The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-10
HEALTHY THOUGHTS.

plants grow from the inside arc others
| from the outside. Those OF tue first
clasS. the inside growers, us they ave
called, add TO themselves at the heart.
or centre, while those Of the second
class, the outside growers" increase by
| successive external additions
| Ii is the same with our human knti.
! Some of as seem TO be wholly dependent
| for our happiness on our surroundings,
! while others are inside growers and
| are dependent OH their own thoughts Tor
! their comfort and enjoyment.
The man who has the source of hap
piness in himself is better of than lie
| who must needs rely on the charity Of
| friends or circumstances. for his aearr
| is the workshop in which happiness IS
! made. and he always carries his work
| shop with him; while he who is Deepen
| dent on his surroundings will some
| times find that they fail them. The
! poorest man on earth is he who is nlis2r.
! able when alone with his thoughts, gni
| the Richest man is he who asks nothing
more than to be in the company of his
own heart and mind. That kind or
compani0nship never deserts him, is
never unfaithful, and never brings a
heartache or a regret
They tell us that Christ was man OF
sorrows. but it is hard to accept the
statement. / am inclined to believe,
on the contrary, that He had an enjoy
ment of which we cannot conceive and
with which neither the pangs of Geth
semane nor the nails of the cross could
interfere While j dare not say that
He was the happiest man that ever
lived. He was certainly the man who
less than any other relied on his sur
III. Il,
world of thought and faith and aspira-
ton that Gods actual presence over
whelmed and blotted out what to US
would be simply uncomfortable. He was
not unconscious Of the disloyalty and
suspicion by which He was encompassed.
and was not perhaps wholly unaffected
by them, but He had that within which
disdained and even ignored suffering,
and His belief that this childish world,
which hated Him because He repudia-
ted its religious and moral toys. would
yet accept Him when it grew to man
hood made Him physically Indifferent
to the crown of thOrns and the derision
of the mob.
In this matter as in others, He is our
example, When we learn THAT a thought
is the only reality in the universe, thar
he who has thoughts has pretty nearly
everything that human nature is capa-
BILE of receiving, then we shall for the
first time begin to live. We are chill
dren crawling on the floor at the pres
cnt. pleased with the rattle Of earth
ly ambition and tickled with the straw
of worldly acquisition. but when we
stand in the full stature of our manhood
we shall teach our children that there
is wholesome and unwhoIesome mental
nj rs -hpI IN
wholesome bodily food. Who catches
the thoughts of God has discovered the
secret of success. 1t is better to be
close to the heart of the Almighty than
close to gold mine. The universe is
full of health-giving ideas, as the clouds
are full of electricity, and if instead of
being non-conductors, as we always
have been. we can get our souls into
harmony with the universe we shall be-
come transformed and transfigured.
Sorrow will be lessened, because VIZ
shall understand its meaning, and grim
death, who has terrified us from the
beginning, will be the messenger who
orens the door of the higher life.
We are learning more every day, and
our added knowledge so far from less
ming our faith has given it more
eager intensity. Science doffs its hat
TO true religion, not the dogmatic religion
which rocked our cradles and whose
thunderbolts frightened sleep away. bur
the religion which allmes us like distant
music. which paints this life in colors
SO exquisite that we would fain stay
here forever were it not that another
world still more beautiful opens TO our
view.
The religion of the Christ is slowly
coming into heart and home He has
been obscured by superstition and by
creed We have trembled and shrunil
away where we should have rushed into
the all-embracing arms of a Father We
have been taught TO believe the incrsdi-
bic. and eternal Truth has been c1n-
temned and despsed and ignored. but
the clouds are rolling away. We can
see bits of the clear blue sky wen now,
and by and by the heavens will be
bright with the sunshine of the New
Testament properly interpreted AMI I'M
derstood We stand like some weary
traveller ON a hilltop trying TO peer
through the fog TO catch a glimpse OF
| the home at our journeys end. We
| know that it is somewhere but exactly
where we cannot tell. Our hands are
| outstretched as though to grasp the 9TH
er life God can't be far away; but
l MuEIG ~ lit. w Z DtllGNNs but ott SASiI
| is dimmeda The dear ones who have,
gone. the loved ones who must soon 60
shall there be no reunion in i iatrer
i cline? The heart cries out, YES" hut
our knowledge is so imperfect that we
/ greatly suffer.
! That is our attitude just now, rhe at
! titude of a man who is on the eve Of dis
( covery We have left the old behind,
but have not yet fully appreciated the
new. We are getting nearer 70 the
CHRIST. We are listening to Hie words
afresh, and larger truths, like white
robed and welcomed angels, are knock
ing ait our doors. Now we see through
a glass darkly but after few more
steps have been taken. when a few
more years have passed, we shall SEE
face to face The other world and this
! will become one, the outstretched hands