The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-01

StTNdlOftSS 10 SIuQy Things ABOUT inc
moon, about the rings of Saturn, about
transits and occultations and eclipses,
simply because our studio, our observa-
tory is poorly situated. We are down in
the cellar trying to study the palace of
the universe, while our departed Chris
tian friends have gone upstairs amid the
skylights TO study.
Now, when one can sooner get to the
center of things, is ne not to be congratu-
latedl Who wants to be always in the
freshman classl We study God in this
world by the biblical photograph of him;
but we all know we can in five minutes of
of interview with friend get more accu-
rate idea of him than we can by studying
him fifty years through pictures of words.
The little child that died last night, to-
day knows more of God than all Andover,
and all Princeton, and all New Bruins
wick, and all Edinburgh, and all the
theological institutions in Christendom.
Is 1t not better to go up to the very head
quarters of knowledgel
Does not our common sense teach us
that it is better TO be at the center than
to be clear out on the rim of the wheel,
holding nervously fast to tho tire lest we
be suddenly hurled into light, and eter-
nal felicity Through all kinds of optical
instruments trying to peer in through the
cracks and the keyholes of heaven
afraid that both doors of the celestial
mansion will be swung wide open before
our entranced vision-rushing about
among the apothecary shops of this world,
wondering IF this is good for rheuma-
tism, and that is good for neuralgia, and
something else is good for bad cough,
lest we be suddenly ushered into land
of everlasting health where the inhab-
liant never says, II am sick"
What fools we all are to prefer the cir
conference to the center. What dread
full thing it would be if we should be sud
denly ushered from this wintry world into
the Maytime orchards of heaven, and If
our pauperism of sin and sorrow should
be suddenly broken up by presentation
of an emperor's castle surrounded by
parks, with springing fountains, and paths
up and down which angels of God walk
two and two.
We stick to the world as though we
preferred cold drizzle to warm habitation,
discord to cantata, sack cloth to royal
purple-as though we preferred a piano
with four or five keys out of tune to an
instrument fully attuned-as though
earth and heaven had exchanged apparel,
and earth had taken on bridal array and
heaven had gone into deep mourning, all
its waters stagnant, all its harps broken, all
chalices cracked at the dry wells, all the
lawns sloping to the river plowed with
graves with dead angels under the fur
row. 0, | want to break up my own in
fatuation and l want to break up your in
fatuation for this world. / tell you, if we
are ready, and if our work is done, the
sooner we go the better, and if there are
blessings in longevity want you to know
right we'll there are also blessings in an
abbreviated earthly existence.
If the spirit of this sermon Is true, how
cOnsoled you ought to feel about members
of your families that went early. Taken
from the evil to come" this book says.
| What fortunate escape they had! How
glad we ought to feel that they will never
have to go through the struggles which
we have had to go through. They had
just time enough to get out of the cradle
! and run up the springtime hills of this
world and see how it looked, and then
they started for better stopping-place.
| They were like ships that put in at St.
Helena, staying there long enough to let
passengers go up and see the barracks of
Napoleon captivity, and then hoist sail
for the port of their own native land.
They only took this world in "transitu."
II is hard for US, but it is blessed for them.
And if the spirit of this sermon Is true,
then we ought not to go around signing
and grooming because another year has
gone; but we ought to go down on one
knee by the milestone and see the letters
and thank God thai we are 365 miles
with morbid feelings about our health or
about anticipated demise. We ought to
be living not according TO that old maxim
which l used to hear in my boyhood, that
you must live as though every day were
the last; you must live as though you
were to live forever, for you will. Do not
be nervous lest you have to move out of a
shanty into an Alhambra, Z
One Christmas morning, one of~rny
neighbors, an old sea captain, died. After
life had departed, his face was illumi-
mated as though he were just going into
harbor. The fact was he had already got
through the "Narrows." In the adioin-
ing room were the Christmas presents
waiting for his distribution. Long ago,
one night when he had narrowly escaped
with his ship from being run down by a
great ocean steamer, he had made his peace
with God, and kinder neighbor or bet
ter man you would not find this side of
heaven. Without a moments warning,
the pilot of the heavenly harbor had met
him just off the light ship The captain
often talked to me of the goodness of God,
and especially of a time when he
was about to go in New York harbor with
his ship from Liverpool, and he was sud
denly impressed that he ought to put
back to sea. Under the protest of the
crew and under their very threat he put
back to sea, fearing at the same time he
was losing his mind, for it did seem so
unreasonable that when they could get
into harbor that night, they should put
back to sea. But they put back to sea
and the captain said TO his mate, "You
call me at ten O'Clock at night" At
twelve o'clock at night the captain was
aroused and said: What does tins mean2
thought told you to call me at ten
o'clock, and here it is twelve" why"
said the mate, II did call you at ten
o'clock, and you got up. looked around
and told me to keep right on this same
course for two hours, and then to call
you at twelve o'clock" Said the captain,
Els it possible2 have no remembrance of
that"
At12 o'clock, the captain went on
deck. and through the rift of the cloud
the moonlight fell upon the sea and
showed him shipwreck with one hun
| dred struggling passengers. He helped
them off. Had he been any earlier or any
later at that point of the sea
he would have Obeen of no service
to those drowning people. On board the
captains vessel they began to band to-
gether as to what they should pay for the
MEDICAL.