The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-07-19

| the little ones around me again, how
different I would dol' You will never
have them around again. The work is
done the bent to the character is given;
the eternity is decided. l say this to
young parents, those who are % and 80
or 35 years of age-have the family altar
tonight. How do you suppose that ia
| ther felt as he leaned over the couch Of
his dying child, and the expiring son
said to him: Father, you have been
very good to me- You have given me
fine education, and you have placed me
in fine social position, you have done
everything for me in worldly sense;
but, father, you never told me how to
die. Now am dying, and l am afraid.
Unkindness to the Departed.
In this category of irrevocable mis-
takes place also the unkindnesses done
the departed When was a boy, my
mother used to say to me sometimes,
de Witt, you will be sorry for that
when am gone" And remember just
how she looked, sitting there with cap
and spectacles and the old Bible in her
lap, and she never said truer thing
than that, for I have often been sorry
since While we have our friends with
us we say unguarded things that wound
the feelings of those to whom we ought
to give nothing but kindness. Perhaps
the parentkwithout inquiring into the
matter, boxes the child S ears. The little
one, who has fallen in the street, comes
in covered with dust, and as though the
first disaster were not enough she whips
it. After awhile the child is taken, or
the parent is taken, Or the companion is
taken, and those who are left say: ooh,
if we could only get back those unkind
words, those unkind deeds If we could
only recall them" But you cannot get
them back. You might bow down over
the grave of that loved one and cry and
cry and cry The white lips would make
no answer. The stars shall be plucked
out of their sockets, but these influences
shall not be torn away. The world shall
die, but there are some wrongs immor-
tai The moral of which is, take care of
your friends while you have them. Spare
the scolding. Be economical of the
satire. Shut up in dark cave from
which they shall never swarm forth all
the words that have a;'sting in them.
You will wish you had some day-very
soon you will, perhaps tomorrow. Oh,
yes. While with a firm hand you adj
minister parental discipline also admin
lister it very gently, lest some day there
be little slab in the cemetery and on
it chiseled, "Our Willie" or "Our
Charlie, and though you bow down
prone in the grave and seek place of
repentance and seek it carefully with
tears, you cannot find it.
There is another sin that I place in
the class of irrevocable mistakes, and
that is lost opportunities of getting
good l never come to Saturday night |
but l can see during that week that
have missed opportunities of getting
good never come to my birthday but
can see that 4 have wasted many
chances of getting better. I never go |
home on Sabbath from the discussion of |
a religious theme without feeling that |
1 might have done it in a more success
take certain number of bushels of |
wheat and scatter them over certain
number of acres of land, you expect a
harvest in proportion to the amount of
seed scattered And l ask you now,
Have the sheaves of moral and spiritual
harvest correspondent with the advan-
tages given? How has it been with you?
You may make resolutions for the fu-
ture, but past opportunities are gone
In the long procession of future years
all those past moments will march, but
the archangel's trumpet that wakes the
dead will not wake up for you one of
those privileges. Esau has sold his birth
right, and there is not wealth enough
in the treasure houses of heaven to buy
it back again. What does that mean? 1t
means that if you are going to get any
advantage out of this Sabbath day you
will have to get it before Ahe hand
wheels around on the clock to IL to-
night. 1t means that every moment of
our life has two wings, and that it does
not fly like hawk in circles, but in
straight line from eternity to eternity.
It means that, though other chariots may
break down or drag heavily, this one
lever drops the brake and never ceases
20 run 1t means that while at other
casts the cup may be passed to us and
We may reject it, and yet after awhile
AXE it, the cupbearers to this feast
lever give US but one chance at the
'halice, and rejecting that we shall
find no place for repentance, though
We seek it carefully with tears"
Lost Opportunities.
There is one more class of sins that l
nut In this category of irrevocable sins
md that is lost opportunities of useful
less Your business partner is a proud ]
nan. In ordinary circumstances say to
him, Believe in Christ" and he will {
ay, you mind your business and I'll
mind mine. But there has been Attic '
ion in the household His heart is ten ]
Ter. He is looking around for sympathy
nd solace Now is your time. Speak,
peak, or forever hold your peace. There /
5 time in farm life when you plant
he corn and when you SOW the seed. {
let that go by, and the farmer will
vring his hands while other husband
nen are gathering in the sheaves. You
re in a religious meeting, and there is 9
n opportunity for you to speak word s