Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-02-19

sound of agony that appalled, the earth
and the heavens. But in the wake of
that life what phosphorescence of
smiles on the cheeks of souls pardoned,
and lives reformed, and nations re.
deemed. The millennium itself is only
one roll Of that irradiated wave of glad
ness and benediction. In the sublimest
of all senses it may be said of him, "He
maheth path to shine after him."
But cannot look upon that luminosi
ty that follows ships without realizing
how fond the Lord is of life. That fire
of the deep is life, myriads of creatures
all a-swim and a-play and a-romp in
parks of marine beauty laid out and par
tered and roseated and blossomed by
Omnipotence. What is the use of those
creatures called by the naturalists ''crus-
taceans" and s'copepods," not more than
one out of hundreds of billions of which
are ever seen by human eye? God ere.
ated them for the same reason that he
creates flowers in places where no hui
man foot ever makes them tremble, and
no human nostril ever inhales their redo
lence, and no human eye ever sees thei1
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 ex-
uberance.
And SO | am led to believe that he
loves our life if we fulfill our mission as
fully as the nhosphori fulfill theirs. The
son of God came ''that we might have
life and have it more abundantly." But
| am glad to tell you that our God is not
the God sometimes described as harsh
critic at the head of the universe, or an
infinite scold, or God that loves funer-
ais better than weddings, or God that
prefers tears to laughter, an omnipotent
Nero, ferocious Mana Sahib, but the
loveliest Being in the universe, loving
flowers and life and play, whether of
phosphori in the wake of the Majestic or
of the human race keeping holiday.
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE.
But mark you that the phosphorescence
has a glow that the night monopolizes,
and ask you not only what kind of In
fuence 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
crying than laughing, more people on
the round world this moment hungry
than well fed, more households bereft
than homes Inbroben. What are you
going to do about it? ''Wer," says yon-
der soul, q would like to do something
toward illumining the great ocean of
human wretchedness, but ! cannot do
much"
Can you do as much as one of the
phosphori in the middle of the Atlantic
ocean, creatures smaller than the point
of sharp pin? "Oh, yes" you say.
Then do that. Shinel Stand before the
looking glass and experiment to see if
you cannot get that scowl off your fore
head, that peevish look out of your lips.
Have at least one bright ribbon in yoar
bonnet. Embroider at least one white
cord somewhere in the midnight of your
apparel. DO not any longer impersonate
Il funeral. S3ine! Do say something
cheerful about society and about the
world. Put few drops of heaven into
your disposition. Once in awhile sub
stitute a sweet orange for a sour lemon.
Remember that pessimism is blasphe-
my and that optimism is Christianity.
Throw some light on the night ocean.
If you cannot be a lantern swinging in
the rigging, be one of the tiny phosphori
back Of the keel. Shine! LET your
light so shine before men that others see-
ing your good works may glorify your
Father which is in heaven"
Make one person happy every day, and
do that for 20 years, and you will have
made 1900 happy. You know a man
who has lost all his property by an I'M
fortunate investment or by putting his
name on the back of a friend note. Aft
Ell you have taken brief nap, which every
man and woman is entitled to on Sun
day afternoon, go and cheer up that man.
You can, if God helps you, say some
thing that will do him good after both
of you have been dead a thousand years.
Shine! You know of q family with bad
boy who has run away from home. Go
before night and tell that father and
mother the parable of the prodigal son,
and that some of the illustrious and use
full men now in church and state had a
silly passage in their lives and ran away
from home. Shine! You know of IA fam
lily that has lost child, and the silence
of the nursery glooms the whole house
from cellar to garnet. Go before night
and tell them how much that child has
happily escaped, since the most prosper
OuS life on earth is n STRUGGLE
Shine! You know of some invalid who
is dying for lack of an appetite. She
cannot get we'll because she cannot eat.
Broil chicken and take it to her before
night and cheat her poor appetite into
cal