Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-11-07
time saying important things. said n,

the good projected long ago. Those in
tuences were started centuries before our
cradle was rocked and will reign CEN
turies after graves are dug. Oh it is
tremendous thing to live. God help US
to live Alright. III
Astronomers can ily locate the PIE
iades. They will tai YOU into their OBJ
servatories on Gear light and aim their
revealing instrument oward the part in
the heavens where thoie seven stars have
their habltude: and they will point to the
constellation Taurus. and you can see
for yourself. But it is impossible to point
to influences far back that have affected
our character and will affect our destiny
We know the influences near by-pa-
ternal, maternal, coniugal-but by the
time we have gone back two generations.
or, at most: three: our Investigations
falter and fail. Through the modern,
interesting habit of searching back to
find the ancestral tree we may find
long list OF names, but they are only
names. The conservation or abandon
ment of some one 200 years ago was not
recorded. 1t would not be so important
If v,on and /: by our good or bad be-
havior. blessed or blasted Wy those i'm
mediately around us, but our goodness
or our badness will reach as far as the
strongest ray of Alcyone-yea, across the
what do you think of those who give
themselves up to frivoity or ideness
and throw away fifty years of their exist
ence as though they were shells or peb-
bles or pods instead of embyro eternties?
/ suppose one of the greatest surprises
of the next world will be to see what
wide, far-reaching influence for good or
evil we have all exerted. l am speaking
of ourselves. who are only ordinary peo-
pie. But who can fully appreciate the
far-reaching good done by men of wealth
in Great Britain for the working classes
Mr.. Lister. of Bradford; Edward
AAkroyd, of Halifax, Thomas Skies, of
Josiah Mason, and Sir Titus Salt? This
last great soul, with his vast wealth, pro-
vided 756 houses at cheap rent for 5000
working people, and chapel and cricket
ground and croquet lawn and concert
hall and savings bank. where they
and life insurance for those who looked
further ahead, and lighthouses and parks
and museums and lecture halls with
philosophical apparatus, the generous
example of those men of previous gen
Grafton being copied in many places in
life, which would otherwise be pro-
longed drudgery, an inspiration and a
JOY
If something appears against us, tney
say, wait till l hear the other side"
Ii disaster shall befal us, we know from
whom would come the first coincidence.
Family friends, church friends, business
friends, lifelong friends. In our heart
OF hearts we cherish them.
When the heirs of a vast estate in
England wished to establish their claim
to property worth $l00, 900 900 they offered
a reward of $500 for the recovery of an
old Bible, the family record OF which
contained the evidence requisite. But
any Bible, new or old, can help us to
vaster inheritance than the one spoken
of, one that never fades away.
The sweet influences of the heavenly
world, which many wise men thought
for long while was Alcyone, the centre
of the constellation OF the Pleiades-
world Of our future residence, as we hope;
world OF chorus and illumination; world
of reunion; world where we shall be
everiastingly complete; world where our
old faculties will be itensified and quick
ened and new faculties implanted; world
of high association with Christ, through
whose grace we got there at all, and
apostles and poets, Habakkuk, and ST.
John OF Patmos, and Edward Young his
Night Thoughts turned into eternal
day; and Horatius Bonar of modern
hymnology, and Hannah More, and Mrs.
Hemans, and Mrs. Sigourney, who struck
their harps till nations listened; and
David, the victor over Goliath with what
seemed insufficient weapons; and Joshua
of the prolonged day in Gideon, and
Haveloek, the evangelist hero, and those
thousands of men OF the sword who
fought on the right side. What company
to move in! What guests to entertain!
What personages to visit! What choirs
to chant! What banquets with lifted
chalice filed with "the new wine of the
kingdom" What victories to celebrate!
The stories OF that world and its holy
hiiarities come i'll upon our souls some
times IN song, sometimes in sermon,
Z 4.
and they are, to Use the words OF my
text, sweet influences. But there is one
star that affects us more with its sweet
influences than the centre star, the
Alcyone OF the Pleiades, and that is what
one Bib.e author calls the Star OF Jacob
and another Bible author calls the Morn
ing Star. Oh all the sweet influences that
have ever touched our earth those that
radiate from Christ are the sweetest.
Born an ASiatic vlllager, IN a mechanic
home, living more among hammers and
saws and planes than among books, yet
at twelve years of age confoundlng robed
ecclesiastics and starting out a mission
under which those born without optic
nerve took in the clear daylight and
those afflicted with unresponsive tympa-
num- were made to hear and those almost
doubled up with deformities were
Strengthened into graceful poise and the
leprous became rubcund and the widows
he lay hfeless for the arms of his over
joyed mother and pronouncing nine bene.
dictions on the Mount of Beatitudes and
doing deeds and speaking words which
are filing the centuries with sweet in
duences.
Christ started every ambulance,
kindled every electric ray, spread every
soft hospital pillow and introduced all
the alleviations and pacitications and
rescues and mercies of all time.
He was the loveliest being that ever
trod our earth-more beauty in His eyes,
more tenderness in His manner, more
gentleness in His footsteps, more music
in His voice, more dignity in His brow,
more gracefulress in the locks that rolled
upon His shoulders, more compassion in
His soul.
Sweet influences of the Holy Ghost
with all His Transforming and comforting
and emancipating power. When that
power is fully felt there will be no more
sins to pardon, and no more errors to
correct, and no more sorrows to com
fort, and no more bondage to break. But
as the oldtime ship captains watched
the rising of the Pleiades for safe navi-
y