Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-11-05


end of the telescope The best way to
study a piece Of machinery is not TO
stand Oh the doorstep aud try 70 look In,
but to go in with the engineer and take
our place right amid the saws and the
cylinders We wear our eyes out and
our brain out from the fact that we are
studying under such great disadvantage.
Millions Of dollars for obseryatories
to study things about the moon, about
the sun, about the rings Of Saturn,
about transits and Occultations and
eclipses, simply because our studio, our
observatory, is poorly situated We are
down in the ce ar trying to study the
palace Of the Universe. while our de-
parted Christian friends have gone up
stairs amid the skylights TO study Now.
when one can sooner get 10 the center
of things. is he not TO be congratulated?
Who wants to be always in the fresh
man class? We study God in this world
by the Biblical photograph Of him, but
we all know we can in five minutes OF
interview with friend get more accu'
rate idea Of him than we can by study
ing him so years through pictures or
words The little child that died last
night knows more Of God than all An
dover. and all Princeton, and all New
Brunswick. and all Edinburgh, and all
the theological Institutes in Christen-
dom Is it not better TO 90 up 10 the very
Of lvvorvIaIsyar
At the Center.
Does not our common sense teach US
that It Is better 70 be- at the center than
to be clear out on the rim OF the wheel,
holding uervously fast to the tire, lest
we be suddenly hurled into light and
eternal felicity. Through all kinds Of
optical instruments trying to peer in
through the cracks and the keyholes Of
heaven-afraid that both doors Of the
celestial mansion will be swung wide
open before our entranced vision-rush-
ing about among the apothecary shops
of this world. wondering if this is good
for rheumatism and that is good for
neuralgia and something else Is good
for d bad cough. lest We be suddenly
ushered into a land of everlasting health
where the inhabltant never says. Il am
sick
What fools we all are to prefer the
circumference to the center What
dreadful thing it would be if we should
be suddenly ushered from this wintry
world into the Maytime orchards Of
heaven and If our pauperlsm Of sin and
sorrow should be suddenly broken up by
a presentation OF an emperOr's castle
surrounded by parks, with springing
fountains and paths up and down which
angels of God walk two and two We
are like persons standing on the cold
steps Of the national picture gallery IN
London, under umbrella in the rain,
afraid 70 90 in amid the Turner's and
the Titians and the Raphaels come TO
them and say. Why, don you 60 in
side the gallery "Oh. they say
I'VE don know whether we can get
in" | say. Don you see the door is
openY Yes, they say, but We have
been so long on these cold steps we are
so attached 10 Them. we don like to
leave " But say, lit Is so much
brighter and more beautiful IN the gal :
lery you had better go III NO. they
say I'VE know exactly how It is out
here, but we don't know exactly how It
is inside "
SO we stick to this world as though
we preferred cold drizzle to warm habi-
tation, discord to cantata. sackcloth to
royal purple-as though we preferred
piano with four or five OF the keys out
Of tune to an instrument fully attuned,
as though earth and heaven had ex-
changed apparel and earth had taken on
bridal array and heaven had gone into
deep mourning, all ITS waters stagnant,
all its harps broken, all chalices cracked
at the dry wells all the lawns sloping
to the river plowed with graves, with
dead angels under the turrow. Oh, l
want to break up my own infatuation,
and want to break up your lnfatuatlon
with this world. | tell you If we are
ready. and if our work is done. the
sooner we go the better, and if there are
blessings in longevity want you to
know right well there are also blessings
In an abbreviated earthly existence.
Fortunate Escapes.
If the spirit of this sermon is true.
how eonsoled you ought TO feel about
members OF your family that went ear
ly Taken from the evil 70 come.
this book says What fortunate escape
they had How glad We ought to feel
that they will never have to go through
the struggles which We have had 80 go
through They had just time enough TO
get out Of the cradle and run up on the
springtime hills Of this world aud see
how It looked. and then they started for
better stopping place They were like
ships that put IN at st Helena. staying
there long enough to let passengers 90
no and see the barracks Of Napoleon's
captivity. and then hoist sail for the
port OF their own native land. They on.
ly took this world in .ransitu. IL Is hard
for us. but IL is blessed for them.
And If the spirit Of this sermon IS
true, then we ought not TO go around
sighing and groaning when another
year is going, but we ought to 60 down
ON one knee by the milestone and see
the letters and thank God that we are
s65 miles nearer home. We ought not
to 20 around with morbid feelings about
our health or about anticipated demise
We ought to be living not according 10
that old maxim which | used to hear IN
my boyhood that you must live as
though every day were the last; you
must live as though you were to live
forever, for you will Do not be nerv'
Gus lest you have to move out OF shan
ty into an Alhambra
One Christmas day | witnessed some
thing very thrilling. We had Just dis
tributed the family presents Christmas
morning when | heard great cry OF
distress in the hallway A child from a
neighbor's house came in TO say her Ia
ther was dead lt was only three doors
off. and think in two minutes we were
there There lay the old Christian sea
captain. his face upturned toward the
window as though he had suddenly