Connecticut western news., 1899-01-12


 of the apocalyptic archangel.
 Oh, what a God we have for small things as we'll as big things! David no more helped at the front than helped at home. The four regiments mobiliZed for the defense of the throne of Israel were right ill protesting against David's exposure of his life at the front. Had he been pierced of an arrow or cloyen down with battleax or fatally slung from snorting war charger, what a dis aster for the throne of Israel! Absalom, his son, was low fellow and unfit to reign his two chief characteristics were his handsome face and his long hair so long that when he had it cut that which was scissored off weighed "200 shekels, after the kings weight" and when man has nothing but hand some face and an exuberanee of hair there is not much of him. The capture or staying of David would have been a calamity irreparable. Unnecessary ex- posture would have been crime for Da- vid, as it is a crime for you.
 Some people think it is bright thing to put themselves in unnecessary peril.
 
 precipiee and look off, defying vertigo, or go among contagious when they can be of no use but to demonstrate their 1 own bravado, or with glee drive horses which are only harnessed whirlwlnds, or see how close they can walk in front of a trolley car without being crushed, CT spring on rail train after 1t has started, or leap off rail train before 1t has stopped. Their life is series of narrow escapes careless of what pre- dicameDt their family would suffer at their sudden taking off or of the mis- fortune that might come to their busl- ness partners or the complete failure Of their life work, if coroner's jury must be called in to decide the style of their exit. They do not take into considera- tion what their life is worth to others. Taken off through such recklessness they go criminals. There was not one man among those four full regiments of 4,000 Israelites that would have so much enjoyed being in the fight as Da- vid, but he saw that he could serve his nation best by not putting on helmet and shield and sword, and so he took the advice Of the armed men and said, What seemeth to you best will do. " 1 warrant that you will die soon enough, without teasing and bantering casualty to see if it can launch you into the next world.
 Keep Out of Peril.
 In nine cases out of ten the fatalities every day reported are not the fault of engineers or brakemen or conductors or cab drivers, but of the stupidity and recklessness of people at street or rail road crossing. They would like to have the Chicago limited express train, with 800 passengers and advertised to arrive at certain hour in certain city, slow 1p to let them get two minutes sooner 10 their destination, not one farthing of their own or any one e1se's welfare dependent on whether they arrive one minute before l2 o'clock or one minute after. You ought to get permission from railroad superintendent to mount be- side the engineer on a locomotive to re- alize how many evils of recklessness there are in the world-funeral process sions whipping up to get across before the cowcatcher strikes the hearse; man of family, with wife and children be- side him in wagon, evidently having made close calculation as to whether a stroke from the locomotive would put them backward or forward in the jour- ney to the village grocery; traveller on get to the end of the bridge before the train reaches it. You have no right to put your life in peril unless by such exposure something is to be gained for others. What imbecility in thousands of Americans during our recent Ameri. co-Spanish war, disappointed because the surrender came so soon and they could not have the advantage of being shot at San Juan hill or brought down with the yellow fever and carried on litter to transport steamers already so many floating lazarettos instead of thanking God that they got no nearer to the slaughter than Tampa or Chatta- nooga or the encampment at their own state capital; mad at the government, mad at God, because they could not get to the front in time to join the LOGO
 
 from the tropics to the national oeme- teries of the United States. Exposure and daring are admirable when duty calls, but keep out of peril when noth- ing practical and useful is to be gained for your family or your country or yoNx God. I admire the David of my text 1s he suppresses himself and enters sAe gate of his castle as much as admiso him when with his four fingers and thumb clutcbed into the grisly locks s Goliath's head, which he had decafs- tated, and Saul admiringiy ashk "Whose son art thou, young mani" and David, blushing with genuirs modesty, responds, "I am the son of tf ? servant, Jesse, the Bethlehemite.
 Help Others.
 Now, here is another important DoinI As there are so many people i'll tEs world who amount to little or nothing you ought to augment yourself, and if not able, like David, to be worth 10, 900 times more than others, you can com- mand Gods re-enforoing grace to make yourself four times or three times or twice as much as some others. Pray twice as much, read twice as much, give twice as much, go to church twicc as much. Instead of spending your time finding fault with others, substitute your superior fidelity for their 6erelic- ton and default In any church. thero are ten members worth all ths otheR thousand. In every great businois firm there is one man worth the othae thrsc partners. In every legislative hall, saHte or national, there are five men worth all the other 50 or 100. Take the sug- gestion of my text and augment your self. Make your one talent do the work of two, or your five talents do the work of ten, or your ten talents do the work of 20. Multiply your words of enoour- agement. Multiply the number of boosts you can give to those who are trying to '