Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-12-15

| 90 down on our wrath, because we VIII
sleep better II we are at peace with
everybody. Insomnia Is getting to be
one Of the most prevalent of disorders.
How few people retire at 10 o'clock at
night and sleep clear through to in
the morningl To relieve this disorder
all narcotics and sedatives and NOR
phine and choral and bromide Of pOtas-
stun and cocaine and intoxicants are
used, but nothing Is more Important
than a quiet spirit II we would win
somnolence. How is a man going to
sleep when be is in mind pursuing an
enemy7 With what nervous twitch
he Will start out of a dreaml That
new plan Of cornering his foe will keep
| him wide awake while the clock strikes
IL, IL. /. 2 | give you an unfailing
prescription for wakefulness: Spend
the evening hours rehearsng your
wrongs and the best way of avenging
them. Hold convention of friends Oh
this subject In your parlor OF Office al
| 8 or o o'clock. Close the evening by
writing a bitter letter expressing your
sentiments. Take from the desk or
pigeonhole the papers in the case to re-
fresh your mind with your enemy's
meanness. Then lie down and wait
for the coming OF the day, and II will
come before sleep comes or your sleep
will be worried qulescence and, II you
take the precaution to lie fat on your
back. frightful nightmare.
Why not put a bound to your ami.
mostly? Why let your foes come into
the sanctitles of your dormltOry? Why
let those slanderers who have already
torn your reputation to pieces or In
iured your business bend over your
midnight pillow and drive from you
one Of the greatest blessings that God
can offer-sweet, refreshing. all in
vigorating sleep? Why not fence out
your enemies by the golden bars Of the
sunset Why not stand behind the
| barrieade Of evening cloud and say to
them. Thus far and no farther
Many q man and many n woman Is
having the health of body as well as
the health OF soul eaten away by
,, malevolent spirit. have in time of
religious awakening had persons night
after night come into the Inquiry room
and get no peace Of soul. After awhile
[ have bluntly asked them. rs there
not some one against whom you have
n hatred that you are not willing t0
give upg" After little confusion they
have slightly whispered. Yes Then
| have said, "You will never find peace
with God as long as you retain that
yirulence."
Forgive Your Enemies.
A boy In Sparta having stolen a fox
kept him under his coat, and, though
the fox was gnawlng his vltals, he sub
mitted to II rather than expose his
misdeed. Many a man with a smiling
face has under his jacket an animosity
that is gnawing away the strength OF
his body and the integrity Of his soul.
Better get rid Of that hidden fox as
soon as possible. There are hundreds
OF domestic circles whore that which
most is needed is the spirit Of forgive
ness. Brothers apart, and sisters apart
and parents and children apart. Solo
mon says a brother offended is harder
to be won than a strong city. Are
there not enough sacred memories Of
your childhood to bring you togetherf
The rabbins recount how that Neb-
uchadnezzars son had such a spite
against his father that after he was
dead he had his father burned to ashes
and then put the ashes into four sacks
and tied them to four eagles necks
which flew away In opposite directions
| And there are now domestic antlpa
thies that seem forever to have scat
| tered all parental memories to the four
winds OF heaven. How far the eagles
hy with those sacred ashes. The hour
Of sundowp makes to that family no
practical suggestion. Thomas Carlyle.
| In his biography OF Frederick the
Great, says the old king was told by
the confessor he must be at peace with
his enemies II he wanted TO enter
heaven. Then he said 20 his wife. the
queen. Write to your brother after
am dead that forgive him" Rolof,
the confessor. said. Her majesty had
better write him Immediately" NO."
said the king. "after | am dead; that
will be safer" So he let the sun OF
his earthly existence 90 down upon his
wrath.
Again, we ought not to allow the
sun TO set before forgiveness takes
place. because we might not live to see
another day. And what If we should
be ushered into the presence Of our
Maker with a grudge upon our soul!
The majority Of people depart this life
In the night. Between II o'clock p. m.
and 3 o'clock a. m. there Is some
thing in the atmosphere which relaXes
the grip which the body has on the
soul, and most people enter the next
world through the shadows of this
world Perhaps God may have ar
ranged It In that way so as to make
the contrast the more glorious. | have
seen sunshiny days in this world that
must have been almost like the radi-
ance of heaven. But as most people
leave the earth between sundown and
sunrise they quit this world at Its
darkest, and heaven. always bright,
will be the brighter for that contrast.
Out OF darkness into lrradiation.
Burden of Old Grudges.
Shall we then leap over the roseate
bank x sunset into the favorite hunt
ing ground Of disease and death, car
rying our animositles with usf VINO
would want to confront his God
against whom we have all done mean
! er things than anybody has even doh'
against us. carrying old grudgesf How
can we expect his forgiveness for the
greater when we are not willing TO Tor
give others for the less? Napoleon
. was encouraged to undertake the cross
, ing Of the Alps because Charlemagh'
had previously crossed them. And al
this rugged path Of forgiveness bear
the bleeding footsteps of him who con
, ouered through suffering, and W.
! ought to be willing to follow. On TIT
: night Of our departure from this life In
| -. oro t,loo Will hpNp Il