The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-01-01
That dies with the next December.
The sixnincance Of Life.


The Significance Of Life.
A third reading Of my text reminds me
that life Is not only story told. but
story listened to. There is nothing more
vexatious to any one than to tell story
when people are not attending. They may
be whispering on some other subject, or
they are preoceupied. One cannot tell
story effectually unless there are good lis
teners. 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 spiritu-
, al intelligences all listening, and the
world listens to the story of our life. some
hoping 1t will be successful, others hop,
ing it will be failure.
We talk about public life and private
life, but there is no private life. The sto-
~ of our life. however Insignificant it
may seem to be, will win the applause or
hiss of great multitude that no man eau
number. As tale that is told" among
admirers or antagonists, celestials or pan
demoniacs, the universe is full Of listen
ing ears as well as Of cleaning eyes. If
we say or do the right thing, that is
known. | suppose the population Of the
intelligences in the air is mere numerous
than the population of inteligences On
the earth. Oh, that the story of our life
might be fit for such an audience in such
an auditorium! God grant that wisdom
and fidelity and earnestncss and truth
may characterize the tale that is told
Aye, all the world will yet listen to ard
be redeemed by tale that Is told" We
are all telling it. each in his own way
some by voice, some by pen. some by art
lists pencil. some by harp and some by
song: mother telling 1t to child, teacher
telling it to Sabbath class, reformcr tell
ing ii to outcnst, preacher telling it to as
sembiage. The story Of the Loveliest of
heaven coming down to this Scared aud
blasted island Of world. He was or.
dpred back from its shores and struck
through with lances of human hate as
soon as he landed. Shepherds dog bay
ing on the hills that Christmas night was
better treated than this rescuer Of a race.
yet keeping right on. brambles on brow,
feet on spikes, fagellated with whips that
had Jumps of lead fastened to them.
through midnight without lanterns,
through storms without n shelter. through
years that got HACKER until they ended in
a MONDAY with the sun blotted out
Mightest tale ever told, and keep on tell
Ing it until the last sorrow is assuaged
and the last luminosity is quenched and
the last desert is white with the lily and
golden with the cowsip and blue with
the gentian and crimson with the rose.
The End of the story.
While reading my text the fourth time
will end when the group breaks up. The
"talr that is told" stops when the listen
ers depart. Sometimes we have been in
groups intcrestetlly listening to some sto
ry 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 I am reminded
that these earthly groups will break up
No family group or social group or rcli.
gious group or political group stays long
together. Suppose some one should take
from the national archives the roll Of
yonder United States senate chamber or
the roll Of yonder house of representa-.
tives as it was made up 20 years ago and
then call the roll The silence would he
mighter than the voices that would hear
and respond.
The family group breaks up. Did you
ever know household that for 25 years
remained intact! Not one. Was there
ever a church record the same after the
passage Of 25 years or Is years or III
years? The fact Is that the story of our
life will soon end because the group OF
listeners will be gone. So you see If we
are going to give the right trend and en-
phasis we must give 1t right away. If
there IRE old people in the group of our
influence, all we can do for them will be
in five or ten years. II there are children
around us, in 10 or Is years they will no
longer be children, and they will be fash
ioning the story of their own life. "What
thy hand fndeth to do. do it with all thy
might Passing all, passing everything,
as tale that is told"
My text, In referring to the years, re-
minds me that in II hours this year will
forever have gone away. Nnety-nine out
of the hundred years of this century will
have disappeared. We have only one year
of the century left. There ought to be
something especially suggestive in the
last year of a century. 1t ought to be a
year of unparalleled industries, of I'M
heard of conservation. Not person in
any of our audiences this day can re-
member the first year of this century.
Not person in any of our audiences. to-
day will ever again see the last year of
century.
The Usefulness of Death.
Through medical science the worlds
longevity may be greatly improved in the
future. as 1t has been in the past, but it
would not be well for people to live too
long. Some of them would, through their
skill at acquistiveness. gather too much,
and some multimillionaircs would become
billionaires and trillionares, and some
one would after awhile pocket hemi-
sphere. No. Death is useful in its tinan'
cial limitations, and then all have enough
sorrows and annoyances and sufferings
by the time they become nonagenarians
or centenarians to make 1t desirable to
quit. Besides that, 1t would not be fair
SO long to keep so many good old people
out of heaven. So 1t Is well arranged
that those who stand by the deathbcd of
the nineteenth century will not be called
to stand by the deathbed Of the twentieth
century.
Oh, crowd this last year with prayers,
with hosannas, with kind words. with
helpfulness. Make the peroration of the
century the climax Of Christlike deeds.
Close up the ranks Of God and during
this remaining II months charge nightly
against the host of Abaddon. Have no
reserve corps. Let swiftest gospel cav