Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-09-25

IteHhE AMI iHeAlans lihstFlVNs "a
amples Of chat spirit; text, Acts xviii, =
The barbarous people showed Us no ht-
tie kindness.
Here We are on tie island Of Malta,
another name for Melita. This island,
which has always been an important com
mercial centen, belonging at different
times to phoenicia. 10 Greece, to Rome,
TO Arabia, 70 Spain, To France now be.
longs to England. The area of the island
is about loo square miles. Il IS ia the
Mediterranean sea and OF such clarity u
atmosphere that Mount Aetna, $50 miles
away, can be distinctly seen. The island
is gloriously memorable because the
Knights Of Malta far long while ruled
there. bat nlost famous because OF the
apostolic shpwrees. The bessormed YES
sci On which Paul sailed had laid to- on
the starboard tack. aud the wind vas
blowing east-northeast, and. the vessel
drifting probably a mile and half an
hour. she STRUCK at what is now called st.
pauls hay Practical sailors have taken
up the Bible account and decided beyond
controversy the place OF the shipwreck.
But the island. which has so rough a
coast. is for the most part garden.
Richest fruits and profusion of honey
characterized II il Paul's time as well
as now. The finest oranges, figs. and
olives grow there.
When Paul an1 his comrades craNled
mp on the beach. saturated and hungry
from long abstinence from food and chill
ed to the bone, the islanders, though call
ed barbarians because they could not
speak Greek, opened their doors to the
II .
had gone to the bottom of the deep. and
the barefooted, bareheatied apostle and
ships crew were in Il condition to appre-
ciate hospitality. Ny text finds the ships
crew ashore Oh MALTA and around Il hot
FIRE drying themselves and with the best
provision the ISLANDERS can offer them.
And they so into government quarters
for three days to recuperate, Fublius, the
ruler. inviting them. although he had Sc
we're sickness in the house at 4hat time,
his father down with dangerous illness.
Yea. for three months they staid on the
island watching for a ship and putting
the Inequalities of the islanders to a
severe test. But it endured the test salts
factorily, and il is recorded for all the
ages of time and eternity to read and
hear in regard to the inhabitants of Nal
ia, The barbarous people showed us no
little kindness"
A Magnificent Word.
kindnessi What a great word that Isl
1t would take a reed as long as that
which the apoealyptie angel used to
measure heaven u tell the length, the
breadth, the ht gAt OF that munifieent
word. 1t is favorite Bible word, and
it is early launched in the book of Gene
sis, caught up in the book of Joshua,
embraced in the book Of Ruth, sworn by
in the book of Samuel. crowned in the
book Of Psalms and enthroned in many
places in the New Testament Kindness,
A word no more gentle than mighty.
expect it will wrestle me down before l
get through with it. II is strong enough
to throw an archangel. But it will be
well for us to stand around it and warm
ourselves by its glow as Paul and his fell
low voyagers stood around the fire on
the island of Malta, whore the Maltese
made themselves immortal in my text by
the way they treated their victims of the
sea. The harbarous people showed US
no little kindness
Kindness is a spirit diyinely implanted
and in answer to prayer, and then to be
sedulously cultivated until it fills all the
natur- with p perfume richer and more
pungcnt thar mignonette, and, as If you
put tuft Of that aromatic beauty behind
the clock on the mante or in some corner
where nobody can see il, you lind people
walking about your room loohil-st this
way and that, and you ask them, W hat
are you looking forE'' and they answer.
Where is that fower?" so It one has in
his soul this infinite sweetness of DISPOSE
ton its perfume will whelm everything.
The Grace OF Forgiveness.
But are you waiting and hoping for
some one to be bankrupted or exposed or
discounted or i'll some way oyerthrown
then kindness has not taken possession
OF your nature. You are wrecked on
Malta where there are no oranges. Yon
are entertaining a guest SO unlike kind
ness that Kindness will NOT come and
dwell under the same roof. The most
exhaustiag and unhealthy and ruinous
spirit on earth is revengeful spirit or
retaliating spirit, as | know 10y expert
ence. for | have tried it for i've or ten
minutes az 4 time. When some mean
thing has been done me or said about me,
| have felt II will pay him ii his own
coin. | will show him W TAG migrate,
The traitor! The liar. The yillain~
But FIVE or ten minutes of the feeling has
been 50 unnerying and exhaustng have
abandoned il. and ] cap;sot understand
how people can 20 abodt torturing them
selves five or ten or twenty years, trying
to get egen with somebody. The only
way you will ever triumph over your
enemies is by forgiyiny them and wishing
them al good and no evil. A $ malevolenee
is the most uneasy anu pr0hrless and
dangerous feeling, Kindness is the most
heaithful and delightful And this is not
an abstraction. As | have tried little
of the retaliatory feeling, SO / have tried
a little of the forgiging. / do not
want to leave this world until |
have taken vengeance upon every
man that ever did me wrong by
doing him a Kindness In most OF
such eases have already succeeded. but
there are a few malgnants whom l am
vet pursuing, and | shall not be content
until have in some wise helped them
or benefited them ar blessed them.
Rare Flower from ROYAL Garden.
The King Of Prussia had presented to
him by the Empress 81 Russia the root Of
rare flower. and it was pat in the royal
gardens on an island. ana the head gar
dener. Herr Flntleman. was told 70 watch
IT, And one day It pas forth it, glory
Three days Of every week the people were
admitted 10 these gardens, and a young
man. probably nor realizing what wrong
thing he was doing, pucked this flower
snd r4ft III IN his }u-taT1Ea}p. aud fhg