Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-05-11

whole work is to shed a baleful in
iuence on others. There are Attilas
of the home, Attilas of the social cir
Gle. Attilas Of the church, Attilas of
the state. and one-third of the waters
Of all the world, IL 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 soo as they get great power,
become ~overbearing. The more power
men rave the better, If their power be
used for good. The less power men
have the better. II they use it for evil.
Birds circle round and round and
round before they swoop upon that
which they are aiming for. And if
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 a benediction to
others or an imbitterment, a blessing
OF a curse, a balsam or a NORWOOD?
Some of you, l 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 accursed earth. Hail. MORN
ing start Keep on shining with en-
enlargement and Christian hope!
Some Of you are evening stars, and
you are cheering the last days OF old
people, and, though a cloud sometimes
comes over you through the q%uerulous-
ness or unreasonableness of your aged
father and mother, it is only for a mo-
ment, and the star soo 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 start 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 maternalP Are
your children everlastingly pecked att
Are you always crying "Hushl' 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 caehinna-
ton, as in this weather the water has
trickled through . slight opening in
the mildam, but afterward makes
wider and wider breach until 1t carries
all before il with irresistible freshet2
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 10 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 IL. Alas, that there
are so many homes not known to the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
toChildren, where childrenare whacked
and cuffed and ear pulled, and sense
lessly called TO order, and answered
sharply, and suppressed, until it is .
wonder that under such processes they
do not all turn out Mana Sahibsi
What is your influence upon the
neighborhood, the town or the city of
your residence? l will suppose that
you are a star of wit. What kind of
rays do you shoot forth? Do you use
! 49, .no-Jsl En-.14~ 40 frr,IfaYa a.
world or to rankle il? / bless all the
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 iuxtaposition Of
words. Thomas Hood and Charles
Dickens and Sydney Smith had a 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, effervesce and
bubble. They placate animosities.
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 IL besmircbed with profanity
and u~ncleanness? Do you employ II in
amusement at physical defects for
which the victims are not responsible?
Are your powers Of mimicry used to
put religion in contempt? Is II a bunch
of nettlesome invective? Is il a bolt Of
unjust seorn? Is IL fun at others mis-
f%ortune2 Ia 1t glee at their disap-
pointment and defeat? Is il bitterness
put drop by drop into a cup? Is il like
the squeezing of Artemisia~ absinthium
into a draft already d~istastefully pun
gent ? Then you are the star Worm
wood. Yours is the fun Of a rattlesnake
trying how well it can sting.
ButIwin change this and suppose you
are a star Of worldly prosperity. Then
you have a large opportunity. You can
encourage that artist by buying his pic