Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-10-19

And l would that could break up your
sadness, and halt the long funeral pro-
cession of the worlds grief by some
cheering and cheerful view of the last
transition.
We all know that husking time was a
time of frost. Frost on the fence.
Frost on the stubble. Frost on the
ground. Frost on the bare branches
OF the trees. Frost in the air. Frost
on the hands of the huskers. You re-
member we used to hide behind the
corn stacks so as to keep off the wind,
but still you remember how shivering
was the body and how painful was the
cheek, and how benumbed were the
hands. But after awhile the sun was
high up,and all the frosts went out of
the air, and hilarities awakened the
echoes and joy from one corn shock
went up, AHA, aha!" and was answered
by joy from another corn shock, aha,
aha!"
So We realize that the death Of our
friends is the nipping of many expecta-
tons, the freezing, the chilling, the
frostlng of many of our hopes. 1t is
far from being a south wind. 1t comes
from the frigid north, and when they
| go away from us we stand benumbed
IN BODY and benumbed in mind and
benumbed in soul. We stand among
our dead neighbors, our dead families,
and We say, will we ever get over it?"
Yes, we will get over it amid the
| shoutings of heavenly reunion, and we
| VIII look back to all these distresses
OF bereavement only as the temporary
distresses of husking time. Weeping
may endure for night, but JOY cometh
IN the morning" Light, and but for
moment" said the apostle as he
clapped his hands, Eight, and but for
moment" The chill of the frosts
followed by the gladness that cometh
IN like as shock Of corn cometh in
in his season."
Perhaps now this may be an answer
to question which / asked one Sab
Datn morning, but did not answer:
why is it that so many really good peo-
pie nave so dreadfully to suffer? You
OFTEN find good man with enough
pains and aches and dlstresses, you
would think, to discipline whole col
ony, while you find man who is per-
fectly useless going about with easy
digestion and steady nerves and shin
ing health, and his exit from the world
Is comparatively painless. How do
you explain that? Well, I noticed in
the husking time that the husking peg
was thrust into the corn and then there
must be stout pull before the swath-
ing was taken off of the ear, and the
full, round, healthy luxuriant corn was
developed; while on the other hand
there was corn that hardly seemed
worth husking. We threw that into
a place all by itself and we called it
''nubbins.
Some OF 1t was mildewed, and some
Of it was mice nibbled, and some of it
was great promise and no fulfilment
All cobs and no corn. Nubbins! After
the good corn had been driven up to
the barn we came around with the corn
basket and we picked up these nub-
bins. They were worth saving, but
not worth much. So all around us
there are people who amount to moth
ing. They develop into no kind of use
fulness. They are nibbled on one side
by the world, and nibbled on the other
side by the devil, and mildewed all over.
Great promise and no fulfilment. All
cobs and no corn. Nubbins.
They are worth saving. l suppose
many of them will get to heaven. but
they are not worthy to be mentioned
in the same day with those who went
through great tribulation into the king
dom Of our God. Who would not rath-
er have the pains of this life, the mis-
fortunes of this life-who would not
rather be torn, and wounded, and Ia
cerated, and wrenched, and husked and
at last go in amid the very best grain
OF the granary, than to be pronounced
not worth husking at all? Nubbins,
In other words, want to say to you
people who have distress of body, and
distress in business and distress of all
sorts. the Lord has not any grudge
against you. 1t is not derogatory. it
is complimentary. Whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth." and IL is proof
positive that there is something valua-
bic in you, or the Lord would not have
husked you.
Now, in heaven all their offensiveness
has been husked off. Each one Is as
happy as he can be. Every one he
meets as happy as he can be. Heaven
ore great neighborhood reunion. All
kings and queens, all songsters, all
millionaires, all banqueters. God, the
Father, with his children all around
him. No good by" in all the air. No
grave cut in all the hills. River of
crystal rolling over bed of pearl, un-
der arch of chrysoprasus, into the sea
of glass mingled with fire. Stand at
the gate of the granary and see the
grain come in; out of the frosts into
the sunshine, out of the darkness into
the light, out of the tearing and the
ripping and the twisting and the
wrenching ard the decorating and the
husking time of earth into the wide
open door of the kings granary, like
as a shock Of corn cometh in in his
season."