The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-03-18

perennial dlstlllation or acrid expert
enceA Yea, there are some who's,
whole work Is 10 shed baleful In
fuence on others. There are Attila,
OF the home. Attilas of the social cir
Gle. Attuas Of the church, Attilas Of
the state. and one-third of the waters
Of all the world. II not two-thirds the
waters. are poisoned by the falling Of
the star Norwood. 1t Is not uncom
plimentary TO human nature that most
men. as soon as they get great power
become overbearing. The more power
men have the better, II their power be
used for good. The less power men
have the better. II they use II for evil.
Birds circle round and round and
round before they swoop upon that
which they are aiming for. And II
my discourse SO far has been swinging
round and round, this moment IL drops
straight on your heart and asks the
question: Is your life benediction to
others or an imbitterment. blessing
or curse, a balsam or a wormwood ?
Some of you. know, are morning
stars. and you are making the dawn
ing life Of your children bright with
gracious influences. and you are beam
ing upon all the opening enterprises
of philapthropic and Christian endeav-
or, and you are heralds Of that
day of gospelization which will yet
flood all the mountains and valleys Of
our sin accused earth. Hail. morn
ing star! Keep on shining with en-
couragement and Christian hope!
Some Of you are evening stars, and
you are cheering the last days of old
people. and, though cloud sometimes
! comes over you through the querulous7
ness or unreasonableness of your aged
| father and mother it is only for mo-
| ment, and the star soon comes out
clear again and is seen from all the
| balconies of the neighborhood. The
old people will forgive your occasional
shortcomings, for they themselves sew
eral times lost their patience with you
when you were young, and perhaps
whipped you when you did not deserve
it. Hail, evening star! Hang on the
darkening sky your diamond coronet.
But are any of you the star Worm
wood? Do you scold and growl from
the thrones paternal or maternal? Are
your children everlastingly pecked at?
Are you always crying 'Hush!" to the
merry voices and swift feet and to the
laughter which occasionally trickles
through at wrong times and is sup
pressed by them until they can hold it
no longer. and all the barriers burst
into unlimited guffaw and cachinna-
ton, as in this weather the water has
trickled through slight opening in
the mildam, but afterward makes
wider and wider breach until it carries
all before it with irresistible freshet?
Do not be too much offended at the
noise your children now make. 1t will
be still enough when one Of them is
dead Then you would give your right |
hand to hear one shout from the silent |
voice or one step from the still foot. |
You will not any OF you have to wait |
very long before your house is stiller |
than you want it. Alas, that there |
are so many homes not known to the |
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
toChildren, where children ore whacked |
and cuffed and ear pulled, and sense
lessly called to order, and answered |
sharply, and suppressed, until it is a
wonder that under such processes they
do not all turn out Mana Sahibs!
What is your influence upon the |
neighborhood, the town or the city Of |
your residence? l will suppose that |
you are n star of wit. What kind Of |
rays do you shoot forth? Do you use
that splendid faculty to irradinte the
n,11 20 Il Il 1~1 oil he
apostolic college of humorists. The
man that makes me laugh is my bene-
factor. do not thank anybody to |
make me cry. can do that without |
assistance. We all cry enough and
have enough to cry about. God bless all |
skillful punsters, all reparteeists, all |
propounders Of ingenious conundrums,
all those who mirthfully surprise
us with unusual juxtaposition Of
words. Thomas Hood and Charles
Dickens and Sydney Smith had n divine
mission, and SO have their successors in
these times. They stir into the acid
beverage of life the saccharine. They
make the cup Of earthly existence,
which is sometimes stale, effervcsce and
bubble. They placate amin ositics.
They foster longevity. They Stay fol-
lies and absurdities which all the SER
mons of all the pulpits cannot reach.
But what use are you making Of your
wit? Is it besmirched with profanity
and uncleanness? Do you employ it in
amusement at physical defects for
which the victims are not responsible?
Are your powers of mimicry used to
put religion in contempt? Is il a bunch
of nettlesome invective? Is it a bolt of
unjust scorn? Is it fun at others mis-
fortune? Is it .glee at their disap-
pointment and defeat? Is il bitterness
put drop by drop into cup? Is it like
the squeezing of Artemisia absinthium
into draft already distastefully pun
gent F? Then you are the star Worm
wood. Yours is the fun Of rattlesnake
trying how well it can sting.
ButIwill change this and suppose you
are star of worldly prosperity. Then
you have large opportunity. You can
encourage that artist by buying his pic
| ture. You can improve the fields. the