Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-12-18

As our SORROWS are new. our joys are
/ new aud all our experiences are new.
/ Our life is one long discovery of things
| that we did not know and could not
know, because We have not passed this
/ way before. We have fonnd, for instance.
/ that gratitude is the rarest of virtues.
/ You used TO suppose that II you do n
kindness it viii be fully appreciated aud
1 reciproeated. You have found out by ex-
perience, as you could have found out in
no other way, that gratitude is apt 10 be
only another AK To grind. While there is
i a possibility that you may return still
/ more service you are thanked. but when
/ You can return no more advantage lou
/ are dropped. Here is man whom you
4 have helped in political elevation. When
/ the time comes for the compliment to be
/ returned you are not only refused help,
1 but you receive positive opposition. loa
/ have found out that you should do the
right thing not with respect to reward or
| gratitude. but because it is the right
/ thing to do. Many are miserable because
/ they are all the way looking for gratitude
| which they cannot find You might as
| well go down Pennsylvania avenue,
/ Washington, or Broadway, New York. or
| MIXING the payements looking for tur-
| q1oises and emeralds and rubies. Per-
| haps you might find them, but there is
not much probability that in fifty years
| you would find one of them. No one has
come TO midIife who has not been stung
| of ingrattude On the battlefield of
Alma in 1854 wounded Russian was
crying in anguish OF thirst for water.
| Captain Eddington of the English army
ran to him and gave him drink As the
| captain was running by TO join his regi-
ment the wounded soldier shot him. AL
most all lant,nages have proverbs setting
forth this perversity.
| You will 'lever be happy in this world
| IL you do IT do all the good you can and
| look for nc responsive gratitude. All the
damage | did a man who is my enemy
was to take him from a position where
he received $500 year salary into po-
siton where he has ever since received
| $1,000 year. He never forgave me, but
| has pursued me- with a pen vitriolic ever
! since. TIE worst enemy you ever had is
| the man you introduced and favored and
| helped. But be not disturbed or even irri-
tated. You are no better than your Lord.
| II the world had had any thankful appre-
| citation of his coming, it would have fill
ed that Bethlehem caravansary with
| flowers which bloom there clear on into
the December month, and Herod, instead
of attempting his death, would have sent
a chariot to fetch the infant to the pal
ace, and the oyer and terminer of Pilates
court room would have pronounced him
not guilty, and instead OF cross and a
I 1ff .
coronation, with all the mighty ones Of
the earth kneeli1g at the foot of his
throne.
Cur Last Journey.
On all sides there are griefs we ought
to solace, hunger we ought to feed. cold
that we ought to warm. kind words that
we ought to speak. generous deeds We
ought to perform. All that you and | do
| toward making this world better and hap
pier we must do very soon or never do
at all. Joshua and his troops never came
back over the way they were marching
toward the crossing of the Jordan. Tho
impress of the sandal or the bare feet of
each soldier showed III what direction he
was going, but never did the impress of
the sandal of any one Of them show that
he had returned. We are all facing eter-
nifty to come. There is no retreat. Alert
ness and fidelity would not be so impor-
tant if we could truthfully say: Il will
be back here again. The things I neglect
now / will do the next time | come. |
will be reincarnated, and l will resume
my earthly obligations. Having then
more knowledge than have now, | will
discharge my earthly duties better than
Il ~. l.
solemn farewell to these obligations and
opportunities, but smiling and CHEEKY
good-by until / see them again" No;
we cannot say that There will be no
new and corrected edition of the volume
of our earthly life. After we make exit
from tie stage at the close of the fifth
act we cannot re-enter. How many mill
ions of people have lived and died l know
not, but of all the human race who have
gone only seven persons that / now think
of have returned. the son of the widow
at Zarephath, the young man of Main,
the rulers daughter, Tabitha. Eutychus.
Lazarus and Christ. Among all the ages
to come | do not suppose there will be
one more who will return to this life, hav-
ing once left it.
Crossing the Jordan.
| ask you to notice the fact that my
text does not call attention TO the cross
ing of the Jordan, but to the way lead
ing thereto. We all think much of our
crossing of the Jordan when the march
of our life is ended, but put too little
emphasis on the way that leads to the
crossing. What you and | need most to
care about is the direction Of the road
we are travelling. We need have no
fear of the cross il we come to it in
the right way In other words, We need
not care about death if our life has been
what it ought to be. We will die right if
we live right.
What an absurdity it would have been
for Joshua and his men to have asked
each other questions like these: How
can we cross the Jordan if we get there!
Will not The water be too deep to allow
rs to wade: viii we not all be so satu-
rated that we may lose our lives by expo
sure? How many OF us car swim? Had
we better nos wait until the annual fresh
ct has subsidedT' No such folly did they
commit. They were chiefly anxious about
the way that they had mot passed be-
fore and were ignorant of and to keep
their eyes on the golden covered acacia
box. wing mounted, which was the ark OF
the covenant.
. nearer. stop bothering about your
exit from sablunary scenes, By the
grace OF God get your heart right and
then 20 ahead. If the Lord takes care Of