Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-12-10

trouble and set 1t to music, or play IL
on violin or flute, but l dare to open
that dark saying on Il gospel harp.
You wonder that very consecrated
people have trouble? Did you ever know
any very consecrated Wan or woman
who had not had great trouble? Never! .
1t was through their troubles sahctitied
that they were made very good. If you
find anywhere in this city a man who
has now, and always has. had, perfect
health, and never lost a child, and has
always been popular and never had
business struggle or misfortune who is
distinguished for goodness, pull your
wire for telegraph messenger boy and
send me word and will drop every
thing and go rightaway to look at him.
There never has been q man like that
and never will be. Who are those AFRO
CANT, self conceited creatures who move
about without sympathy for others and
who think more Of st. Bernard dog
or an Attorney COW or Southdown
sheep or Berkshire pig than of mani?
They never had any trouble, or the
trouble was never sanctified. Who are
those men who listen with moist eye as
you tell them of suffering and who
have .pathos in their voice and q
kindness in their manner and an excuse
or an alienation for those gone astray?
They are the men who have graduated
ut the Royal Academy of Trouble, and
they have the diploma written i'll wrln-
kles Oil their own countenances. My,
my! What heartaches they had What
tears they have wept! What injustice
they have suffered! The mightiest in
huence for publication and salvation is
trouble. No diamond fit for crown
until it is cut. No wheat fit for bread
till it is ground.
Strength From Sorrow.
There are only three things that can
break off chain-a hammer, file or
fire-and trouble is all three of them.
The greatest writers, orators and re-
formers get much of their force from
trouble. What gave to Washington IT.
wing that exquisite tenderness and pa
thos which will make his books favorites
while the English language continues
to be written and spoken? An early
heartbreak, that be never once mention
ed, and when 30 years after the death
of Matilda Hoffman, who was to have
been his bride, her father picked up
piece of embroidery and said, "That IS
O piece of poor Matilda's workman
ship Washington Irving sank
from hilarity into sileuce and walked
away Out of that lifetime grief the
great author dipped his pen S mightiest
reinforcement. Calvin's Institutes
of Religion, /" than which more won
derful book was never written by hui
man hand, was begun by the author at
% years of age because of the persecu-
ton by Francis, king of France. Fara-
day toiled for all limo on a salary OF
ESQ year and candles. AS every brick
of the wall of Babylon was stamped
with the letter n, standing for Nebu-
chadnezzar, SO every part of the temple
of Christian achievement is stamped
with the letter 7, standing for trouble.
When in England man is honored
with knighthocd, he is struck with the
fat of the sword. But those who have
come to knishthood in the kingdom of
God were first struck, not with the fiat
of the sword, but with the keen edge of
the scimeter. To build his magnificence
of character Paul could not have spared
one lash, one prison. one stoninS, one
anathema, one poisonous viper from the
hand, one shipwreck. What is true OF
individuals is true of nations. The hor-
rors of the American Revolution gave
this country this side of the Mississippi
river to independence, and the conflict
between England aud France gave the
most Of this country west of the Mlssls-
sippi to the United States. France
owned it, but Napoleon, fearing that
England would take it, practically
made present to the United States
for he received only s15 000,0 900 for
Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas. Kansas,
Nebraska, Iowa. Minnesota. Colorado,
Dakota, Montana Wyoming and the In
dian Territory Out of the fire of the
American Revolution came this country
east of the Mississippi, out of the Euro
pean war came that west of the Missis-
sippi river. The British empire rose to
its present overtowering grandeur
through gunpowder plot and Guy
Fawkes' conspiracy and Northampton
insurrection and Walter Raleigh's be-
heading and Bacon's bribery and Crom-
Wells dissolution of parliament and the
battles of Edge Hill and the yicissitudes
of centuries
Tempered by Fire.
So the earth itself, before it could be-
come an appropriate and beautiful resi-
dence for the human family, had, ac-
cording to geology, TO be washed by
universal deluge and scorched and made
incandescent by universal fires and
pounded by sledge hammer of icebergs
and wrenched by earthquakes that split
continents and shaken by volcanoes that
tossed mountains and passed through
the catastrophes of thousands OF years
before paradise became possible and the
groves could shake out their green BAH
ners and the first garden pour its car
I nape of color berWean the GihOn and