Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-06-19

graphic is this reference in Revelation
There fell a great star from heaven,
burning as it were a lamp, and it fell
upon the third part Of the rivers and
upon the fountains Of waters, and the
name of the star is called WormwOod. "
Have you ever thought how many
imbittercd lives there are all about us,
misanthropic, morbid, acrid, saturninei
The European plant from which worm
wood isextracted, Artemisia absinthium,
is perennial plant, and all the year
round it is ready to exude its oil. And
in many human lives there is a peren-
NAL distillation Of acrid experiences.
Yea, there are some whose whole work
is to shed a baleful influence on others
There are Attilas Of the home, or At
tilas Of the social circle, or Attilas Of
the church, or Attilas Of the state, and
one-third of the waters of all the world
if not two-thirds the waters, are poi
soned by the falling Of the star Worm
wood. 1t is not complimentary to hu-
man nature that most men, az soon as
they get great power, become overbear-
ing. The more power men have the bet
ter if their power be 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
imbitterment, a blessing or a curse, a
balsam or wormwOOd:
Some Of you know are morning stars,
and you are making the dawning life Of
your children bright with gracious in
huences, and you are beaming upon all
the opening enterprises Of philanthropic
and Christian endeavor, and you are
heralds Of that day Of gospelization
which will yet food all the mountains
and valleys Of our sin cursed earth.
Hail, morning star! Keep on shining
with encouragement and Christian hOpel
Growers and scolds.
Some Of you are evening stars, and
you are cheering the last days Of old peo-
pie, and though a cloud sometimes comes
over YOU through the querulOusness
or unreaSOnableness of your old father
and mother it is only for a moment,
and the star soon comes out clear again
and is seen from all the balconies Of the
neighborhood. The old people will for
give your occasional shortcomings, for
they themselves several times lost their
patience when you were young and
slapped you when you did not deserve
it. Hail, evening starl Hang on the
darkening sky your diamond coronetl
But are any of you the star Worm
wood? Do you scold and growl from the
thrones paternal or maternal? Are your
children eyerlastingly pecked at? Are
you always crying " Hush!" to the merry
voices and swift feet, and their laugh
ter. which occasionally trickles through
at wrong times and is suppressed by
them until they can hold it no longer
and all the barriers burst into unlimited
guifaw and cachinnation, as in high
weather the water has trickled through
a slight opening in the milldam, but
afterward makes wider and wider
breach until it carries all before it with
irresistible freshet? Do not be too much
offended at the noise your children now
make. 1t will be still enough when one
of them is dead Then you 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, that there
are so many homes not known 10 the So
cietv 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 un-
til it is a wonder that under such proc
esses they do not all turn out Modocs
and Mana Sahibs.
What is your influence upon the
neighborhood, the town or the city OF
your residence? l will suppose that you
are a star Of wit. What kind of rays do
YOU shoot forth? Do you use that splen-
did faculty to irradiate the world or to
rankle it? l bless all the apostolic col
lege Of humorists. The man that makes
me laugh is my benefactor. 1 do not
thank anybody to make me cry? can
do that without any assistance. We all
CRY enough, and have enough to cry
about. God bless all skillful punsters,
all reparteeists, all propounders Of in
penious conumdrums all those who
mirthfully surprise us with unusual
iuxtaposition of words. Thomas Hood
and Charles Lamb and Sidney Smith
had divine mission, and so have their
successors in these times They stir into
the acid beverage of life the saccharine.
They make the cup Of earthly existence,
which is sometimes stale, effervesce and
bubble. They placate animosities. They
foster longevity. They slay follies and
absurdities which all the sermons OF all
the pulpits cannot reach.
Need of a Physician.
They have for examples Elijah, who
made fun Of the Baalites when they
called down fire, and it did not come.
suggesting that their heather god had
gone hunting, or was off ON journey,
or was asleep, and nothing but vocifer-
alton could wake him, saying, Cry
aloud for he is a god. Either he is talk
ing or pursuing or peradventure he
sleepeth and must be awaked. They
have an example in Christ, who with
healthful sarcasm showed up the lying,
hypocritical Pharisees by suggesting
that such perfect people like themselves
needed no improvements saying, The
whole need not a physician but they
that are sick. "
But what use are you making OF your
wit? Is it besmirched with profanity
and uncleanness? Do you employ it in
amusement at physical defects for which
the victims are not responsibleg Are
your powers Of mimicry used to put re-
ligion in contempt Is it a bunch OF
nettlesome invective? Is it a bolt of un-
Just scorn? Is it fun at others misfor-
tune? Is it glee at their disappointment
and defeat? Is it bitterness put drop by