The Washington weekly post., 1900-01-02

4
/ o CLOCK O'Clock. / will not waste your
| tin-, ana you must not waste my time.
Just reproof Was that which Mrs Wash
| ington. the wife Of tie first President.
| gave James Peals. the great painter. His
daughter says: Ny father I'D an en-
/ gasement to paint a miniature or Mrs
| washington IN Philadelphia. the general
! being then out OF town. he was obliged
/ u go 20 her house. and the appointment,
! tor sitting was arranged at ] o'clock IN
1 the morning.
'irtne of Panctuali,y.
Ny father arrived at the house, and
taking out his watch he found he was ex-
actly on time. A thought then struck him
that possibly It might be early 20 disturb
a lady. and he decided TO give ten min
/ utes' grace before knocking at the door.
He accordingly walked the pavement. and
4 at the end Of ten minutes pulled out his
watch and rang the bell. He was ushered
/ into the parlor and Mrs. Washington. &C
| costing him. drew out her watch and said
| she had given her orders for the day. had
/ heard her daughter take her lesson on the
/ harpsichord, and had read all the morning
papers. and after ali this had been waiting
/ for him ten minutes
My friends, as our life is short. pune
/ tuality is one of the important virtues,
1 and lack OF punctuality one OF the worst
4 of crimes. How many who know nothing
! of punetuality! They arrive at the depot
\ five minutes after the train is gone They
/ get to the wharf In time TO see that the
/ steamer has swung 800 yards from the
I dock They are late at church. and annoy
| all who have promptly taken their places.
the late eomers not being as good as
/ Christian woman, who. when asked how
she could always be so early at church.
( replied: Tt is part of my religion not TO
| disturb the religion of Others The tardy
/ ones mentioned are apt to speak the word
| of counsel when it is too late. They are
| resolved to repent at some time in the
/ future, but when they come up the door is
shut They resolve to save soul when It
is already ruined.
But short as sine IS, II is long enough
If We rightly employ II. The trouble is
we waste so much time we cannot catch
| up. Some of US have been chasing time
We lost at twenty years OF age, or thirty
| wears or age, or forty years OF age, and II
/ We lived two hundred ana fifty years We
! could never overtaKe IL. Joseph, poor
/ apprentice, every morning passed GER
| tain store as the church clock struck six,
at the moment when the merchant took
/ down his shutters, each OF them saying
! Good morning, sir and nothing else.
/ What was Joseph's surprise 20 find that
the merchant had suddenly died and left
him his store and business. That is not
4 the only instance where a man has made
fortune by puncJuality. The poets
verse reads:
| Time flies away fast
| The while remember,
How soon our lie here
| Grows old with the year
That dies with the next December
Listeners TO Our Life Stories.
"a third reading of my text reminds me
| that life is not only a story told, but a
| story listened to. There is nothing more
vexatious to any one than to tell a story
when people are not attending. They
may be whispering On some other subject.
or they are preoccupied. One cannot
| tell story effectually unless there are
| good listeners. Well, that which in my
/ text is called the tale that is told has
/ plenty of listeners. There is no such
thing as solitude, no such thing as being
alone. God listens, and the air is full of
| spiritual intelligences all listening, and
| the world listens to the story of our life,
some hoping it will Re successful, Others
| hoping ii will be failure.
1--WE talk about public life and private
| life, but there is no private life. The
/ story Of our life, however insignificant it
may seem to be, viii win the applause or
number. AS a tale that is told among
| admirers or antagonists, celestials or
| pandemOniacs. the universe is full of
| listening ears as well as of cleaning
| eyes. If we say. or do the right thing.
| that is known. If We say or do the wrong
| thing, that is known. / suppose the pop
( ulatiOn Of the intelligences in the air is
| mere numerous than the population of
| intellisences on the earth. o, that the
| story of our life might be fit for such an
audience in such an auditorium God
grant that wisdom and fidelity and ear
nestness and truth may characterize the
| tale that is told
"Ayei all the world will yet listen to-
| and be redeemed by, tale that is told
We are all telling it, each i'm his own way
some by voice, some by pen, some by
| artists pencil, some by harp, and some
| by song; mother telling it to child,
teacher telling it to Sabbath class. re-
| former telling 1t 10 outcast preacher tell
! ing II TO asSembiage The story of the
Loveliest of heaven coming down TO this
SCARED and blasted island of q world
He was ordered back from its shores.
and struck through wlth lances of human
hate as soon as he landed. Shepherds
dog baying on the Mills that Christmas
night was better treated than this Res
cuer of a race; yet keeping right on
| brambles on brow, feet on spikes, fiagel-
lated with whips that had humps OF lead
fastened TO them, through midnights
without lanterns, through storms without
a shelter, through years that got blacker
until they ended in a nOOn-day with the
sun blotted out. Mightiest tale ever told
and keep on telling it until the last sor-
row is assuaged, and the last animOsity
Is squelched and the last desert is white
with the lily, and golden with the cow
Slip and blue with the gentian, and GRIM
son with the rose.
Death Calls the Audience.
while reading my text the fourth time
bethink myself that the story of life will
end when the group breaks up. The tale
that is told stops when the listeners de-
part. Sometimes We have been In groups
interestedly listening to some story told,
when other engagements or the hour Of
the night demanded the going OF the
guests. That stopped the story. By this
exit OF another year / am reminded that
these earthly groups will break up No
family group, or social group, or religious
group, or political group stays long to-
gether Suppose some one should take
from the national archives the roll Of yon-
der United States Senate chamber, or the
roll OF yonder House Of Representatives.
as 1t was made up twenty years ago, and
then call the roll. The =!leace would be
mighter than the voices that would hear
and respond.
THE family group breaks UP. Did yCg
ever know a household that for twenty
five years remained intact? Not one Was
there ever a church record the same after
the passage Of twenty-five years or fifteen
years or ten years? The fact is that the
story of our life will soon end. because the
group OF listeners viii be gone So you
see II we are going TO give the right trend
and emphasis, We must give it right away
II there are old people in the group Of our
influence. ell we can do for them viii tie
in FIVE or ten years. II there are children
around US. in ten or fifteen years they viii
no longer be children. and they VIII be
fashloning the story Of their own life
What thy hand fnGe;h 10 do. 90 It with
all thy might. Passing all. passing every
thing. as tale that Is told
My text, in referring 20 the years. re-
bas IN, tue h.