St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-06-09


staid at home, and ought to have hat
the ring, and ought to have had tn,
banquet, and l ought to have had thu
garlands." Alas for this spirit of envJ
and jealousy coming down through tn,
ages: Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob
Saul and David, Haman and Mordecai
| Othello and lago, Orlando and Angel
lea, Caligula and Torquatus, Caesa,
and Pompey, Columbus and the Span
ish courtiers, Cambyses and the broth
er he slew because he was a better
| marksman, DiOnysius and Philoxenius
| whom he slew because he was a better
singer. Jealousy among painters
Closterman and Geoffrey kneller, Hud
son and Reynolds. Francia, anxious t
see picture of Raphael, Raphael send:
| him picture. Francia, seeing ii, fall:
in a fit of jealousy, from which he dies
Jealousy among authors. How seldom
| contemporaries speak of each other
Xenophon and Plato living at the sam,
time, but from their writings you never
would suppose they heard of each 9th
er. Religious jealousies. The Moham
medans praying for rain during q
drought; no rain coming. Then the
Christians begin to pray for rain, ant
the rain comes. Then the Mohamme'
dams met together to account for this
and they resolved that God was so well
pleased with their prayers He kept the
drought onso as to keep them praying
but that the Christians began to pray
and the Lord was so disgusted with
their prayers that He sent rain right
away, so he would not hear any more
of their supplications. Oh, this ac'
cursed spirit of envy and jealousy! Let
rs stamp it out from all our hearts!
A wrestler was so envious of Theog.
enes, the prince of wrestlers, that he
could not be consoled in any way;
and after Theogenes died and statue
was lifted to him in n public place
his envious antagonist went out every
night and wrestled with the statue,
until one night he threw it. and it
fell on him and crushed him to death.
So jealousy is not only absurd, but j!
is killing to the body, and it is kill
ing to the soul. How seldom it is you
find one merchant speaking well of a
merchant in the same line of business.
How seldom it is you hear a physician
speaking well of a physician on the
same block. Oh, my friends, the world
is large enough for all of US. Let us
rejoice at the success of others. The
next best thing to owning garden
ourselves is to look over the fence and
admire the flowers. The next best
thing to riding in fine equipage is to
stand on the street and admire the
prancing span. The next best thing
to having banquet given to ourselves
is having a banquet given to our prod
igal brother that has come home to
his fathers house.
Besides that, If we do not get az
much honor and as much attention a
others, we ought to congratulate our
selves on what we escape in the way
Of assault. The French general riding
on horseback at the head of his troops
heard soldier complain and say: ut
is very easy for the general to command
us forward while he rides and we walk. /"
Then the general dismounted and COM
PEELED the complaining soldier to get
on the horse. Coming through a ra-
vine, bullet from sharpshooter
struck the rider, and he fell dead. Then
the general said: "How much safer it
is to walk than to ride!"
Once more l have to tell you that
this senior brother of my text stands
for the poutings Christian. While there
is so much congratulation within doors,
the hero of my text stands outside,
the corners of his mouth drawn down,
looking as he felt-miserable. / am
glad his lugubrious physiognomy did
not spoil the festivity within. How
many pouting Christians there are in
our day-Christians who do not like the
music of the churches, Christians who
do not like the hilarities of the young
pouting. pouting, pouting ut society,
pouting at the fashions, pouting at the
newspapers, pouting at the church,
pouting at the government, pouting at
High Heaven. Their spleen is too large,
their liver does not work, their diges-
tion is broken down. There are two
cruets in the caster always sure to be
we'll supplied-vinegar and red pepper!
Oh, come away from that mood. Stir
little saccharin into your disposition.
While you avoid the dissoluteness of the
younger son, avoid also the irascibility
and the petulance ami the pouting
spirit of the elder son. and initiate the
father. who had embraces for the re-
turning prodigal and coaxing words
for the splentic malcontent.
All, the face of this pouting elder SON
is put before us in order that we might
better see the radiant and forgiving
face of the Father. Contrasts are
mighty. The artist, in sketching the
field of Waterloo years after the battle.
put a dove in the mouth of the cannon.
Raphael, in one of his cartoons, beside
the face of a wretch put the face of q
happy and innocent child. And so the
sour face of this irascible and disgusted
elder brother is brought out in order
that in the contrast we might better
understand the forgiving and radiant
face of God. That is the meaning of it
that God is ready to take back any.
body that is sorry, to take him clear
back, to take him back forever and for.
ever and forever, to take him back with
allowing hug. to put a kiss on his parched
lip, a ring on his bloated hand, an easy
shoe on his chafed foot. a garland on
his bleeding temples and heaven in his
soul. Oh, fall fat on mercy! Come,
my brother, and let us get down into
the dust. resolved never to rise until
the Fathers forgiving hand shall lift usl
Oh, what God we have! Bring your
doxologies. Come. earth and Heaven,
and join in the worship. Cry aloud!
Lift the palm branches! Do you not
feel the Fathers arm around your
neck? Do you not feel the warm breath
OF your Father against your cheek?
Surrender, younger son! Surrender.
elder son! Surrender, all! Go in to-
day and sit down at the banquet. Take
q slice of the fatted calf, and afterward.
when you are seated, with one hand in
the hand Of the returned brother and
the other hand in the hand of the re.
mi HSvrrw f., IA