St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-10-30

'P"'tual weights. An evil habit,
whatever it is, clogs the soul. Un-
wholesome associations are weights
to drag a man down. Companions
that do not help, hinder. They hold
one back from doing his best.
Amusements that do not elevate.
occupations that seem to demand
questionable practices, self-indu.
gences that intoxicate and engross
the thoughts and corrupt the imagi.
nations, are all weights in mans
soul. He who is in earnest about
winning in his life-race cannot afford
to be thus handicapped. 1t is the
unhampered machine that "gets
there"
3. The next lesson is the impor-
lance of keeping ones balance. This
is the first great secret of success in
riding a wheel. Keep your balance
and you can ride well enough.
Equally important is it to have a
well-balanced life. Most men are
more or less one.sided. They are I'M
symmetrical in development, biased
in judgment, prejudced, warped out
OF correct proportions. One man
develops his body until his muscles
are hard as steel, while his mind is
left to run to waste. Another de-
velops at the expense of his soul.
Another, wiser than they but still
unwise, develops his soul at the ex-
pense of his mind. He has "a zeal
for God but not according to knowl-
edge" No man thus unbalanced,
can make the most Of his life. An
unsymmetrical development is al
ways animperfect development. Pref
udice always weakens character.
Bias makes wrinkles in souls as we'll
as in cloth. Only he who keeps all
his powers well under control, who
can subdue his passions and check his
impulses can make his team pull
steadily and evenly. 1t is the self
controlled, symmetrical life that &C.
compishes the most and best. He
who lets any part of his nature get
beyond his control and run away
with the rest, is sure to make a fail,
ure, if not a wreck.
4. The need of persistency and
watchfulness. If the first secret OF
riding a wheel is to keep ones bal
ance, the second is to keep going.
Neglect that and you are sure to fall
off. A bicycle was not made to stand
still. 1t must make progress or it
will topple over. Again our parable
speaks true to life. A mind unculti.
waited runs to waste. A body with
out nourishment and exercise be-
comes weak and loses its power.
The spiritual nature, too, needs con.
slant and persistent exercise.
Keep your pedals moving!" says
the bicycle instructor. keep your
soul alert, its powers active, its
faculties in motion!" says the great
Teacher. Try to stand still in your
Christian life, and you are pretty
sure to fall. Become lax in keeping
your endeavor pledge and it loses its
grip on your conscience. Your spir'
itual sensitiveness becomes paralyzed
as your faculties are allowed to be-
come inactive.
A delinquent church member once
told me: II only joined the church
for a yearW His conception OF
church membership was very crude.
No man can join Christ for a year.
If the branch is united to the vine it
is a lite union. That means life
growth; life progress, The branch
will live as long as the vine lives,
and growth is essential to life. Per
sistency is the price we must pay tor
spiritual progress. Let no bicycle
rider forget that.
At the same time there must be
watchfulness. Many a needless
rider has been thrown by running
against obstacles that he did not see,
or getting into ruts, colliding with
other riders. If our wheels and the
demands they make on US to keep
alert and ever watchtul will only
teach the young Christian of this
generation the need of keeping on the
watch against pitfalls and obstacles,
against ruts of thinking and of SER
vice, against rudeless collisions with
things evil, they will prove valuable
teachers. Spiritual alertuess is often
the price of ones soul.
Many other illustrations OF spirit
,,ol +r,tb can he found in the biCYCle