The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-04-22
OPEN WINDOWS,
BY REV. EDWARD A. HORTON.

BY REV. EDWARD A. HORTON.
"Windows open toward Jerusalem"
Dan. vi, 10.
A pupil in the public schools wrote
an essay which began with the quota.
tion from one Of cur great American
thinkers, Glitch your wagon to q
star" The teacher, to whom the
composition was submitted, severely
criticised the writer for using this ex-
PRESTON, claiming that it was slang.
This error of judgment showed not
only a deficiency on the part Of the
educator with regard to his reading,
but also disclosed his lack of good
sense. There is no better watchword
than that injunction. The lad who
used it was en- the right track. He
was in touch with the noble man Of
old who is described as keeping the
windows Of his room open toward Jeru.
salem even while in exile. What does
this mean for US who are meeting
everyday duties? Can We hitch the
wagon Of our ordinary enterprise to
the star Of some high purpose? In
other words, are there certain windows
hat we ought to keep open, doing
which we are helped to ways most
practical? I am very confident that
the great need for us all at the present
time is the open window condition Of
mind and heart. Let me specify what
| mean.
In the first place, we get what Imay
call "~horizon." Any toiler in the city
who takes his summer outing will I'm.
derstand what this expression means
at once. He passes out of the narrow
streets and high walls Of brick to up
lands and hills and far-reaching fields.
There is a sense of largeness, space fol-
thought and action, and a feeling that
one is not hemmed in and crowded.
Horizon is a word that means for peo-
pie at large a long look and an inspir.
ing me-. The worker in the world
without sky and horizon in his thoughts
becomes a mere slave. There are vari.
Gus kinds Of bondage, of which the
physical is not the worst. The slav'
cry of habits and mind, whereby We
become fettered, in dull, dreary. ways
of performing things, is about the
direst calamity that can tsfall human
beings. We were made " grow. No
one can grow withou. horizon. he
must have incentive and see things
ahead. This brings to such a person
a largeness-of spirit which is helpful
of the best results.
Another benefit from open. :7doH
condition of character is the e. .pt
Of courage thereby. Imean by this,
that looking squarely at things as they
are, one. gets a valor which cannot
come in any other way. Little fires
are built by small ships. If you want
sustained vigor in life you must draw
from a large source. The dynamo
that run the everyday activity to its
fullest and best must be n of nc
mean kind. Courage is closely related
to hope. "We are saved by hope
If we take little views, surface views,
shut-in-views, then we lack the inspi
ration that comes from seeing all things
together. He who has an open win
dow over history, and sees how man
kind has struggled and conquered
receives a fresh installment of courage
for his own personal battle. The
open window Of biography is ~ o.
the finest, surest sources Of fortitudt
and endurance. Biography cells US
what our fellow human beings have
been doing who stood on the peaks
They are greater than we, but Of thu
same family. Their achievements lift
ours. In other words, if we close th'
windows of our observation and darker
ourselves, we shut out the SUNSHINE
which comes from heroes, reformer'
and saints. This thought about cour
age through the open window can b.
applied in many ways, and each on
who is immersed in the vicisitudes o
life ian understand perfectly what thi'
means.
The simple matter is, we forget tx
| forecast some daily use of this advan
tage. Let us renew our courage con
stantly by grand optlooks of thi'
kind.
There is another gain by hitchin!
our wagon to a star; it comes in al
increase of confidence. The usua
pulpit name for this is faith. Wha
I mean is we'll understood in the worlt
at large, namely, a sense of securit!
and a willingness to 60 forward. A
when We trust q bridge for the frs
time or lean on friendships pledges
We believe and act accordingly. NJ
man can maintain steadiness Of though
and action in the world to-day, whethe
in business or the professions, without
the habit of open-window outlook
He must be able to look through ap
pearances into realities. He mus
have the faculty of comparing things
The infant or the child-man in history
goes simply by disconnected facts
The man Of to-day threads together al
immense variety of transactions by
some one guiding principle. For in
stance, to illustrate: The patriot VIII
fails to look through battle6elds to tn
great principles Of u government
slowly getting into power, is easil!
discouraged. The reformer who take:
only a few years as the guage of wha'
can be done will speedily throw aside
his faith in man.
X X \
Common sense tells US to-day tt
have insight, and insight means th'
habit of accepting this law and letting
it rule our conduct. The law is tina
progress comes surely, though slowly
That evolution is traceable all ovel
the affairs of this world. That gooe
will conquer evil when nan and wo
men band together to accomplish it
Truth is steadily on the gain, and the
conditions of life are improving. Thl.