The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-09-16
| nII&S SUNDAY SERI0l
4 GOSPEL nEssAGR

Dire Fsure-Ans Lie worth Living,
TEXT: What is your life?"-James w.,
II.
five leave to the evolutionists to guess
where We came from and to the theologians
10 prophesy where We are going to, we still
have left for consideration the Important
fact that We are here. There may be some
doubt about where the river rises and some
doubt about where the river empties, but
there can be no doubt the fact that we are
sailing on II. SO am not SURPRISED that
everybody asks the question, "Is life worth
iyingi"
solomon, in his unhappy moments, says
II is not, Vanity" "vexation OF spirit" I"
"no good" are his estimate. The fact Is
that solomon was at one time polygamist
and that soured his disposition. One wife
makes man happy; more'thah one makes
him wretched. But Solomon was converted
from polygamy to monogamy. and the last
words he ever wrote, as far as we can read
them. were the words mountains of spices. /"
But jeremiah says life Is worth living. In
sbOok supposed to be doleful and lugu-
Srious and sepulchral and entitled "Lamen-
tatlons," he plainly intimates that the
blessings OF merely living Is so great and
grand blessing that though a man have
piled on him all misfortunes and disasters
be has no right to complain. The ancient
prophet cries out In startling intonation to
all lands and to all centuries, Wherefore
doth living man complaint"
A diversity Of opinion in our time as we'll
as in olden time. Here Is a young man Of
light hair and blue eyes and sound diges-
ton and generous salary and happily
sffanced and on the way to become part
ner in commercial firm Of which he Is an
important clerk. Ask him whether life is
worth living. He will laugh In your face
and say: "Yes, yes, yes!' Here Is a man
who has come to the forties. He Is at the
been a stumble and bruise. The people
be trusted have turned out deserters, and
the money he has honestly made he has
been cheated out OF. His nerves are out Of
tune. He has poor appetite, and the food
be does eat does not assimilate. Forty
miles climbing up the hill OF life have been
10 him like climbing the Matterhorn, and
there are forty miles yet to go down, and
descent is always more dangerous than as
cent. Ask him whether life is worth living,
and he will drawl out in shivering and
ububrious and appalling negative, mo,
no. mol"
How are we to decide this matter right
eously and intelligently2 You will find the
same man vacillating, oscillating in his
opinion from detection to exuberance, and
nhe be very mcrcurial in his temperament
It will depend very much on which way the
wind blows. II the wind blow from the
northwest and you ask him, he will say
"Yes" and IL 1t blow from the northeast
andyou ask him he will say, mo" How
are we, then, to get the question righteous
y answered. Suppose we call ali nations
together In great convention on eastern
or western hemisphere, and let all those
who are in the affirmative say, "Aye," and
all those who are In the negative say, "No. 4"
While there would be hundreds OF thou
sands ofthose who would answer In the af-
frmative, there would be more millions
who would answer in the negative, and
because OF the greater number who have
sorrow and misfortune and trouble the noes
would have 1t, The answer / shall give
will be different from either, and yet It will
commend itself to all who hear me this day
stheright answer. II you ask me, "Is
lie worth living?" 1t answer, 81 all depends
upon the kind OF life you live"
In the first place, remark that life OF
mere money getting is always a failure, be-
cause you will never get as much as you
want. The poorest people in this country
are the millionaires. There is not scissors
grinder on the streets OF New York or
Brooklyn who is so anxious to make money
s these men who have piled up fortunes
year after year In st0rehOuses, in Govern
nent securities, In tenement houses, in
whole city blocks. You ought to see them
Jump when they hear the fire bell ring.
You ought to see them In their excitement
shen bank explodes. You ought to see
their agitation when there Is proposed a
rformation in the tariff. Their nerves
iemble like harp strings, but no music In
The vibration. They read the reports from
wall street in the morning with a concern
nent that threatens paralysis or apolexy,
m mnra nhoh tko,, hr,, 49,,
Aephone In their own houses, so they
atch every breadth Of change In the money
market. The disease OF accumulation has
aten into them-eaten into their heart,
INTO their lungs, into their spleen, into
Ssg liver, into their bones.
Chemists have sometimes analysed the
human body, and they say 1t is so much
aagnesia, so much lime, so much chlorate
" potassium. II some Christian chemist
roud analyze one Of these financial be-
asnoths, he would find he Is made up Of
@pper and gold and silver and zinc and
tad and coal and iron. That Is not life
Eoth living. There are too many earth
llaRes in 1t, too many agonies In 1t, too
many perditions In 1t. They build their
asles, and they open their picture gal
snes, and they summon prima donnas,
ND they offer every inducement for happi-
asS ass TO come and live there. but happiness
nlnot come. They send footmanned and
PSS''lloned equipage to bring her. She
WI not ride to their door. They send
!nnceiy escort. She will not take their
Nm They make their guteways trium-
lal arches. She will not ride under them.
iley set golden throne before a golden
RMe' She turns away from the banquet.
saey call to her from upholstered balcony.
sae S Will not listen. Mark you, this Is the
azure s,u!, oi those who have had large accum-
AND then you must take into considera-
wa mat the vast majority of those who
1aAe the dominant idea Of life money get
"ag iall Tar short Of affluence. 1t Is esti-
aa'ed that only about two out of a hun
MA business men have anything worthy
W name OF success. A man who spends
y lle with one dominant idea of financial
sumulation spends life not worth liv-
The idea Of worldly approval. II that
uominant In mans life he is miserable.
sry iour years the two most unfortunate
.a .a IN this country are the two men nom
''ed ' Tor the Presidency. The reservoirs
ABUSE and diatribe and malediction
sa,ualiy I'LL up, gallon above gallon, hogs
a above hogshead, and about mi6sum-
M M .nese two reservoirs will be brimm;ng
y. and hose will be attached to each
~ and 1t will play away on these two
"uillees and thav tutIl hav.. 20 ok.nI 10