The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-21

in the universe all wise n al benefi-
cent who can help a man in such a
~juncture, I want him..
The old book found among the family
relics tells me there is a God and that
for the sake OF his son, one Jesus, he
will give help to a man. To him / an
peal. God help me! Here l have 60
years yet to do for myself and to do
for others. 1 must develop this body
by all industries. by all gymnastics.
by all sunshine, by all fresh air, by all
good habits. And this soul / must
have swept and garnished and illumin-
ed and glorified by all that l can do
for it and all that I can get God to do
for it. 1t shall be a Luxembourg of
fine pictures. 1t shall be an orchestra
Of grand harmOnies. 1t shall be a pal
ace for God and Righteousness to reign
in. 1 wonde how many kind words
/ can utter in the next 60 years? I
will try. 1 wonder how many good
deeds 1 can do in the next 60 years?
1 will try. God help me.
A LIFE WORTH LIVING.
That young nan enters life. He is
.buffeted, he is tried, he is perplexed. A
grave opens on this side and a grave
opens on that side. He falls, but he
rises again. He gets into a hard battle,
u uc SSlS lHC NlClOly. Lite iIdlIA
course Of his life is in the right direc-
ton. He blesses everybody he comes
in contract with. God forgives his
mistakes and makes everlasting record
Of his holy e~ndeaVOrs, and at the close
of it God says to him: We'll done,
good and faithful servant. Enter into
the joy of the Lord" My brother, my
sister, 1 do not care whether thai man
dies at 80, 40, so, 60, 20 or so years of
o~o. oL;~1 ~;~I+ ,,~Io~ ~,
name on the tombstone these words,
His life was worth living"
Amid the hills Of New Hampshire, in
olden times, there sits a mother. There
are six children in the household-four
boys and two girls. Small farm. Very
rough, hard work to coax a living out
Of it. Mighty tug to make the two
ends of the year meet. The boys go to
school in winter and work the farm in
summer Mother is the chief presiding
spirit. With her hands she knits all the
stockings for the little feet, and she is
the mantua maker for the boys, n she
is the milliner for the girls. There is
only one musical in the
house, the spinning wheel. The food is
very plain, out it is always we'll pro-
vided. The winters are very cold, but
are kept out by the blankets she quilt
ed. On Sunday, when she appears in
the village church, her children around
her, the minister looks down and is re-
minded of the Bible description Of a
good housewife, Her children arise up
and call her blessed; her husband also,
and ne praiseth her"
Some years go by, and the two oldest
boys want a cole giate education, and
the household economies are severer,
and the calculations are closer, and un-
til those two boys get their education
there is a hard battle for bread. One
of these Boys enters the university,
stands in a pulpit widely Influential
and breaches righteousness, Judgment
and temperance, and thousands during
his ministry are blessed. The other
lad who got the collegiate education
goes into the law, and thence into
legislative halls, and after awhile he
commands listening senators as he
makes a plea for the downtrodden and
the outcast. One Of the younger boys
becomes a merchant, starting at the
foot of the ladder, but climbing on up
until his success and his ~philanthro-
pies are recognized all over the land.
The other son stays at ho!ne because
he prefers farming life, and then he
thinks he will be able to take care of
father and mother When they are old.
OF the two daughters, when the war
broke out, one went through the hospi-
tails of Pittsburg Landing and Fortress
Monroe, cheering up the dying and the
homesick and taking the last message
to kindred far away, so that every time
Christ thought of her he said, as Of old,
THE same is my sister and mother
The other daughter has a bright home
of her own and in the afterno on-the
forenoon having been devoted to her
household-she goes forth to hunt up
the sick n to the discour-
aged, leaving smiles and bened.ctiOn
all along the way
But n day there start five teIe-
grams from the village for these five
absent ones, saying, Come, mother is
dangerously ILL.," But before they can
be ready to start they receive another
telegram, saying, Come, mother is
dead" The old neighbors gather in the
old farmhouse to do the last offices Of
respect. But as that farming son, and
the clergyman, and the and
the merchant, and the two daughters
stand by the casket Of the dead mother
taking the last look, or lifting their
little children to see once more the
face of dear old grandma, I wan to
ask that group round the basket one