The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-09-27
Push Things.

day, to buy hoe. The merchant
tried hard to sell me what he called
"a push hoe'-a new invention tor
cutting weeds and mellowing the soil.
He said, "The advantage Of this over
the old style is that you push instead
of pulling. They are all the rage.
Everybody is buying them | ex:
amined the push hoe, but concluded
not to buy it. am old fashioned in
my tastes I habits, and prefer work
ing in the W that | have been accus-
toned to more than half century
to try to push things. But on my
way home began to think of the
many ways in which we push where
former generations pulled. | have
read somewhere that in our Saviour's s
time carpenters put the board they
wanted to plane on the floor, sat down
upon it and drew the plane towards
them, moving backward as the work
progressed. A few years ago boards
that were to be dressed were laid upon
bench, and the carpenter pushed the
plane over them. But now the board
| is pushed between revolving bits that
20 by steam. When my grown up chill
dren were babies we drew them in
| baby carriage. But to-day such car
riages are pushed, the mother or nurse
walking behind. Hand-carts used to
be drawn, but now they are pushed.
I have been told that when wheelbar-
rows were invented they were drawn
by the man walking between the han
dies. In the days of my boyhood,
when I went to a neighbor's front
door. found knob on the door post,
and above it the word "pull." Now
instead of the knob l find button,
and am told to push.
l have just been looking over some
pictures copied from Egyptian monu-
ments and papyri, representing the
various handicrafts Of that ancient
people. In nearly all cases the work.
man drew his tools to him instead OF
pushing them from him. A modern
boy with knife and stick whittles
away from himself. The Egyptian
seems to have Whitfield towards him
self.
But perhaps the best illustration of
the pushing spirit Of modern times is
in the reaping of grain. The reapers
in the days of Boaz, and for many cen
turies later, went into the field with
sickles, and as they cut the grain they
gathered the sheaf with the left arm.
The invention of the grain cradle was
a great improvement. But the man
who swung it laid the grain in a bum
die at his feet and the binder, follow
ing him, gathered it in his arms. The
Mccormick reaper gave to horses the
labor that before was performed by
men. But it was drawn and not push
ed. The spirit Of the age-the' spirit
that spoke through the pen Of Sherl-
dan in 1866 when he wrote to Grant
that Lee would surrender 'if things
were pushed" and Grant in reply told
| him to "push things"-that spirit
was not satisfied. 1t must take pos,
session of the great harvest fields OF
the nation. And now we have the
"Centennial Harvester" which is not
drawn like the reaper, but pushed by
sixteen mules and horses harnesseo
behind it. Yes, they push that com,
bined reaper and thresher over thirty
acres in day, and the grain that was
standing in the morning is in the sacks
ready for market in the evening. No
hand touches it, in the process, but
that of the man who sews the sacks.
AS in agriculture and the arts so il
business and the professions, the
popular idea is to push things. The
merchant who advertises most gets the
largest trade. The lawyer who crowds
to the front on all occasions secures
the most clients. And the pushing
quack succeeds where the modest doc
tor of the old school fails. There are
now some ministers of the gospel who
think that they can not succeed in
their high and holy calling unless they
seek nototiety by publishing sensa.
tional topics and getting spicy reports
Of their sermons in the daily papers.
Now the Bible tells about pushing
but it is only in the case Of vicious
beasts with horns. See Exodus xxi.
29, Kings xxi. II and Daniel viii
l3. There is no case where it speaks
of pushing in any great and good en-.
terprise. 1t never represents God OF
his prophets and apostles as pushing.
On the contrary the bride in Canticles
cries "Draw me, we will run after
thee" And our Savior said "If ! be
lifted up from the earth, | will draw
all men unto me-" John xii. 80.
The prophets were inspired to cry
"Come p Jesus himself said, "Come
unto me all ye that labor and are
heavy laden" and on the last page
of the Bible we read ''The Spirit and
the bride say come" When the good
Shepherd putteth forth his own sheep
he does not drive them, but "goeth
before them,' and they follow. The
whole spirit of the gospelis attraction
Coercion is the distinctive character
istic Of false religions, of corrupt
| Christianity. The true disciples OF
Christ never persecute; they are not
wont to push with their horns like the
OK in Exodus xxi. 29. Like theil
divine Master they are meek and
patient. They do not strive but are
gentle unto all men. See 2 Timothy
| ii. "a.
| There are self-styled reformers in
these days Of intense aggressiveness
who think that the loving, drawing
method of our Lord the spirit Of the
age. We too must push things
Their idea is to get up the best ma
chinery that they can, put plenty Of
power behind it, and then go ahead;
They would crush opposition instead
Of trying to win and save the opposers
Such efforts may seem to succeed fo1
time. But true gospel progress
means hearts won to Christ, and you
can not win hearts by pushing. The
affections must be attracted they car
not be coerced. Jesus said to tho
Greeks in the temple, "Now is the
Judgment of this world; now shall the
prince of this world be cast out.
But that they might understand how
gently and lovingly it was to be done