Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-03-02


! rescenra OF smiles on the cheeks of solls
| parioned. and lives reformed. ami Nations
| redeemed. Tho millennium itself Is onlv
/ one roll OF that ira llatc wave Of cladnesS
! and beneiirtion. In tho suhlimest Of all
senses 1t may he said OF Him. He maEcth a
path to shine after Him.
But | cannot look upon that luminosity
| that follows ships without realizing how fan
| The Lori is Of life That fire Of the deep Is
! life. myriads OF creatures all a-swim an | a.
| play and a-ronp In PARKS o; marine beauty
laid out AMI parte.rei AMI roseatoi amt
boSsomei by Onniput"nra What il the uSa
| ofthosa creatures ca1lei by the naturalists
''crustaceans" and ""opepods" not more
than one out of hundreds OF billions Of which
tire ever seen 10y human eye? God created
ahem for the same reason that He creates
flowers in places whore no human foot over
makes them tremble. and no human nos,ril
ever inhaies their redOlcnre 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 plny. life in
brilliancy OF gladness, life in exuberauca.
And so am led to believe that He loves
our life il we fuIfll our mission as fully ~
the phOSphOri fulfill theirs. The Son of God
came that we might have life and have ii
more abundantly.' But am glad to tell you
that our God Is not the God sometimes de-
srribed as harsh critic at the head Of tho
]
1 loves funerals better than weddings, or q
| God that prefers tear, to lau Shter. an ON
nipotent Nero. a feroC,ous Mana Sahth, hat
| the lOveliest Being in the universe, loving
| flowers and life ani play. whether Of phoS-
phOri in the wake of the Majestic Or Of tho
human race keeping holiday.
But mark you that the phosphoresce enro
has a glow that the night mOuopOlizes, ami
ask you not only what kind Of influence you
are going to leave in the world ~ you pass
,,tvb I,,t ,l,E
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 shallow or will you kinde for them
phOsp sphOrescence?
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 il
"Well." says yOnder soul, Il would ike to
do something toward iliumining the great
ocean of human wretchedness, but | cannot
do much.
Can you do as much as ono of the phOs-
phor in the middle Of the Atlantic Ocean,
creatures smaller than tn" point Of sharp
pin? Oh, yes you say. Then do that.
Shine Stand before the looking glass and
experiment to SEQ if you cannot get that
scowl off your forehead that peevish look
out of your lips Have at least one bright
ribbon in your bonnet. EmbrOider ut least
| one white cord somewhere in the midnight
| of your apparel Do not any longer 1mper-
senate a funeral. Shine! Do say something
cheerful about society and about tho world.
! Put a few drops of heaven into your dispo-
| sitiOn. Once in while substitute sweet
| orange for n sour lemon.
Remember that pessimism i9 bfasphemy
| and that optimism is Christianity. Throw
Ii tYhf M hn n iL-h n
| not be a lantern swinging in tho rigging, be
| one of the tiny phOsphOri back OF rho keel.
| Shine! 'Let your light so shine before men
! that others seeing your good works may
! glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Make one person happy every day, and do
! that for twenty years, and you will have
| made 1900 happy You know n man who has
! lost all his property by an unfortunate in
! vestment or by putting his name on the back
! of a friends note. After you have taken n
! brief nap, which every man and woman is
! entitled to on n Sunday afternoon, 80 and
! cheer up that man. You can, If God helps
you, say something that will do him good
arter both OF you nave been dead thousand
! years.
Shine! You know OF a family with bad
| boy who has run away from nome. GO be-
fore night and tell that father and mother
| the parable of the prOdigal son, and that
| some of the iIlustriOu9 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 giOoms the
! whole house from cellar to garret. CTO be-
! fore night and tell them how much that child
| has happily escaped since the most pro5nar-
Gus life on earth is q struggle.
Shine You know of some invalid who is
| diving 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 ono who likes
! you, and you like him, and he ought to be a
Christian Go tell him what religion has
done for you, and ask him il you can pray
| for him.
Shine! Oh for a disposition 50 charged
with sweetness and light that we cannot help
| but shine Remember it you cannot be n
| levathan ashiny the ocean into fury you
can be one of the phOSphOri, doing your part
| toward making a path Of DhOsphOroscence.
| Then | will tell you what impression you
! will leave as you pass through this life and
alter you are gone. | will tell you TO your
face and not leave it for the minister who OF
| ficiates at your ObSequies.
The failure in ELL eulo2ium of the departed
| is that they cannot hear ii. All hear II eX
cept the one most interested. This, in sub
| stance is what | or sOme one else will say OF
| YOU on such an occasion I'VE gather for
| offices Of respect to this departed one. 1t IS
| impossible to tell how many tears he wipet
| away, now UlduG DtiEbcilo no lilL'i' - ~"
many souls he was under God, instrumen'
tai in saving. His influence will never cease
We are all better for having krOWn him.
That pillow OF flowers on the casket was
presented by his Sabbath-schOOl class, all Oi
| whom he brought to Christ. That cross o
| flowers at the head was presented by the
| orphan asylum which he befriended. Those
three single fiOwers-One was sent by 4 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 vas from a prisEE cell which he
h6d ofteI. visited to encourage rep"n-arcG IN
| a young man who had done WrOng.
| f'Tho9e three loose flowers moan qUite ~
| much as tho Garlands now breathing their
| aroma through this saldcned home crowded
| With sympathizefs. Blessed arc the dead
| who die in the LORD. They rest from theIr
labors. and their works do follow them.
Or if it should be the more solemn bCt!al
! at sea. leI it be after the sun has gone down,
| and the captain has read the appropriate
| liturgy. and the ships bell has tolled. and
voI. are let down frcmth stern Of tho vessel
! into the resplenient rhosphOre8cence at the
wake Of the ship. Then let some one say, In
/ the words Of my text, He maketh path 10
! chine aft him -