The Grit-advocate., 1900-07-06

Deeu kept Suut because tHeTe udS D6en
trouble in the house. Alas for the
folly! Parents saying: I'VE will
have no Christmas tree this coming
holiday because there has been trou-
BILE in the house. Hush that laughing
up stairs! How can there be any Joy
when there has been so much trou-
ble?" And SO they make everything
consistently doleful and send their
sons and daughters to ruin with the
gloom they throw around them.
Oh, my dear friends, do you not
know those children will have trouble
enough Of their own after awhile? Be
glad they cannot appreciate all yours.
Keep back the cup of bitterness from
your daughters lips. When your
head is down in the grass Of the tomb,
poverty may come to her, betrayal to
her. bereavement to her. Keep back
the sorrows as long as you can. Do
you not know that that son may after
awhile have his heart broken? Stand
between him and all harm. You may
not fight his battles long. Fight them
while you may. Throw not the chill
Of your own dependency over his
soul. Rather. be like Jesus, who came
to the wedding hiding his own grief
and kindling the joys of others. So l
have seen the sun on dark day.
struggling amidst clouds, black, rag
ged and portentous, but after awhile
the sun, with golden pry, heaved back
the blackness. And the sun laughed
to the lake, and the lake laughed to
the sun, and from horizon to horizon,
under the saffron sky, the water was
all turned into wine.
The Right to Laugh.
l think the children Of God have
more right to laugh than any other
people, and to clap their hands as
loudly. There is not single Joy de-
MED them that is given TO Anu nthA-
people. Christianity does not CLIP the
wings OF the soul. Religion does not
frost the flowers. What is Christian
lty? l take it to be simply a proc
lamation from the throne of God of
emancipation for all the enslaved,
and If man accepts the terms of that
proclamation and becomes free has he
not right to be merry? Suppose
father has an elegant mansion and
large grounds. To whom will he give
the first privilege of these grounds?
Will he say: my children, you must
not walk through these paths, or sit
down under these trees or pluck this
fruit. These are for outsiders. They
may walk in them" No father would
say anything like that. He would say,
The first privileges in all the grounds
and all Of my house shall be for my
own children And yet men try to
make us believe that Gods children
are on the limits and the chief re-
freshments and enjoyments of life are
Tor outsiders and not for his own
children. 1t is stark atheism. There
is no innocent beverage too rich for
Gods child to drink, there is no robe
too costly for him to wear, there is no
hilarity too great for him to indulge
IN and no house too splendid for him
TO live In. He has right to the joys
OF earth; he shall have right to the
joys of heaven. Though tribulation
and trial and hardship may come to
him, let him rejoice. Rejoice in the
Lord, ye righteous, and again l say
rejoice
l remark again that Christ comes to
us in the hour of our extremity. He
knew the wine was giving out before
there was any embarrassment or NOR
ti1ication. Why did he not perform
the miracle sooner? Why wait until
it oil Il