Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-06-22
Chances of Reform.

That process OF inebriation, warming
and dissolution is going ON within stones
throw OF you, going On in all tho nuighbor
hoods Of Christendom. Pain does not cor
rect. Suffering does not reform. What Is
true i'll one sense Is true in all senses and
will forever be SO, and yet men are expect
ing in the next world purgatorial rejuve.
nation. Take up the printed reports OF the
prisons Of the United States, and you will
find that the vast majority Of the inCar-
cerated have been there before some Of
them four, five, six times. With million
illustrations all working the other way IN
this world people are expecting that dis
tress in the next state will be salvatory
You cannot imagine any worse torture In
any other world than that which some
men have suffered here, and without any
salutary consequence.
Furthermore, the prospect Of reforma.
ton in the next world is more improbable
than reformation here. In this world
the life started with innocence Of infancy.
In the case supposed, the other life will
open with all the accumulated bad habits
OF many years upon him. Surely IL Is
easier to build strong ship out Of new
| timber than out of all old hulk that has
been ground up In the breakers. II with
| innocence to start with In this life man
does not become godly, what prospect Is
there that in the next world, starting with
| sin, there would be a seraph evoluted,
Surely the sculptor has more prospect of
making fine statue out OF block Of pure
white Parian marble than out OF an old
black rock scanned and cracked with the
etnrn1s If n half rpntnrv Snraly ,pnn :,
clean white sheet Of paper IL Is easier to
write u deed or will than upon sheet
of paper oil scrubbed and blotted and torn
from top to bottom. Yet men seem to
think that, though the life that began here
comparatively perfect turned out badly,
the next life will succeed, though 1t starts
with dead failure.
But" says some one, II think we
ought to have chance in the next life,
because this life Is SO short IL allows only
small opportunity. We hardly have time
to turn around between cradle and tomb
the wood Of the one almost touching the
marble Of the other" But do you know
what made the ancient deluge necessity
1t was the longevity of the antediluvians.
They were worse in the second century OF
their lifetime than in the first hundred
years and still worse In the third century,
and still worse all the way on to 700, SOC
and 300 years, and the earth had to be
washed and scrubbed and soaked and an.
chored clear out Of sight for more than d
month before 1t could be made fit for de
cent people to live In.
Longevity never cures impenitency All
tho pictures OF Time represent him with q
scythe to cut, but never saw any picture
of Time with a case Of medicines to heal
Seneca says that Nero for the first five
years Of his public life was set up for an
example of clcmency and kindness, but
his path all tn" way descended until ut "a
A. ID. he became suicide. II 800 years did
not make antediluvians any better, but onl,
made them worse, the ages Of eternity
could have no effect except prolongatior
Of d,pravity.
Wrongs and Rights.
But" says some one, "in the futur,
state evil surroundings will be withdrawn
ana elevated influences substituted, ant
hence expurgation and sublimation anC
glorihcation." But the righteous, all thei,
sins forgiven, have passed on into a ben
tino state and consequently the unsayct
VIII be left alone. 1t cannot bo expectec
that DIR. Duff, who exhausted himself IN
teaching Hindoos the way to heaven. ant
Dr. Abeel, who gave his life In the evan
COLLATION. Of China, and A doniram Judson
who toiled for the redemption OF Borneo
should be sent down by some oelestia