The age-herald., 1900-03-11
THE MURMUR
 OF THE WORLD

He who has a gentle heart will oftenest be
 hurt.
 'Tis easier to wound him than a man of
 common dirt.
 He has a deeper misery, when misery be-
 gins,
 But has a higher happiness when happiness
 he wins.
 These lines of homely truth are sent hith1 CT by some gentle soul from somewhere out in the wide world. The words express much of the real philosophy of human life. They are so perfectly true that no man nor woman will question. dispute cayil. They call to everything not evil in the souls of mankind; to every generous im- pulse, every thrill of affection, every silent or uttered wish to be charitable, virtuous, or unafraid of attempting to do good deeds where wfckedness abounds. They are of that spirit which causes flowers to blossom in waste places, love to cheer hearts that ache, peace to come to pain-ridden way farers weary and footsore and stricken on the highway that Is beset by the horde of brigands that do prey upon suffering hu- manhty! These truths are not understood by the perversely wicked, the ignorant. the bigoted, the intolerant, the coward, or tho loud-mouthed braggart.. But such erea- lures as these know not that which is clean or truthful, and pass generally unheeded by theAvast millions of the faithful
 The cleanest heart that beats under the sun may be hurt by the damnabest ruff1an who reels and swaggers and swears in the public places. The purest of maidens are made to blush, without knowing the reason. by the leers of brutes in mans form moved by lustful viciousness. But the wicked can reach the citadel of an honest soul by the assassin's vulgar weapons only. Seif-re- spect and upright life are shining armor against islander. The character of the pure of heart cannot be destroyed by the as- saults of infamy. If virtue were not Hs own protector, behind every pure woman there stand brave men and true, fneT hearts stout in the spirit of the divine ln- junction, Thou shalt not!' Thus a Wo- mans womanlimess is not her only defense against all them that hate God. Men, be they of gentle heart or rude, protect them selves. God and good men protect women. And 1t comes alt last to, this every man knows whether he is himself unclean wick ed, vicious, given over to sinfulness. If he be guilty, there is voice for ever cry ing to him as old Nathan called to David, Thou art the mani!
 It is not for to know why the vicious and the lawless are suffered to cumber the earth. We ask, and no answer comes. We pray, and increase the numbers and powers ol: our judges, building new prisons the while We hang criminals, lawfully and unIawfully, and crime still dogs the vir- tuous. We arm men to slay other armed men who defy the law. Some of us look no7the gallows to rescue us from the ter rfbhe lawlessnesss that rages: others shud- der at thought of black cap, knotted cord, bound hands and feet, the writhing and dangling figure in confped space. We may not know now which is least bad in itself or of more benefit to society. Perhaps it shall never be given US to know. But in of these things we are given much. We may watch and pray; we may by precept and example strive to give our judges less to do, and in constant faithful ness labor to empty the prisons that they may be transformed into places of prayer or the teaching of knowledge. The largest of all our island Actresses is about to be used as a hospital. The moans of the af- ficted shall be subdued by the gentle tones of the white-capped nurses, and there shall be merctful peace where grim cannon roared!
 In this sober Lenten time, I1l1ese days of penance and seff-denial on the part of the we should take counsel of our hopes and fears alike, and take heart of grace God gives us, and gives us in abund- ance if we do but seek 1t. The time is now for penitential reflection, and none should pass it by unheeded, whatever form faith may assume. Here in uhe valley there has been abundant feasting, frivollty and and the story goes that this 'wih continue for many days. In most of the populous communities of Christendom such joys in the time of Lent would be accounted unseem1y; but neither here nor elsewhere is the great mass of the multi Jude directly interested or concerned. Tho law of the church cannot be disregarded with such absolute recklessness as is the law of the state: but there are a few per- sons who are heedless of the one; for the other. few but the poor have fear or re- ePcCt. ut SuUItn pulllSibeS WH60 the StaN0 pats the lawbreakers on the back and smirks in sef-complacency.
 But 1t is not for you nor me, my beloved. to pass judgment upon lawbreakers or Lent-time revellers, or to give our selves worry regarding either. If they are unregardfuI of the worid-rules of what is called Society for lack of a bet ter name, that is their concern. If per- chance they are amenable to any church law, that is also their concern. They are kindLhearted and wsll-meaning: they arc merely forgetful. perhaps. Youth makes their human hearts to bound and their warm blood to riot in refined luxury. What motives lead old sinners are known to them- selves in this world. There is also another world in which they are known. Tonight the place of play will be dark, and in the place of feasting the astral will tallow