The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-04-29

those who are not Christians in belief
still wish this custom may obtain to
give them some little surcease from
their driving social duties. In the same
way Sunday 10 recognized as a boon to
thousands who are not religious because
it is the friend Of man. True Chris
tianity is always beneficent to the race.
When infidelity Stays the Sabbath 1t
destroys the TALL white angel whose
wings oversh9dow the home of the Ia
borer. And the real public opinion that
supports Sunday legislation is not
founded upon the arbitrary obedience
to rule Of the church but upon the
manifest divine blessing of rest day
to tired humanity. In this manner also
Lent is appealing more and more to the
dissipating world, saying in a voice Of
most gentle compulsion: Come unto
me and I will give you rest" The world
is beginning to understand the pro-
found underlying kindness and helpful
ness of Christian institutions.
But Lent is not truly kept unless 1t be
made, as far as possible, time of quiet
and Of meditation. That word medita-
ton has become almost obsolete upon
hustle. We are crowding from the con-
templative country-si into the swirl
ing cities, drawn hither by the mael-
strom of human excitement. We are
a noisy folk. We have brought the arts
of vociferation and advertisement to
perfection. And yet we wonder that
the voice of God is no more heard
among us. God speaks to quiet souls.
sc To- .s.,l,, 90
nor In the earthquake of war, nor in
the tempest of social gaiety, but in the
still, small voice Of secluded thought
fulness. All our moments are full; even
the crevices Of our time we must fill
UP with newspapers and novels. We
caEnot bear to be alone, and dread
most Of all the ennui of being left to
ourselves.
Keep this Lent by finding and utiliz-
ing many quiet hours. Go into the room
alone and neither read nor play but
think. Just one hour Of self-com-
munion and communion with that per-
vading Presence that is everywhere will
clean the life from what piles of rub
bish and waste! Not that we should
brood or NOPE or nurture morbid fan
cies; but in quiet alone can we get q
glimpse of the eternal realities. Life
and death and eternity, before whose
majestic forms all earthly activities and
interests dwindle to nothing, will come
and sit with you. And from out this
time of retreat and solemnity you will
come with truer views of what is worth
while, with more charity for the weak
because you have caught a glimpse of
your own utter smallness, with a more
sincere apprehension that "the things
which are seen are temporal, but the
things which are not seen are eternal"
$50
Even in this quiet hour we will need
to be on our guard lest selfishness de-
stroy it's value. Above all, self-pity is
a most mean and childish thing. Our
littleness and lack Of worth had bet
ter never he known by us than that
they should work In us a mawkish SEN
timentality, a cowardly despair, a tear
some cheap drivel of humility. Only
by reaching out and up to the Power
that sublimes the soul can we be lifted
out and up from our meanness and
lowness into a courage that loses moth
ing by being humble.
There Is a luxury in f-dispraise;
And inward self-disparagement affords
To meditative spleen grateful feast"
Jesus withdrew from the multitude to
commune with God, not with Himself.
Go thou and do likawisa