Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-12-20
use; mans a failure. "
Domestic Irritations.

use; man's failure. "
Domestic Irritations.
The small insect annoyances OF life
sometimes come in the shape Of local
physical trouble, which does not amount
to a positive prostration, but which
bothers you when you want to feel the
best. Perhaps it is sick headache
which has been the plague Of your life,
and you appoint some occasion of mirth
or scciality or usefulness, and when the
clock strikes the hour you cannot make
your appearance. Perhaps the trouble is
between the ear and the forehead, in
the shape of a neuralgia twinge. No
body can see it or sympathize with it,
but Just at the time when you want
your intellect cleaIest, and your DISPOSE
ton brightest, you feel o sharp, keen,
disconcerting thrust. "The Lord sent
the hornet. "
Perhaps these small insect annoyances
will come in the shape Of q domestic
irritation. The parlor and the kitchen
do not always harmonize. To get good
service and to keep it is one Of the
greatest questions Of the country. Some
times it may be the arrogancy and in
considerateness Of employers, but what
ever be the fact we all admit there are
these insect annoyances winging their
way out from the culinary department
If the grace of God be not in the heart
of the housekeeper, she cannot maintain
her equilibrium. The men come home
at night and hear the story Of these an
noyances, and say, ooh, these home
troubles are very little things" They
are small, small as wasps, but they
sting Martha's nerves were all I'M
strung when she rushed in asking Christ
to scold Mary, and there are tens OF
thousands of women who are dying,
stung to death by these pestiferous do
nestle annoyances. 1.-THE Lord sent the
hornet. "
These small insect disturbances may
also come in the shape Of business irrl-
tations. There are men here who went
through 1857 and the oath Of Septem-
Der. 1869, without losing their balance,
who are every day endorsed by little
annoyances-a clerks i'll manners, or a
blot of ink on bill of lading, or the
extravaganza Of a partner who over
draws his account, or the underselling
by a business rival, or the whispering
Of store condolences in the street, or the
making of some little bad debt which
was against your judgment, just to
please somebody else.
Yellow Jackets.
1t is not the panics that kill the mer-
chants. Panics come only once in 10 or
90 wears. 1t is the constant din Of these
everyday annoyances which is sending so
many Of our best merchants into NJ
GUS dyspepsia and paralysis and the
grave. When our national commerce fell
fiat ON its face, these men stood up and
felt almost defiant, but their life is go
ing away now under the swarm Of these
pestiferous annoyances. "The Lord sent
the hornet "
have noticed in the history Of some
that their annoyances are multiplying
and that they have a hundred where
they used to have ten. The naturalist
tells us that a wasp sometimes has a
family of 10000 wasps, and it does
seem as if every annoyance Of your life
brooded a million. By the help Of God
l want to show you the other side. The
hornet is of no use? Oh, yes The nat
uralists tell us they are very important
in the worlds economy; they kill spi-
ders, and they clear the atmosphere, and
really believe God sends the annoy
ances of our life upon us to kill the
spiders Of the soul and to clear the at
mosphere Of our skies.
These annoyances are sent on rs, /
think, to wake US up from our lethargy.
There is nothing that makes man so
lively as a nest Of yellow jackets, "
and think that these annoyances are
intended to persuade us Of the fact that
this is not a world for us TO stop in. If
we had bed of everything that was
attractive and soft and easy, what
would we want of heaven? We think
that the hollow tree sends the hornet,
or we may think that the devil sends
the hornet. l want TO correct your opiD-
ion. 1.-The Lord sent the hornet. "
Then l think these annoyances come
on US to culture our patience. In the
gymnasium you find upright parallel
bars-upright bars, with holes over each
other for pegs to be put in. Then the
gymnast takes peg in each hand, and
he begins to climb, one inch at time,
or two inches, and getting his strength
cultured reaches after awhile the cell
ing. And it seems to me that these an
noyances in life are moral gymnasium,
each worriment a peg with which we
are to climb higher and higher in Chris
tian attainment. We all love to see pa
thence, but it cannot be cultured in fair
weather. Patience is a child Of the
storm. If you had everything desirable,
and there was nothing more to get, what
would you want with patience? The
only time to culture it is when you are
lied about and sick and half dead.
ooh" you say, IF l only had the
circumstances of some we'll to do man I
would be patient too" You might as
we'll say, eff it were not for this water,
1 would swim, or, Il could shoot this
gun if it were not for the charge"
When you stand chin deep in annoy
ances is the time for you to swim out
toward the great headlands Of Christian
attainment, so as to know Christ and
the power of his resurrection and to
have fellowship with his sufferings.
Purified by Fire.
Nothing but the furnace will ever
burn out of Us the clinker and the Stag
l have formed this theory in regard to
small annoyances and vexations. 1t
takes just so much trouble to fit us for
usefulness and for heaven. The only
question is whether VIC shall take it in
the bulk or pulverized and graduated.
Here is one man who takes it in the
oulk. His back is broken, or his eye
sight put ont, or some other awful ca
lamity befalls him, while the vast ma
jority Of people take the thing piece
VUIsol, $780,. -. ..otl.o..