The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-02-02

of the hundreds of bank clerks who
have stood at their desks year in and
year out until their health is well nigh
gone. taking not Il pins worth of that
which belongs to others for themselves.
though with skillful stroke of pen they
might have enriched themselves, and
built their country seats on the banks
of the Hudson or the Rhine.
Ii is Il mean thing in human nature
that men and women are not praised
for doing well, but only eXcoriated
when they do wrong. BY divine ar
ran"emcnt the most of the families of
, the earth are at peace. and the most of
these united in marriage have for each
other affinity and affection. They
may have occasional differences, and
here and there "A season of pout, but
the vast majority of those in the ON
iugal relation chose the most appro-
priat companionship and are happy in
that relation. You hear nothing of
the quietude and happiness Of such
homes. though nothing but death will
them part.
But one sound of marital discord
makes the ears of Il continent, and per-
haps n hemisphere, alert. The only
letter that ought never to have been
written. printed in a newspaper, makes
more talk than the millions OF letters
that crowd the post offices and weigh
down the mail carriers with expressions
of honest love. Tolstoi, the great
I;ussion author, is wrong when he
prints n book for the depreciation of
marriage. II your observation has put
You in an attitude of d~eploration for
the marriage state, n or two things
Is true in regard to you-you have
either been unfortunate in your ac-
quaintanceship, or You yourself are
morally rotten. The world, not as
rapid a we would like, but still with
long strides, is on the way to the
e of beatitude and felicity which
the Bible depicts. The man who can
not see this is wrong, either In his
heart. or liver, or spleen.
Look at the great Bible picture gal
lery, where Isaiah has set up the pic
lures of aborescence, girdling the
world with cedar, and fir, and pine,
and lockwood, and the lion led by q
child; and st. Johns pictures of waters
and trees, and white horse cavalry,
and tears wiped away, and trumpets
blown, and harps struck, and nations
redeemed. While there are ten thou
sand things l do not like, l have not
seen any Encouragement for the cause
of God for twenty-five years. The
kingdom Is coming. The earth Is
preparing to put on bridal array.
We need to be getting our anthems
and marches ready. In our hymnology
we shall have more use for Antioch
than for Windham; for Ariel than for
Naomi. Let 'Hark. from the tombs u
doleful cry" be submerged with Joy
to the world, the Lord is GOMEZ" Real
ly, II I thought the human race were
as determined 20 be bad, and getting
worse, as the pessimists represent, I
would think it hardly worth saving.
II after hundreds Of years of gospeliza-
ton no improvement has been made.
let us give it up and go at something
else beside praying and preaching.
We need a more cheerful front in all
our religious work. People have
enough trouble already. and do not
want to ship another cargo of trouble
in the shape Of religiosity. If religion
has been to you a peace, . defense, ar
inspiration, and a JOY, say so. Say 1t
by word of mouth; by pen in your
right hand; by face illumined with a
divine satisfaction. II this world is
ever to be taken for God, it will not be
by groans, but by hallelujahs. II we
could present the Christian religion as
it really is, in its true attractiveness,
all the people would accept it, and ac-
cept it right away. The cities. the ma
tions would cry out: Give us that! Give
it to use in all its holy magnetism and
gracious power! Put hat salve on our
wounds! Throw back the shutters for
that morning light! Knock of these
chains with that silver hammer! Give
us Christ-His pardon, His peace, His
comfort, His Heaven! Give us Christ
in song, Christ in sermon, Christ in
book, Christ in living examplew AS a
system of didactics, religion has never
gained one inch of progress. AS a
teohnicality, it befogs more than it ir-
radiates- As u dogmatism, it is an aw-
full failure. But as q fact, as q re-en-
forcement, AZ a TRANSPORTATION, it Is
the mightiest thing that ever descend.
ed from tho heavens, or touched the
earth. Exemplify it in the life of a
good man or O good woman, and no
one can help but like 1t.
There is an old-fashioned mother in
a farm house. Perhaps she Is some
where in the seventies; perhaps rs or
T6. IT is the early evening hour.
Through spectacles No. 8 she is reading
a newspaper until toward bedtime,
xvhon chn toIao nm N ruollurnrn honlx
called the Bible. know from the II.
Elimination in her face she is reading
one Of the thanksgiving Psalms, or In
Revelation the story of the twelve
pearly gates. After awhile she closes
the book and folds her hands, and
thinks over the past, and seems whis-
pering the names of her Children,
some of them on earth and some of
them in Heaven. Now q smile Is on
her face, and now a tear, and some
times the smile catches the tear. The
scenes of o long life come back to her.
Ono minute she sees all the children
smiling around her, with their toys,
and sports, and strange q~uestionings.
Then she remembers several of them
down sick with ~infantile disorders.
Then she sees o short grave, but over It
cut In marble; "Suffer Them to Come
TO Me-" Then there Is the wedding
hour. and tue neighbors in, and the
promise Of ~ WILL" and the departure
from the old homestead. Then O scene
of hard times, and scant bread,
and struggle. Then she thinks of
q few years with gush of sun
shine, and Fittings of dark shadows,
Inc viOissitudes. Then she kneels
down slowly, for many years have
stiffened the joints, and the illnesses
of n lifetime have made her less sup
pie. Her prayer is a mixture Of thanks
Tor sustaining grace oil those years;