The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1896-06-19

of all the world, IL not tWo-thirds the
waters, are poisoned by the falling OF
the star NORWOOD. 1t Is not compli-
mentary to human nature that most
men, as soon as they get great power,
become overbearing. The more power
men have the better, il their power
used for good. The less power men
have the better, if they use it for evil.
Birds circle round and round and
round before they swoop upon that
which they are aiming for. And if my
discourse so far has been swinging
round and round, this moment it drops
straight on your heart and asks the
question: Is your life a benediction to
others, or an embitterment, a blessing
or a curse, a balsam or NORWOOD?
Some of you, l know. are morning
stars, and you are making the dawn
ing life of your children bright with
gracious influences, and you are BEAM
ing upon all the opening enterprises
of philanthropic and Christian en-
deavor, and you are heralds of that
day of Gospelization which will yet
flood all the mountains and valleys of
Il s%in-cursed earth. Hail, morning
star! Keep on shining with encourage
ment and Christian hope!
Some of you are evening stars, and
you are cheering the last days of old
comes owe you through the querulous-
ness or unreasonableness Of your old
father and mother, it is only for a mo-
ment, and the star Don comes out clear
again and is seen from all the bal
comics Of the n~eighbOrhOod.. The old
people will forgive your occasional
shortcomings, for they themselves sew
eral times lost their patience when you
were young, and slapped you when you
did not deserve it.. Hail, evening star!
Hang on the darkening sky your dia-
mond %coronet.
But are any Of you the star Worm
wood? Do you scold and growl from
the thrones paternal or maternal? Are
your children everlastingly pecked it?
Are you always crying, ''Hush!" to the
merry voices and swift feet, and their
laughter, which occasionally trickles
through at wrong times, and is SUD-
pressed by them until they can hold it
no longer, and all the barriers burst
into unlimited guffaw and cachinna-
ton, as in high weather the water has
trickled through a slight opening in
the mill-dam, but afterward makes
wider and wider breach until it carries
all before it with Irresistible freshet?
Do not be too much offended at the
be still enough when one of them is
dead. Then o would give your right
hand to hear one shout from their
silent voices, or one step from the still
foot. You will not any Of you have
to wait very long before your house
is stiller than you want it. Alas, hat
there are so many homes not known to
the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children, where children are
put on the limits, and whacked and
cuffed and ear-pulled, and senselessly
called to order, and answered sharp
and suppressed, until it is a wonder
that under such processes they do not
al turn out Modocs and Mana Sahibs!
But l will change this and suppose
you are a star of Worldly Prosperity.
Then you have large opportunity. You
al encourage that artist by buying
his picture. You can improve the fields,
tie stables, the highway, by introduce
ing higher style of fowl, and horse, and
cow, and sheep. You can bless the
world with genealogical achievements
in the orchards. You can advance ar
horticulture and arrest this deathful
.iconoclasm of the American forests.
You can put a piece of sculpture
into the niche of that public academy.
You can endow a college. You can
stocking a thousand bare feet from the
winter frost. You can build a church.
You can put a missionary of Christ
that foreign shore. You can help
ransom a world. A rich man with his
heart right-can you tell me how much
good a James LenoX Or a George Pea
body or a Peter Cooper or a William
E. Dodge did while living. or is doing
now that he is dead? There is not a
city, town, or neighborhood that has
not glorious specimens Of consecrated
What is true of individuals is true
of nations. God sets them up to re-
v@ve as stars, but they may fall as
Tyre-the atmosphere of the desert,
fragrant with spices. coming in cara
vans to her fairs; all seas cleft into
foam by the keels of her laden mer-
her markets rich . with
horses and camels from Togarmah, her
bazaars filled with upholstery from De-
dan, with emerald and coral and agate
from Syria, with wines from Helbon,
with embroidered work from Ashur
and Chilmad. Where now the CLEAN
of her towers, where the roar OF her
chariots, where the masts of her ships?
Let the fishermen who dry their nets
where once she stood, let the sea that
upon the %barrenness where once
she challenged the admiration of all
nations, let the barbarians who set