The record-union., 1897-09-26
SOME RAMBLING THOUGHTS.
BY Memo"

BY Memo"
copyrighted by Dave & Tabor)
10 all about oStricheS: We cannot
know what this gawky bird, with it's
hap-hazard feathers actually has in its
mind unless We be oStricheS ourselves;
out We may attempt to think its
thoughts by reason of watching its ac-
tlons, and actions speak louder than
words; which is desperately true of
other two-legged creatures besides os-
triches. Now, according to the ac-
counts of travellers, this bird when
alarmed has a way of hiding it's head;
the idea seeming to be that if it can
not see the pursuer, the pursuer can
not see it. If closing the eyes really
stopped pursuit, what a pleasantly easy
time this sufferer from Woman's whims
would have. But troubles do not van
ish thus easily, and we laugh at the
poor Ounce of a bird, who dreams that
he has blotted out the world and it's
miseries just by refusing to see them;
yet, there are other ounces with the
same number of feet, and they do not
all wear feathers.
Once upon a time, as the fairy tales
express it, some hunted ostricheS put
their heads together-they would better
have been scurrying over the sands
and When they were huddled like boys
in fottbau Scrimmage, one of them
suddenly exclaimed, Il cannot see any
hunter; there's nOne,' and SO said they
all; but they lost their feathers just
the same.
On another occasion an ostrich thrust
his head into a narrow hole. He had
a moment before been in the full glare
of the sun, but in the darkness he
saw nothing, so he communed with
himself, Il see no sun, see nothing;
therefore, there is no sun, no moth
ing. Up to this I have been dream
ing" But the herbage kept on grow
ing, and the ardent sun looked after
the neglected. eggs and gave the hnal
warming influence to hatch out another
generation of ounces.
There are people in the world who
profess to be good, they bend the knee
in the sanctuary, they give freely OF
their money. they shout loud "Amens
until some fateful day they come tu1nb-
ling down in local esteem; Tor TINS
Sunday school superintendent or thal
deacon has robbed a bank or Wronged
a woman or any one of a long nst OIL
things that ruin life and brmg olS-
grace on fair careers. Then Is the Ia
vorable time for the human oStr1ch 10
come along in the form OF a young
man. full of questionings in his mnd,
and full of conceit when his MIND, on
little evidence or much, is once made
I'D. He argues thus to himself: "What
did So and So profess? Christ1lness.
What did he do2 Stole even poor
widows mite. On what did he base
his religion? The Bible. Who is sup
posed to give authority to the Bible!
God. Therefore, 1 will not beiieVe LII
God nor the Bible nor religion.
1 am not intending to argue mere
what things are true and what are un-
true. but I want you to see the chaIlh-
ing C;uncery of your logic. Let me
show you your own ostrich way, as III
a mirror All the ancients were pre-
pared to swear that the earth was nat
and the sun it's attendant SATELLITE
They were even prepared to kill those
who would testify differently. But
while they were processing to run the
universe to suit their narrow minds,
what was the truth? The earth was
gIobuIar, and it's orbit around the sun
had been practically unchanged Tor
ages. Now it is evident that all these
millions. ignorant of the truth, believed
in untruth. and yet all their myriad
minds did neither affect nor hinder the
nla,nets in their appointed Journeys.
Again. suppose we all with one ac-
cord should deny the existence OF the
sun. we should merely proclaim our
own blindness and the sun would not
he affected a particle. 1t would be
still there, hanging hotly above US; our
denials of it's existence would be In
describable nothings.
Now, supposing God to exist; the
Sacred Books of any number of differ
ent religions with any number of differ
ent inaccuracies lived forth by any
number of frightful frauds-fakirs of
Hindustan or evil men and thieves in
Christian churches-do not affect His
existence or put Him aside II He
exist, a million denials of His existence
amount to nothing more than did ages
of ignorance in relation to the power
that kept our globe circling.
If a basic fact of the universe be true.
it has been true always, and always
will Oe true, even if never discovered
Think of the modern claiming of elec-
tricity and you will see what l mean.
The wondrous power we now control
to pun our trains, light our rooms,
cook our meals, has been here as long
as the world has existed It is a truth
of nature and still would be, even
though we never had wrenched its Sc
cret forward into light.
Ever the sun shines. Though the night
Brings darkness, yet, not vanished quite,
our faith is helped by mirrors dim
The misty stars, the moons colo rim.
Or. when the cloudy veil hangs low,
Some shire &c ing fleece with gold will glow,
And bid rs hope, Fen the sad soul
Who dwells where months of darkness roll
Nav find his infidehty
Rebuked by some pale stars firm eye.
And still, through questionings and doubts
And ridicule and mocking shouts,
Though all men say no sun exists
And each one argues as he lists,
and though the planets all combine
To hide his face; stiH doth he shine!
Some day no cloud shall cloak the hill.
No mist the gloomy valley fill;
But every shadow fee away
Out driven by the perfect day.
My brother ostrich, let US think fur
ther one step of the one whose failures
have made you hide your head. I
reckon you would regard him as mex
pressihly stupid who tried to picture
to himself the Grant or Washington
monument with nothing before him but