Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-12

munlon. There was some gate or some
room or some garden wall where you
were afIianced with the companion
who has been your chief Joy 10 life.
You never speak Of that place but
with smile. Some Of you have pleas.
ant memories connected With the even.
Ing star. or the moon In Its first quar-.
ter. or with the sunrise. because you
saw It Just as you were arriving at
harbor after a tempestuous voyage.
Forever and forever. o hearer. asso-
rlate the sunset with your magnani.
nous, out and out. unlimited renun-
ciatlon of all hatreds and forgiveness
Of all foes.
] admit 1t Is the most difficult of all
graces to practice, and at the start you
may make complete failure, but keep
on In the attempt TO practice it. Shakes.
peare wrote ten plays before he reach.
ed Hamlet" and II plays before he
reached Merchant OF Venice" and 2s
plays before he reached Macbeth"
And gradually you will come from the
easier graces to the most difficult. Be-
sides that, 1t is not a matter Of per-
sonal determination SO much as the
laying hold of the almighty arm Of
God. who will help us 20 do anything
we ought to do. Remember that In all
personal controversies the one least to
blame will have TO take the first step
at pacification IL 1t is ever Effected
The contest between Eschines and
Aristlppus resounds through history,
but Aristlppus, who was least to
blame, went to Eschines and said,
"Shall we not agree to be friends be-
fore we make ourselves the laughing
stock of the whole country" And
Hschines said, "Thou art far better
han than 1. for l began the quarrel,
but thou hast been the first in healing
the breach" And they were always
friends afterward. So let the one Of
you that Is least to blame take tho
first step toward reconciliation. The
one most In the wrong will never
take 1t.
Practice Forgiveness.
Oh, 1t makes one feel splendid to
be able by Gods help to practice I'M
limited forgiveness. 1t improves ones
body and soul. My brother, it will
make you measure three or four more
inches around the chest and improve
your respiration SO that you can take
a deeper and longer breath. 1t i'm
proves the countenance by scattering
the gloom and makes you somewhat
like God himself. He is omnipotent.
and we cannot copy that. He is inde-
pendent of all the universe. and we
cannot copy that, He is creative, and
we cannot copy that. He is omnlpres-
ent. and we cannot copy that. But he
forgives with broad sweep all faults,
and all neglects. and all insults. and all
wrongdoings, and in that we may copy
him with mighty success. Go harness
that sublime action Of your soul to the
sunset-the hour when the gate of
heaven opens to let the day pass into
eternities and some of the glories es-
cape this way through the brief open
ing We talk about the Italian sun
sets. and sunset amid the Apennlnes,
and sunset amid the cordilleras, but
l will tell you how you may see a
grander sunset than amy mere lover of
nature ever bcheld51that is. by finging
into 1t all your hatreds and animosi-
ties, and let the horses of fire tram
pie them. and the chariots of fire roll
over them, and the ,spearmen Of fire
stab them. and the beach of fire con-
sumo them. and the pillows Of fire over
whelm them.
Again, we should not let the sun so
down ON our wrath, because 1t is of
little Importance what the world says
Of you or doe to you when you have
the affiuent God of the sunset as your
provider and defender. People talk as
though it were fixed spectacle of ma
ture and always the same. But no one
ever saw two sunsets alike. and If the
world has existed 6,000 years there
have been about 2,19OOO0 sunsets. each
Of them as distinct from all the other
pictures in the gallery Of the sky as
Titians Last Supper" Rubens' "De-
scent From the Cross" Raphaers
TRANSPORTATION" and Michael An
gelo's LAST Judgment" are distinct
from each other. If that God of such
infinite resources that he can put on
the wall of the sky each evening more
than the Louvre and Luxembourg gal
leries all in one is my God and your
God, our provider and protector, what
is the use of our worrying about any
human antagonlsm? II we are misln-
terpreted, the God Of the many colored
sunset can put the right color on our
action. If all the garniture Of the
the upholstery Of one Of the windows
Of our future home. what small busl-
ness for us to be chasing enemies!
Let not this Sabbath sun go down up
on your wrath.
Mohammed said, 1.-THE sword is the
key of heaven and hell" But, my
hearers, In the last day we will find
just the opposite Of that to be true.
and that the sword never unlocks
heaven. and that he who heals wounds
Is greater than he who makes them,
and that on the same ring are two keys
Gods forgiveness of us and our for
giveness of enemies-and these two
keys unlock paradise.
And now | wish for all of you
beautiful sunset to your earthly exist
ence. With some Of you 1t has been n
long day Of trouble, and with others of
you It will be far from calm. When
the sun rose at o'clock. 1t was the
morning of youth, and fair day was
phophesied, but by the time the noon
Ind nd ha