The age-herald., 1900-10-07

feet of might, it's little frame which God gave 1t to house its little soul He created quivering in convulsive pain; its little heart broken and bleeding in agony of shame; its little eyes of outraged love closed until its little face was wrinlxed as of age, yet it's pure tears flowing to bathe the feet of its tyrant; its pure spirit agonized with the Iameless woe of childhoodY
 So? Then you saw tho effect of sin black as any sin the devil ever rejoiced to see.
 Did you ever see little child laugh till 1t cried? Did you ever mark the little eyes begin to twinkle in merriment, and see the lips begin to part to show the little white teeth and the rosy mouth of purity and of joy? Did you ever catch that first note of laughter, the laughter of little child, beginning in it's heart and coming upward soft and sweet and tender as an angels prayer, and leaping out to bless the viewless wind and to hold you entranced with it's exquisite, it's dreamful, its heavenly melody? Did you ever look and listen and love and pray as that laugh ter grew and grew and grew, coming swifter than any other winged sound of earth to roll out note on note and bar on lar, dancing and gurgling and rolling ever higher and higher until all other sounds died away in that divine burst of lifes uivinest music, stirring your own spirit to exaltation and humbling your impulses of self as if the hoiiest of all created things had made the sign of the cross and bidden you shout hosanna! hosanna! hosanna to the God who gave you that one moment of supreme joy in joy?
 An, my beloved, if you have seen and heard that, then have you worshiped Godl
 The difference between wrong and right, between sin and goodness, is like unto the difference between the oppression of a lit- tie child who weeps in grief and the little, child who laughs till 1t cries!
 Fools will tell you, my beloved, that all this means nothing and in it there is noth- ing to. remember. Tell them that to their foolishness they add lying. Even the love of the faithful cannot guard you against fools. And they are harder to bear than the wicked. Fools stifle smiles; the wicked smother generous impulses. Whose would needlessly wound and give pain. be he fool or knave, is worse than thief and in this world is accursed. There is a curse upon him which he shall in no wise escape
 Rudeness, incivility, discourteousness, in- considerateness, uncharitableness, these are vices worse than lying or drunkenness. The habitual liar placards himself and becomes so notorious as to be measurably harmless. The drunkard the police will take care of until he be quite ready for the devil, no long space of time forsooth! But against addicted thoSa other Sopial uipnQ society at large is defenseless They ap- pear everywhere, from the cradle to the end; from the bridal banquet to the pavement frultstall; from vast assemblage to chance meeting in the street; from the house of prayer to the scene of murder. They poi son the very atmosphere with their un- couthness Their jealousies, their picker ings, their selfishness vanity. incomprehen- sible blackguardism, rob honesty and virtue of large measure of happiness
 The easiest thing in life is common civili- ty. It costs less and buys more. The sim pie act of bidding good morning in proper spirit is of more value than purse of gold. The cordial good mornings of one persons life are above the purchasing power of earth's richest ueasure-house. One heart smile is more precious than the costiiest gem ever digged from deeps of land or plucked from deeps of the sea.
 One breezy, heartful, unrestrained greet ing is beyond the pelf of all the porkbutch- ering, man expressing moneybags of this world; all the vainglory of fatted fools who swagger and swill and cry amen to the parsons!
 Better infinitely more alluring. is little child's smile of goodwill and trust than all the fatness of humanity's insolent pork butchers, big in their conceits, vanities, patronage and self-righteousness!
 The wisdom of Solomon is folly to fools, puffed-up knowalls who deny good minds.