The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-10
CAN'T CULTIVATE THORNS.
Some of Evangelist OstrOm's
Thoughts Expressed Last Night.

The usual services were held yesterday
and last night at the Roberts Park revival,
being conducted by the Rev. Henry F. Os-
from, the evangelist, and Mr.. Crowell, the
singer. The interest in these meetings con-
tinues to grow, and the large church Is
crowded at every service. Last evening he
took for a text, Instead of the thorn there
shall come up the fir tree, and instead OF
the briar shall come up the myrtle tree"
These words are found in the very same
chapter of Isaiah which says, Let the
wicked forsake his way" Our God will
abundantly pardon" and '.Ho, every. man
the figure used here evidently implies a very
radical change OF experience and conditions
of character.
"a great many people say they are going
to cultivate good habits and refined feelings,
and that these will make them live right"
said the evangelist. Now, true culture has
cannot cultivate bad man good. Cultivate
thorn tree, and what do you get? Bigger
thorns. Cultivate a briar and what do you
get? Tougher briars. You can never make
a thorn tree bear Bartlett pears by culti-
walton. It's nature Is thorny, and you can
cultivation. His nature is sinful. Let
man be thief at heart, and let him be
uncultivated, and he will steal your dog.
Let him remain a thief at heart and culti-
vate him. and he will steal your daughter.
Here is another a thief at heart. He
will steal chickens. Send him to school,
teach him to read and write. and raise his
thank YOU Now, IL he is still a thief
at heart. he will forge notes, and if you had
have known how to forge notes. You can
never raise crop of character by continu-
ally cultivating the mind. We must get the
thorn taken out of our natures if We would
have the myrtle put in.
There are people who say that age will
bring what they need in their characters
m hrIf are
time-saviors. Now, We surely need a great
blessing of respect for old age all over
every man a or woman with gray hairs y NAT And
while this is all so, an old sinner is the
worst kind of q, sinner in the world. He
them, and his hand is more deft. An old
thorn is a very tough thorn, an old briar
will make a deep wound. You cannot make
a thorn tree bear apples by letting it grow
old There must be a change of nature.
"Other people say that what they need is
change of circumstances. A word which is
being. commonly used to-day is environ
ment.' They say that if they could only
change their environment they would be
good. There is no doubt that our surround
ings have great deal of influence upon us.
/ used to know an old man who would get
up in meetings and say that he wanted TO go
farm at the edge of town. and he read the
Bible while his wife milked the cows. but he
always wanted to go TO Boston to get sane
titled. Now, you know he might better have
My brother, it is not much a change of
surroundings you need as a change of ma
ture. You say. If / was as rich as my
neighbour would take the poor out for car
riage drives and scatter sunshine all along
the way. The probability is my brother
that you would be stingier than you are
now. Some women say. If / just had the
home Mrs. A. has / would have weekly
supperS for the weakly and the downcast'
/ hope you would. But the probability is
that you would not always be ready to an
swer at the door bell. just like lots of other
people A violin that viii not sound well in
a log cabin will not sound well in this beau
tiful building. A soul that is not faithful in
little things will not be faithful in great
things. Put thorn in the valley and ii is
thorn, put it on a hill and il Is thorn,
plant 1t in the gravel and it is
thorn, plant ii In the clay and il ia thorn
cover Ii with winter snow and 1t is thorn
cover IL with summer sunshine and IL Is
thorn. Circums tances Will not make thorn
myrtle. There must be a change of nature.
Chop the thorn tree into chips and IL is
thorn, saw ii into sawdust and IL is thorn,
pound IL into pulp and 1t is thorn, boil Ii
in water and 1t is thorn. There must be
a change of nature
Here Mr.. Ostrom told a half-dozen or
more incidents of people who had been way
ward and had been converted, and In almost
every instance cited the records of the IN
dividuais for eight ten years. Among
these were an editor lawyer, q doctor
and CIRCUS clown.