The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-07-20

dead chickens that we had been drink
Ing on. The fact is, l never know the
comfort OF water, abundant water, uu-
til we planted our waterworks in Car
tersville. Strange TO say, they never
came until we abolished whiskey-that
is, the saloons. A great English poet
and Jurist says "lts cool refreshment
drained by fevered lips gives pleasure
more exquisite than nectarean juice"
and Coleridge's sum Of human agony
was to have
Water, water everywhere,
But not u drop to drink
During tho late long heated term in
June 1T was alarming to read from the
weather bureau that the world was
slowly but surely drying up, and the
rainfall was decreasing every year.
What an awful calamity is to come to
somebody some time! God grant that
1t may not come in our day, nor our
children's children's children . God
grant that it may not come at all a.. But
the Scriptures do say that this world
shall be burned up, and | heard Pro-
lessor Proctor, the great astronomer,
deliver 4 lecture or The Birth,
Growth, Maturity, Decay and Destruc-
tlon OF u World" that made the hair
almost stand0 on end, for he proved that
the world had passed it's meridian and
was now on Il rapid down grade of de-
cay. Rapid, rapid, did | say Yes,
rapid for Il planet, but it may be a mil
lion years distant" That let us down
easy, and that night the young people
danced and h sports played poker as
usual. Just postpone the judgment out
Of sight, and human nature will take
the chances.
But the blessed seals that hold the
F,n ~ / n fln lAnt yD ,- la,-~ "a -. L-
opened, and once more man and beast
and nature rejoice in Il temperate at
m%osphere and a mo.stened earth. 1t
was distressing to read of the sun
strokes and the suffering in the great
cities, and to think OF the little inno-
cent children and the invalids in the
garrets and crowded rooms of the tene-
ment houses. Oh, when will tie good
things of this world be equally appor-
toned ? Many Of us have lar more than
our share, but we are still ungrateful
and long for more. My opinion is that,
Independent OF all revelations, there is
obliged to be another life in anotl err
world just to equalize things. "Son,
remember that thou in thy lifetime
r~eceivedst good things and Lazarus
evil things, but now Lazarus is com
forted and thou art tormented." That
is II good text for us all to rn,ninate
about once or twice or thrice in u while.
| tell you, my friends, it is a fearful
thing to be rich and selfish, I'm afraid
to risk it.. But sometimes | do catch
myself wishing that | had u rich old
bachelor to die and leave me Il pile of
money to frolic with in my old age. Or
that Mrs. Arp would realize her part
Of that Holt estate IN England. Good
gracious she should have a carriage
and a pair Of kentucky bays before next
Sunday to ride to church. But it is an
old proverb that If wishes were horses
we would all take a ride. And there is
an old Persian fable that tells how ar
old man was always wishing for some.
thing and one night as he and his old
wife were brooding over their poverty
and wishing for different things, a
genius came in and told them they
grant them. or course, they were hap
Ply beyond expression, and as tie old
man was hungry, he wished right away
for a plum pudding. Immediately i,
was set before him in n silver platter,
and this foolish wish made the old wo.
man SO mad that she exclaimed, ~
wish that it was hung on your nose.
Presto, quick the pudding jumped up
and was fastened to the old mans nose
They had but one wish left, and the old
man had to use hat in wishing the pud
ding loose again. And SO the good
genius left them as poor as they were
before he came. | suppose that fable
was designed to teach us that it is bet
ter TO trust The Lord and be content
with our lot. Nevertheless, most of us
would try the genius If he would come
BILL ARP.