The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-25
PULPIT EDITORIALS.
Church, Chicago, Preceding the Usual
sermon Sunday, April "a, 1898.
AN ARBOR DAY H0MILy.
lCopyrighted. 1881

Tongues in trees. books in the rum
ming brooks,
Sermons in stones. and good in every
thing"
In considerable number OF the
states of the Union arbor day has
been officially adopted as a time for
planting trees. 1t is significant that
whereas much OF the civilization OF the
past has advanced through forests by
telling trees. now IL advances in the
United States by the setting out Of
trees In the vast plains of the west
There is no object In nature more
fruitful In analogy than the tree. The
psalmist says OF the good man that
he shall be like. a tree planted by the
rivers Of water. that bringeth forth his
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall
not wither, and whatsoever he doeth
shall prosper"
The tree may be chosen as the type
of the good man because it contains the
three elements of the perfect character:
Strength, utility and beauty. 1t was
not until had seen the live oak, with
its majestic proportions. suggestive of
inimitable strength, its graceful sym
metry, its beautiful, glossy foliage.
tinged with the soft gray Of the hang
ing moss, that the complete meaning
of this verse came in upon me. The
perfect man is compared to the tree.
which combines all these; it's trunk
typifying the fixed and stable princi-
pies to which the good soul is an
chored; it's fruit benevolence and use
fulness; and its leaves, those graces
that should adorn the best and strong
est.
The tree is planted" In Seneca or
Antoninus Plus, Pythagoras or Plato,
you will find some precepts as admira-
bic as in the Scriptures. But philos-
ophy can only admire and recommend
goodness. Religion fixes and roots
goodness in man. Under heather phil
osophy there were few like Regulus
or Lucretia who could die for principle,
but Notwithstanding all of the excellent
precepts of wise men from Scion to
Cicero, the heather world maintained
losing struggle against the increasing
tide of self-indulgence and criminality.
When Christianity entered the Ro-
man empire it came with the mordant
of "thus saith the Lord" and the col
ors of truth were fixed in the charac-
ter, and soon there were hundreds and
thousands like Regulus and Lucretia
among the slaves and common people.
Under the influence of religion belief
is planted. Speculatively we may i'm
agine that there is no necessity for a
right creed, but when the swirl of
temptation comes and imperious de-
sires pull hard, upon us, nothing serves
so well as to be anchored by profound
convictions. The young man who is
irreligious is apt to be worn like a
plucked flower upon the coat of the last
agnostic or wording under whose in
fiuence he has come.
1t Is well to be planted in the day of
adversely, which is sure to come to all.
If a man is thoroughly fixed and rooted
in the truth by being religious, calam-
ity is of real benefit TO him. We exer-
else with the dumb bells or we study
Latin, not for the sake OF these things
themselves, but for the sake of their
influence upon the fiber of our Drawn
or brain. So annoyance or defeat is of
no value or use in itself, but the oak
trees limbs would not be so sturdy
were they not wrenched and tossed by
the blasts of the tempests. Adversely,
too, is the test of character. We feel
more secure in the protection Of vet
Grams of hundred battles than under
the care of handbook soldiers. A house
may look well built but we must wait
until the tempest wrestles with it. The
ship may appear staunch, but 1t can
not be relied upon until it has been
tossed by the twisting waves and smit-
ten with the fierce winds. Those who
have seen true Christians in suffering.
in poverty, in disgrace and in death,
know that they are like trees planted"
Thus was Job. His wife was borne
away by the torrent of calamity and
babe him to course God and die" But
he retained his integrity and said,
What! Shall / receive good at the
hand of the Lord and not evil? Though
He STAY me, yet will l trust Him."
Ruth could not be moved by the day
of sorrow. but remained fixed with
Naomi, saying, "Entreat me not to
leave thee, for whittier thou goest 1
will CO." So Paul, shipwrecked, cast
among wild beasts, beaten with stripes,
imprisoned and imseriled. exclaimed,
"None of these things move me-" And
our great exemplar. Jesus Christ,
though he was deserted and maligned,
falsely accused and crucified, lost not
the balance of His mind or purpose,
but was
"As some tell cliff that lifts its awful
form,
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves
the storm,
Though round it's breast the rolling
clouds are spread,
Eternal sunshine settles on its head"
1t is we'll to be planted also in the
floods of prosperity. THE prosperity
Of fools shall STAY them" Many a man