The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-04-28

StOudS threaten, Make the Host OF
the Situation When the Storm
Breaks-Dampen Not To. Day s Ardor
by Worrying and Wondering How
You Will Get Through With the
Duties Of To-Morrow-tiow to Get
the Best Out of Life.
Geo. Ii. Hepworth, in N. Y. Herald.)
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew. vi. "a.
Here is a bit of philosophy too pro-
found to be appreciated without care
full and continuous study. 1t also
contains stern Injunction not to
worry over what cannot be helped.
but, on the other hand to make the
best of our circumstances. You are
commanded to let the past 90 its
way into the land of forgetfulness,
and not to borrow from the future
the troubles which you fear it may
contain, but to live in the present a
far as possible. 1t is a command
very difficult to obey, and yet obedi-
ence. is absolutely necessary il YOU
would get out of life all that God has
put into it.
The man who has vivid remem-
| brance Of his past troubles and who
cherishes that memory deliberately
| throws a gloom over his present. If
he will confine himself to the duty of
the moment he will generally find
that he is quite equal to it, but if he
collects all the miseries of yesterday
and of the day before and adds them
to the burdens of to-day he becomes
disheartened, and his encouragement
saps his moral strength and produces
moral weakness. You have enough
to do to face what is Immediately be-
fore you, and if you conjure up the
ghosts of misdeeds and of trials which
have been outlived you do yourself a
serious injury and interfere with
your spiritual or business success.
In like manner, if you think you
can master to-day's work, but dampen
your ardor by wondering how You
are going to get through tomorrow,
you produce a nervous tention which
| failure that you dread. No man can
carry more than one day at time.
When Jesus asks you not to attempt
to do so He gives you wise counsel,
and YOU had better follow the advice.
Life is not so smooth that you can
| afford to make it rougher by recall
ing the bad roads over which you
have already passed or anticipating
| the bad roads over which you will
| have to pass before the end of the
Journey is reached. You may be
cheerful, and therefore strong, if you
will forget the things that are behind
and let the future take care of itself:
but if you propose to add yesterday
and tomorrow to to-day you will do
what God warns you against doing,
and will certainly make great mis-
take.
If the sun shines now, be grateful
and contented. Suppose it did rain
yesterday or suppose we are to have
a blizzard tomorrow. You have got
beyond the rain on the one hand, and
on the other. the time has not come
to meet the blizzard. 1t is foolish to
make Yourself miserable now because
you were miserable a few days ago OF
because you may be miserable few
days hence. One duty, one labor al
time is quite enough. If there is
any enjoyment to be had, take it with
an eager grasp for if you sit in the
warm sunshine five minutes it helps
you to bear the cold of the next fv,
minutes. 1t is poor policy to spoi
those five minutes.
Let me illustrate. There is moth
ing in connection with death NOR,
wearing than the regret that you die
not do more for the one who ha
gone. This is universal experience
with those who have any heart. The
fact of separation seems to have
magic in it, for it is suddedly reveal
ed to you that there were many littl,
attentions which you failed to render
and the remembrance pierces like
knife. No one ever parted with ;
loved-one without self-blame of tina
kind.
But as general thing it is all Al
illusion con jured up by overwrough
nerves. In very truth you did what
ever the circumstances suggested
you did as much as human nature j
capable of doing, but in the presenc
of death you accuse yourself Of thing
of which you are quite innocent, ano
in doing SO you make the parting
harder to bear. 1t may be well 70
the dear one that he has gone. II
has sweet sleep for the first time il
many months. He is glad that tn
81 al: ha
he is at last released, and in TIL
lower depths of your own heart yo'
are also glad for his sake. But Their
comes this thorny thought, that yor
may have been remiss. and your sou
is wrung by it.
: You do yourself a wrong. You di'
what you could. You were loving
tender, gentle and more than kind
You have real burdens enough with
out adding imaginary ones. You
tears must not be embittered by a
accusation which has no basis in fact
j Life is too precious and too short t
/ be wasted in regrets OF that kind
p. The duties Of the future demand you
close attention, and you have n
right to think of the dead except t
. recall a sweet relationship and t
! dream of reunion.
Live YOUR life as auitely and a
peacefully as possible. Live in eac
! dav as it comes. Other DAYS, whethe
G past or future, must not be Above
e to press on your heart This is tn
: noblest policy you can adopt. tn
e policy which comes to you as a divin
: injunction. Let neither regret no
: anticipation intrude upon You ,
I make you weak.
= 1t is evident that there is pla
e according to which your life is al
: ranging itself. and equally eviden
!. that if you are reposeful and trustfu