St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-01-07

eye as you tell them of suffering. ant
who have pathos in their voice. and /,
kindness in their manner. and an ex
cuse or an alienation for those gon,
astray? They are the men who hav,
graduated at the royal academy O
trouble, and they have the diploms
written in wrinkles on their counte
nances. Ny! my. What heartache,
they had! What tears they have wept!
What injustice they have suffered
The mightiest influence for publication
and salvation is trouble. No diamond
, fit for a crown until it is cut. Nc
wheat fit for bread till it is ground
There are only three things that car
break of a chain-a hammer. file OF
fire-and trouble is all three of them
The greatest writer's, orators and re
formers get much Of their force from
trouble. What gave TO Washington
Irving that exquisite tenderness ant
pathos which will make his books ia
vorites while the English language con
tinues to be written and spoken? An
early heartbreak that he never once
mentioned. and when. 30 years after the
death or Matilda Hoffman. who was to
have been his bride. her father picked
up piece Of embroidery and said:
"That is piece of poor Matilda's work
manship." Washington Irving sanl;
from hilarity into silence and walked
away. Out of that lifetime grief the
great author dipped his pens mighties'
Reinforcement. Calvin's institutes OF
Religion" than which a more wonder.
full book was never written by human
hand. was begun by the author at q
years of age because of the persecution
by Francis. king of France. Faraday
toiled for all time on salary of SO
year and candles. As every brick OF the
wall Of Babylon was stamped with the
letter n. standing for Nebuchadnezzar,
SO every part of the temple of Christian
achievement is stamped with the let
ter T. standing for trouble.
When in England = man is honored
with knighthood. he is struck with the
fat of the sword. But those who have
come to kEighthood in the kingdom OF
God were first struck. not with the fiat
of the sword. but with the keen edge of
the scimeter. 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 the 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.000 for Louisi-
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. ard the
vicissitudes of centuries. So the earth
itself. before it could become an appro-
pirate and beautiful residence for the
human family. had, according to geol-
ogy. to be washed by universal deluge
and scorched and made ihcandescent
by universal fires. and pounded by
sledge hammer of icebergs. ond
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 Hiddekel. Trouble a good thing
for the rocks. a good thing for nations.
as well ms good thing for Individuals.
So when you push against me with n
sharp interrogation point: Why do the
good suffer? open the dark saying on
a harp and. though can neither plsy
an organ or cornet Or hautboy or bdgle
or clarinet. ! have taken some lessons
in the Gospel harp. and II you would
like to hear me will play you these:
"All things work together for good to
those who love God" ''Now no chasten-
ing for the present seemeth to be joy
GUS. but grievous, nevertheless after
ward it yieldeth the peaceablc fruit of
Righteousness unto them which are cX
crcised thereby" Weeping may en-
dure for night. but joy cometh in the
morning." What a sweet thing is a
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 great
prizes arc oSered in the competition be-
tween harp and harp, or that weird
Sc bastian Erard was much Of his time
bent over this chorded and vibrating
triangle and was not satisfied until he
had given il compass of six octaves,
from + to K with all the semitoncs. 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 crazed monarch, or that n
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. " trembling saints.
Down from the willows take:
Loud the praise OF love Divine
Bid every string awake!
Interrogation third: Why did the
good God let sin or trouble come into
the world when He might have KEEP:
them out? My reply is: He had good
reason. He had reasons that He has
never given us. He had reasons which
He could no more make ua understand
in our finite state than the father. start
ing out on some great and Ella borate en-
fcrurise could make the fyx0-vear.old