The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-07

! Of those creatures called by the naturalists
"crustaceans' and "copepods." not more
| than one out Of hundreds of billions Of which
| tire ever seen by human eye2 God created
! ahem for the same reason that He creates
| flowers in places where no human foot ever
! makes them tremble, and no human nostri
| ever inhales their redolence, and no human
| eye ever sees their charm. In the botanical
| world they prove that God loves flowers. as
! in the marine world the phosphori prove that
he loves life, and He loves life in play, life In
| brilliancy of gladness. life In exuberance.
And 80 am led to believe that He loves
our life II we fulfill our mission as fully as
the phosphori fulfll theirs. The Son of God
came THAT we might have life and have 1t
| more abundantly." But am glad to tell you
that our God is not the God sometimes de-
scribed as a harsh critic at the head Of the
universe, or an infinite scold, or Goo tnat
loves funerals better than weddings, or
God that prefers tears to lau ghter, an ON
nipotent Nero, a ferocious Mana Sahib, but
the loveliest Being in the universe, loving
flowers and life and play, whether OF phos-
phori in the wake of the Majestic or OF the
human race keeping holiday.
But mark you that the phosphorescence
has glow that the night monopoltzes, and
ask you not only what kind OF influence you
are going to leave in the world as you pass
through it, but what light are you going to
throw across the worlds night OF sin and
sorrow? People who are sailing on smooth
sea and at noon do not need much sympathy,
but what are you going to do for people In
the night Of misfortune? Will you drop on
them shadow, or will you kindle for them
phosphorescence?
At this moment there are more people cry.
ing than laughing, more people on the round
world this moment hungry than we'll fed,
more households bereft than homes un.
broken. What are you going to do about III
'Well," says yonder soul, Il would Like to
do something toward illumining the great
ocean of human wretchedness. but cannot
Can you do as much as one OF the phos-
phori In the middle OF the Atlantic Ocean,
creatures smaller than the point OF sharp
pin2 .Oh, yes" you say. Then do that:
Shine Stand before the looking glass and
experiment to see II you cannot get that
out OF your lips. Have at least one bright
ribbon in your bonnet. Embrotder at least
one white cord somewhere In the midnight
of your apparel Do not any longer imper-
senate a funeral. Shine! Do say something
cheerful about society and about tho world.
Put few drops Of heaven into your dispo.
sition. Once In while substitute q sweet
orange for sour lemon.
Remember that pessimism Is blasphemy
and that optimism. Is Christianity. Throw
some light on the night ocean. II you can
not be a lantern swinging in the rigging, be
one OF the tiny phosphor back of the keel.
shine! "Let your light 30 shine before men
| that others seeing your good works may
| glorlfy your Father which Is in heaven"
Make one person happy every day, and do
| that for twenty years, and you Will nave
| made 1900 happy. You know man who has
lost sll his property by an unfortunate In
| of a friends note. After you have taken q
brief nap, which every man and woman ts
entitled to on Sunday afternoon, go and
cheer up that man. You can, II God helps
you, say something that will do him good
after both Of you have been dead thousand
years.
Shine! You know Of family with bad
boy who has run away from home. 60 be-
fore night and tell that father and mother
the parable Of the prodigal son, and that
| some Of the tllustrious and useful men now
in church and state had silly passage In
| their lives and ran away from home. Shine
You know Of family that has lost child,
and the silence OF the nursery glooms the
whole house dom cellar to garret. Go be-
fore night and tell them how much that child
has happily escaped. since the most prosper
GUS life on earth Is struggle.
Shine! You know Of some invalid who ts
dying for lack OF an appetite. She cannot
get we'll because she cannot eat. Broil q
chicken and take it to her before night and
cheat her poor appetite into keen relish.
Shine! You know of some one who likes
YOU, and you like him, and he ought to be
| Christian. 60 ten nlm what religion mas
done for you, and ask him II you can pray
for him.
Shine9 Oh, for a disposition so charged
with sweetness and light that we cannot help
but shine! Remember II you cannot be a
| Ieyiathsn lashiny the ocean into fury you
| can be one OF the phosphor, doing your part
toward making path OF phosphorescence.
Then I will tell you what impression you
will leave as you pass through this lie ana
after you are gone. I will tell you to your
face and not leave 1t for the minister VINO Or
flciates at your obsequies.
| The failure In all eulogium OF the departed
| fs that they cannot hear 1t. All hear 1t ex-
cent the one most interested. This, In sub
stance, is what or some one else will say OF
YOU on such an occasion: "We gather for
Offices of respect to this departed one. It is
impossible to tell how many tears he wiped
away, how many burdens he lifted, or now
many souls he was, under God, instrumen.
tai In saving. His influence Will never cease
| We are all better for having known him.
THAT pillow OF flowers on the casket was
presented by his Sabbath-school class, all OF
whom he brought to Christ. That cross OF
flowers at the head was presented BY the
orphan asylum which he befriended. Those
| three single dowers-one was sent by poor
| woman for whom he bought ton OF coal,
and one was by waif OF the street whom he
rescued through the midnight mission, and
the other was from a prison cell which ne
| had often visited to encourage repentance In
young man who had done wrong.
| HThose three loose flowers mean quite as
much as the garlands now breathing their
aroma through this saddened home crowded
with sympsthizers. BLESSED are the dead
who die In the Lord. They rest from their
lsbors, and their works do follow them"
| Or II 1t should be the more solemn burial
at sea, let 1t be after the sun has gone down,
and the captain has read the appropriate
liturgy, and the ships bell has tolled, and
YOU are let down from the stern OF the vessel
into the resplendent phosphoreseence at the
wake Of the ship. Then let some one say, ID
the words of my text, "He maketh path to
shine after him"
Vastness of Arizona.
The Senate Committee on Territories Will.
considering the bill admitting Arizona as q
State of the Union gave hearing to dele
cation In behalf Of the bill, headed by Wiley
E. Jones, District Attorney OF Graham. Ar.
zona
Mr.. Jones, In the course Of is argument
said the area OF Arizona is S great that q
line drawn due north from Chesapeake Bay