Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-01-06

on both sides OF this question faith and
courage for all the rest. There are two
false positions many are now taking,
false as false can be. The one is that
il we decline to take under full charge
Cuba and Porto Rico and the Philip
pines we make declination that will
be disastrous to our nation, and other
nations will take control Of those ar
chipelagoes and rule them, and perhaps
to our humiliation and destruction. The
other theory is that IL we take posses
sion of those once Spanish colonies we
invite foreign interference and enter
upon career that will finally be the
demolition of this government. Both
positions are immessurable mistakes
God IA.s set apart this continent fer
free government and the triumZhs of
Christianity, and we may take either
the first or the second course without
ruin. We may say to those islands
1--WE do not want you. but we have set
you free. Now stay free, while we see
that the Spanish panther never again
puts its paw on your neck" Or we
may invite the annexation of Cuba and
Porto Rico and say to the Philippines,
Get ready by education and good NOR
ais for free government, and at the
right time you shall be one of our terri
tories, on the way to be one Of our
states.
And there il no power in Europe.
Asia or Africa, or all combined, that
could harm this nation in its world
wide endeayor. God is on the side Of
the right, and by earnest imploration
for divine guidance on the part Of this
nation we will be led to do the right.
We are on the brink of nothing. There
is no frightful crisis. This train Of Re-
publican and Democratic institutions Is
a through train, and all we want is to
have the engineer and the brakemen
and the conductor attend to their bust
ness and the passengers keep their
places. We want men in this nation
with faith enough for all. We want
here and there a David worth 10, 900
men.
Confidence Lacking.
A vast majority of men have no sur
plus Of confidence for others and hardly
enough confidence for themselves. They
20 through life saying depressing things
and doing depressing things. They chill
prayer meetings. discourage charitable
institutions, injure commerce and kill
churches. They blow out lights when
they ought to be kindling them. They
hover around a dull fire on their own
hearth and take up so much room that
no one can catch the least calorio, in
stead Of stirring the hearth intoa blaze,
the crackle Of whose backlog would in
yite the whole neighborhood to come IL
to feel the abounding warmth and see
the TRANSPORTATION OF the faces. As we
all have to guess a great deal about the
future, let us guess something good,
for Il will be more encouraging. and
the guess will be just as apt to come
true. What lot Of ingrates the Lord
has at his table People who have had
three meals day for 80 years and yet
fear that they will soon have to rattle
their knife and fork on an empty dinner
plate. How many have had-winter
and spring and summer and fIll-cloth-
ing for 60 years, but expect an empty
wardrobe shortly How many have
lived under free institutions all their
days, but fear that the United States
may be telescoped in some foreign col
lision Oh, but the taxes have gone upl
Yes, but thank God. it is easier with
money to pay the taxes now that they
are ND than it was without money to
pay the taxes when they were down.
We want a few men who have faith in
God and that mighty future which
holds several things, among them a
millennium. COlumbanus said to his
friend, "Deicolus, why are you always
smiling?" The reply was, because no
one can take my God from mel" We
want more men to feel that they have
mission to cheer others and to draw up
the corners Of peoples mouths which
have a long while been drawn down,
more Davids who can shepherd whole
fiocks Of bright hopes. and can play q
harp Of encouragement, and strike down
a Goliath of despair, and Of whom we
can say, "Thou art worth 10, 900 Of Us. !"
admit that this thought Of my text
fully carried ont would change many
Of the worlds statistics Suppose vii
lage is said to have 1000 inhabitants,
and that one-half Of them-namely,
5O0-have for years been becoming less
in body, and through niggardliness and
grumbling less in soul. Each one OF
these is only one-balf Of what he once
was or one half OF what she once was.
That original 500 have been reduced
one.half in moral quality and are really
only $50. Suppose that the other 800
have maintained their original status
and are neither better nor worse. Then
the entire population Of that village Is
$50. But suppose another village Oh
1000, and 300 of them, as the years go
by, through mental and spiritual oul'
ture, augment themselves until they
are really twice the men and women
they originally were, and the other 500
remain unchanged and are neither better
nor worse, then the population Of that
village is 1000. Meanness Is subtrao-
tion and nobility is addition. Accord
ing as you rise in the scale Of holiness
and generosity and conservation, you
are worth OF 10 or so or 100 or 1. 900
or 10, 900 others
Humble Heroes.
Notice, my friend, that this David,
warrior. strategist, minstrel, master Of
blank verse and stone slinger at the
giant, whom the soldiers Of the text es-
timated clear up into the thousandfold
Of usefulness on this particular occasion,
staid at home or in his place of tenn
porary residence. General Joab. Gen.
eral Abishai and General Ittai, who
commanded the boys In the right wing
and left wing and center. did their
work bravely and left 20. 600 OF the
Lords enemies dead on the field, and
many of the survivors got ensangled In
the woods OF Ephraim and mixed up In
the bushes and stumbled over the