The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-12-09

toiIed for all time on n salary OF 90 a
year and candles. As every brick of the
wall of Babylon was stamped with the
letter y, standing for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
so every part OF the temple of Christian
achievement is stamped with the let
ter r. standing for trouble
When in England a man is honored
with kniglthood. he is struck with the
fiat Of the sword I}ut those who have
come to krighthood in the kingdom Of
God were first struck. not with the fiat
Of the sword, but with the keen edge of
the scimcler. TO build his magnii-
cence Of character. Paul could not have
spared one lash. one prison. one ston-
ing. one anathema. one poisonous viper
from the hand. one shipwreck. What is
true of individuals is true of nations.
The horrors Of he American revolution
gave this country this side OF the Mis-
sissippi river to independence. and the
conflict between England and France
gave the most of this country west of
the Mississippi 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 $15.O0O.OO0 for LoIisi.
ana. Missouri. Arkansas. Kansas. Ne.
braska. Iowa. Minnesota. Colorado Da.
kota. 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 Eu-
ropean war came that west of the Mis-
sissippi river The British empire rose
to its present overtowering grandeur
through gunpowder plot, and Guy
Fawkes conspiracy. and Northampton
instruction. and Walter Raleigh's be-
heading, and Bacon's bribery. and
Cromwell's dissolution OF parliament
and the battles OF Edge Hill. and the
vicissitudes of centuries. So the earth
itself, before 1t could become an appro-
pirate and beautiful residence for the
human family, had, according to geol-
ogy. to be washed by universal deuge
and scorched and made incandescent
by universal fires. and pounded by
sledge hammer of icebergs, and
wicnched by earthquakes that split con-
tinents, 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
banners, and the first garden pour its
carnage of color between the Gihon and
the niddekel Trouble a good thing
for the rocks. good thing for nations.
as well ms good thing for individuals,
&, ,,.tth
sharp interrogation point; Why do the
good suffer? open the dark saying on
n harp and. though | can neither play
an organ or cornct or hautboy or bugle
or clarinet, | have taken some lessons
in the Gospel harp, and IL you would
like to hear me will play you these:
"All things work together for good to
those who love God" Nov no chasten-
ing for the present seemeth TO be joy
ous. but grievous, nevertheless after
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit OF
righteousness unto them which are ex-
ercised thereby" Weeping may en-
dure for night, but JOY cometh in the
morning" What sweet thing is
harp. and wonder not that in Wales,
the country OF my ancestors. the harp
has become the national instrument,
and that they have festivals where grea
prizes arc offered in the competition be
tween harp and harp, or that weird
Sebastian Erard was much of his time
bent over this chorded and vibrating
triangle and was not satisfied until he
had given it compass OF six octaves.
from + to + with all the semitones. or
that when King Saul was demented the
son of Jesse came before him and, put
ting his fingers among the charmed
strings of the harp. played the devil out
Of the crTzed monarch. or that in
Heaven there shall be harpers harping
with their harps. SO you will not blame
me for opening the dark saying on the
Gospel harp:
Your harps, ye trembling saints,
Down from the willows take,
Loud the praise of love Divine
Bid every string awake!
Interrogation third: Why did the
good God lei sin or trouble come into
the world when lie might have kept
them out? My reply is: lie had a good
reason lie had reasons that He has
never given us. lie had reasons which
He could no more make Us understand
in our finite state than the father. start.
ing out on some great and elaborate en-
terprise, could make the two-year-old
child in its armchair comprehend II
One was TO demonstrate what grandeur
of character may be achieved on earth
by conquering evil Had there been no
evil to conquer and no trouble to con
sole then this universe would never
have known an Abraham. or Il Moses,
or n Joshua, or an Ezekiel or a Paul
or a Christ, or Washington, or n John
Milton. or John Howard. and 100000
victories which have been gained by the
consecrated spirits of all ages would
never have been gained Had there
been no battle there would have been
no victory. Nine-tenths Of the anthems
Of Heaven would never have been sung
4