Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-03-10

heipei build and OF the institutions OF mercy |
he helped founi. Better give up before you |
start the measuring of the phosphorsscence. /
In the wake OF tina; ship Of the Celestial line
Who can tell the post norte.n influence Of a |
Savonarola. Il Winke.ried. a Gutenberg. a |
Marlborough. a Decatur. 3 Tof1ssaint. a Eoii-
var. a Ciarkson. a Robert Iaaikes. a Harlan
Page. VINO had i25 sabbath scholars. eighty
fous OF wifurrt became Christians. AMI SIX Of
them ministers Of the gospel.
With gratitude and penitenee AMI worship
I mention the grandest life that was ever
lived. Tha. ship Of Itch. was launched from
the heavens nearly 1900 years ago. angelic
hosts chanting. and from the celestial
wharyes the ship spranc into the toughest
sea that ever tossed. Its pillows were made
mp of the wrath Of men and devils. Herodic
and sanhedrinic prosecutions stirring IN.
deep with red wrath. and all the hurricanes
Of Voc smote il until on the rocks OF Golgo-
tina that life struck with n resound OF AGONY
that appalled, tho earth and the heavens.
Blu. in the wake OF that life what 4 phcspho-
reecence of smiles on the cheeks OF SOILS
%pardoned. and live. reformed. and Nations.
redeemed. The millennium itself Is only
me roll Of that iraiiatei wave of Sladne,s
and keHeiirtion. In the subliue-t OF all
senses it may be said OF Him. He maSeih 4
path TO shin" after Hin.
But / cannot look upon that luminosity
that follows ships without realizing how fond
the LcEu IL ti Ilit. 1idt iI u tH' 10y -
life. myriads of creatures all a-swim and a.
play and a-romp in parkseot marine beauty
laid out and rarte.rei and roseafed and
biossomed by O~mniPotence. What isthe use
ofthose creatures called by the naturaiists
..rrustaceans" and ''copepods. not more
than one out Of hundreds OF billions OF which
ire ever seen by human eye? God created
ahem for the same reason that He creates
flowers in places where no human loot ever
makes them tremble. and no human nostril
ever inhaies their redolence. and no human
eve ever see. 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
briliiancy Of Sladness. life in exuoerance.
And so | am led TO believe that He loves
our life II we fulfill our mission Gs fully as
the phosphori falfll 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 sometlmes<de-
scribed as a harsh critic at the head OF the
universe, or an infinite scold: or a God that
loves funerals better than weddings. or a
God that prefers tears TO lau ghter. an ON
nipotent Nero. a ferocious Mana Sahih. but
the ioveliest 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 keepinga holiday.
But mark you that the phosphorescence
has a glow that the night ~monopolizes. and I
| 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 it?
''Well.' says yonder soul, 81 would like to
do something toward illumining the great
ocean of human Indebtedness. but | cannot
do MUCH
Can YOU do as much as one of the phos-
phori in the middle Of the Atlantic Ocean,
creatures smaller than the point of a sharp
pin? Oh, yes: you say; Then do that;
Shine! Stand before the looking glass and
experiment to see ii 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 at least
one white cord somewhere in the midnight
of your apparel. Do not any longer 1mper-
senate Il funeral. Shine, Do say something
cheerful about society and about the world.
Put a few drops Of heaven into your dlspo-
sition. Once in a while substitute a sweet
orange for a 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 phosphori back Of the keel.
Shine! Let your light 50 shine before mon
that others seeing your good works may
glorify your Father which is in heaven
Make one person happy every dav. and do
that for twenty years. and you will have
r~oln TQAn honry Won Ennyu "a n n n who hos
lost all his property by an unfortunate in.
vestment or by putting his name on the bacl
Of a friends note. After you have taken {
brief nap. which every man and woman i
entitled to on a Sunday afternoon, go anc
l-cheer up that man. You can. if God help,
you. say something that will do him sooc
after both OF you have been dead a thousanf
years.
Shine. You know OF a family with a bat
boy who has run away from home. Go he
fore night and tell that father and mothe
the parable of tho prodigal son. and tina
some OF the iilustrious and useful men nov
in church and state had a9sllly passage il
their lives and ran away from home. Shine
You know Of Il family that has lost a child
and the silence of the nursery glooms tn
whole house from cellar to garrett. Go be
fore night and tell them how much that chile
has happily escaped. since the most prosper
Gus life ON earth is a struggle.
Shine You know of some invalid WAC il
dying for lack of an appetit-. She canno
get we'll because she cannot eat. Broil
chicken and take it to her before night an
cheat her poor appetite into keen relish
Shine You know Of some one who like
you, and you like him. and he ought to be
Christian. Go tell him what religion Ia
done for you. and ask him If you can pra
for him.
Shine! On. for q disposition so charge
with sweetness and light that we cannot bel
but shine Ienember if You cannot he
leviathan flashing the ocean into fury yo
can be one of the phosphori. doing your par
toward making a path of phosphorcscence
Then / will tell you what impression 70
will leave as YOU pass through this LIE an
after you are gone. / will tell You to you
face and not leave it for the minister who 0
fctates at your obseguies.
The failure in ali euiogiun of the depa.te
is that they cannot hear II. All hear it .,
cept the one most interested. This. in sui
stance. Is what | or some one else will say {
You on such an occasion We gather q
offices Of respect to tals departed one. |,
Impossible 10 tell how many tears he wipe
away how many bu-tens ne lifted. or no