The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-24

knew what the earth contained wnile men
roamed aimle.sly over its face, SO Also ne
knew what was IN man, when ne commlt-
ted TO him the gospel of duty and love.
IL is therefore one OF the most important,
as well as most neglected OF all lines OF
effort to try the powers OF the soul.
The teaching faculty lies dormant in
many people, and they go into the next
world without having discovered That tney
possessed il. The social faculty OF many
is very winning. The very shyness and
diffidence that they regard as draw back
is the most charming thing about them,
when they speak with you. The Illus
trative faculty, the power OF showing how
the goodness of God appears in many
forms OF life-some of our best friends
possess this faculty in a high degree. But
ii Is cast away unnoticed. The LORD has
made them poor, and it Is not their fault,
they Will tell you.
Now a little thought will persuade us
that very few who have become great
have showed at first the indications OF
their power. We forget that every person,
however prominent, was once babe,
incapable OF anything beyond the feeblest
efforts in any direction. All our powers
seem very weak at first. When the early
experiments were made with electricity
as power, II seemed that large expense
was needed to evoke very small degree
of energy. Ii was too much TO hope that
such a power could move a car. / ven
ture the assertion that most poets began
with doggerel; most prose writer's with
a wort hless sort OF school compositions;
and most carpenters with bruised hngers.
The pastor of one OF the strongest Presby-
terian churches in this country told me
that he never went into the pulpit with
cut dread OF mind and trembling OF body.
Washington was notoriously OF the opin-
ion that the country made great mistake
in appointing him general. In this re-
spect he differs from the municipal poll
ticians whose abilities rise like balloons
on the day of their nomination.
Because the Bible has remained almost
sealed book in its deeper meanings to us,
we resignedly suppose that that must al
ways be the case. We say we are not en-
thusiastic by nature, and so we live on
dead level of humdrum life, and lose
the Joy of Christ, which he is seeking
to share with us.
A man IS made. not by the possibilities
that are in him, but by the powers which
he makes real. III your mind seems like
n desert, put In an artesian well. VINO
knows but that it may fairly sprout with
ideas. If you are faint hearted, ana
always shrink from responsible efforts
and from the deep waters where you must
90 alone, yet there must be little faith
or you cannot float. Trying and trusting
are not so far apart as they may seem.
man need not be conceited in order TO
succeed. But God asks us TO take the
common sense view that He will sustain
any effort we find it necessary to make.
Our lives are small because we never look
ed TO see how large plan the Maker
drew for us. Like an echo from the be-
ginning to the end of Jesus ministry
runs the fervid command: ''Have faith
in God. Lack of success is atheistic.
Everything good that was done was
an innovation, and was ever looked upon
by somebody as almost impious. Surgical
operations that now occur every day were
once entered upon for the first time by
somebody who thought il worth while to
try what man could do. Ii is not un-
reasona ble as we think of il to say that
God gave us with our lives abilities to
take care of them. And His plan will be
only botch If we fail to understand
how TO do it. In this large and true
sense every right-minded experimentalist
is carrying out the plans Of God. III Is as
true OF language. Those barbarous dial
ects which, owing TO poverty OF express
sion, fail to convey to men the thoughts
of God, must by sure and divine process
be brought to greater efficiency in that
respect Even our own tongues is ever In
changing state, Ia the necessary struggle
to express the facts and the relations that
matter and spirit are giving to us. All
our machines are only adaptations for the
channels of power which God created;
and they are the visible result of thought
to connect Gods power with mans need.
Architecture is the effort to make the
stone and the clod tabernacle for the
divine spirit. All glorious works began
with men who tried and trusted. We
know that they trusted or they would
have tried. And so the designs OF the
greatest works of man with matter-the
cathedras of the old world, grew from
huts of twisted osiers, built for closets of
prayer. Painting and SCULPTURE we are
accustomed to regard as the growths OF
ages end so they are. But the entire
previous age has been taken up into the
mind of every great painter. He has be-
gun like the painter of the Sistine Madon-
ma. He has begun at the initial point of
the most savage art isan. III the greatest OF
orators had the heritage Of past litera-
lures, he himself was once unable TO speak
his mothers name. Dear friends we be-
gin at nothing, but we must aspire after
the character, the beauties. the generosl-
ties, the powers, the sacrifices OF Jesus
Christ.
But il would be wrong to look at the
subject before us In this one-sided way.
1t is a still more important duty 10 try
another PEOPLE, and 90 learn what is in
them. The rarest characters are some
times quiet and hidden, and we lose
them unless we hold out to them the
touchstone of love in order to call out
THAR beIter selves. Ne are losing every
day the opportunity OF making the most
Geirable friendships. You h'ar people
say: "Why, did not know that smith
was SO good a fellow. | talked with him
little today aud | was really surprised TO
find what a fine mind, what a true soul
he has," We do not test men. Jesus
was always giving his disciples an oppor-
tunity to show themselves what they
ought TO be. lie ever followed the
practice of asking them quest ions that
might call them out, il there was any
good in them. We talk Of discovering
new mines, and of the POSSIBLE wealth
Of our community. The iGct Is that the
man at the next desk may be a rare soul,
better worth finding than a range of gold
hills. The best friend have in the world
i came near never knowing, because |
waited to long before I gave him an OPP
portunity to be confidential. Our neighbors
are all spiritual barometeTs, and II we
look at them with knowing eye we may
find how their atmosphere affects them.
is there IS a little warmth or sunshine
that we can throw into Il?
j esteem that man rich who has known
hOW To draw ont his friends aud how N