundings
Only the strongest and best equipped
unaided, surmoupted greatest obsta
clcs. Yet there wore hundreds o.
others not less worthy, although les.
| able, who, if they should receive time
| ~ assistance, could climb the height.
that now discourage them. Strange
| to say, the last-mentiO ned class, al
| though they deserved the most attcn
| ton. received the least. The unprOm
ising poor were piticd and given aim
and the successful great were laudcd
But those who were gravely but inef
fcctually struggling against adverse
circumstances were cOOlly ignored.
was the much and undcservedly neg
lected class, the noble unfortunate
whose claims for sympathetic aid from
the Christian world were greater thar
those of any other portion of humanity
To elucidate his subject in mamie
as effective as possible, the preache
employed several illustrations. One O
them briefly outlined was as follows:
One day farmer while walking owe
freshly-plOwed field, cspied in a fur
row something which glittered. II
bent down and picked up a damon
ring There were spots of dry mud O
the rim, and the once clean ornamen
looked neglected and weather. be alter
\ few years before the farmer foun
it, it had been lost by rich cit
woman during a rural ram BILE. TIL
farmer took the ring home, washed i
FURNISHED it, and then it looked q
beautiful as when it was new. He re
stored it to the owner andoshe wor
it again.
Thus was it returned to it's prope
place, where it could fulfill the purpos
for which it was made, viz, to be a
ornament, to be a thing of beauty rc
the admiration of all observers. b,
had the farmer not CHANGED to go b.
or had he mistaken the diamond in tt
ring for shining bit of quartz, al
been too indifferent to make an e
animation, the ring would have r
NAMED in the furrow, it would hav
been left to it's obscure fate. Soon