The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-05-02

servant or for the support OF others
when you can no more be breadwin-
ner for your household-that is right,
that is beautiful, that is Christian,
that is divinely approved. That shows
that you have taken Solomons ant hill
for an object lesson.
Does Nut Decline Work
Furthermore, go to the ant and con-
slider that it does not decline work
because it is insignificant. The frag-
ment Of seed it hauls into it's habita-
ton may be SO small that the unaided
eye cannot see it, but the insectile
work goes on, the carpenter ant at
work above ground, the ma
son ant at work under ground.
Some Of these creatures mix
the leaves of the fir and the cat
kins of the pine for the roof or wall
of their tiny abode, and others go out
as hunters looking for food, while
others in domestic duties stay at
home. Twenty specks of the food they
are moving toward their granary put
upon a balance would hardly make
the scales culver. All of it work on
a small scale. There is no use in our
refusing mission because it is insig-
nificant. Anything that God in his
providence puts before us to do is
important. The needle has it's office
as certainly as the telescope and the
spade as parliamentarian scroll. You
parable OF the talents who buried the
one talent instead of putting it to prac-
teal and accumulative Use. His apol-
ogy was of no avail
There is no need of our wasting time
and energy in longing for some other
sphere. There are plenty of people to
do the big and resounding work of the
church and the world. No lack of
brigadier generals or master builders
or engineers for bridging Niagaras or
tunneling Rocky mountains. For every
big enterprise of the world dozen
candidates. What we want is private
soldiers in the common ranks, masons
3ioI W With d lIOWSl,
dates for ordinary work to be done in
ordinary ways in ordinary places.
Right where we are there is something
that God would have us do. Let US
do it, though it may seem to be as
unimportant as the rolling of grain
of corn into an ant hill
Furthermore, go to the ant and con-
slider it's observation-disclosures. If by the
accidental stroke of your foot or the
removal of timber the cities of the
insectile world are destroyed, instantly
they go to rebuilding. They do not sit
around moping. At 1t again in a sec
ond. Their fright Immediately gives
way to their industry. And if our
schemes Of usefulness and our plans
of work fail, why sit down in discour-
agement? AS large ant hills as have
ever been constructed will be con-
structed again. Put your trust in God
and do your duty, and your best days
are yet to come. You have never heard
such songs as you will yet hear, nor
have you ever lived in such grand
abode as you will yet occupy, and all
the worldly treasures you have lost
are nothing compared with the opu-
lence that you will yet own. If you
love and trust the Lord, Paul looks
you in the face and then waves his
hand toward a heaven full of palaces
| and thrones, saying, "All are yours! y
So that what you fail to get in this
present life you will get in the coming
life. Go to work right away and re-
build as we'll as you can, knowing
that what the trowels of earthly in
dustry fail to rear the scepters of
heavenly reward will more than make
up. Persistence is the lesson of every
ant hill. Waste not moment in use
less regrets or unhealthy repining.
Imparts Useful Lessons.
Furthermore. go to the ant and con-
slider that if God honors an insect by
making it our instructor in important
lessons we ought not to abuse the
lower orders of creation. 1t has been
found by scientists that insects trans
fixed in the case of a museum have
been alive and in torture for years
How much the insect and the fowl and
the brute may be rightly called to suf-
fer for the advancement of human
knowledge and the betterment of the
condition of the human race l do not
now stop to discuss, but he who use
lessly harms any of Gods living crea.
ton insults the Creator. Alas, for the
horrors of vivisection! l have no con.
fidence in the morality of a man OF
woman who would harm a horse OF
dog or cat or pigeon. Such mer
and women. under affront, if they
! dared would take the life of human
being. You cannot make me believe
that God looks down indifferently upon
the CALLED neck of the OK or the cruel
ly curbed bit of the horse or the un-
sheltered cattle in the snowstorm OF
the cockpit or the bear batting OF
the pigeon shooting or the laceration
Of fish that are not used. Go to the
ant, thou miscreant, and see how God
honors it. In the great college of the
universe it has been appointed your
professor. All over the land and all
! over the world there are over-driven
horses that ought to be embarrassed
Gagged birds that ought to be put on
their wings in the free air of heaven
droves Of cattle agonized of thirst on