St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-06-29

From the same place that man got
his cheerfulness can get mine. why
art thou cast down, o my soul, and
why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God, for I shall yet
praise him who il the health of my
and my Cod"
Again. is your talent that of wit or
humor? Use it for God. Much of the
worlds wit is damaging. Most of sat
ire has a sting in it. Much of carica-
ture is malevolent. Much of smart re-
tort is vitriolic. In order to say smart
things how many will sacrifice the
feelings of others! The sword they
carry is keen, and il is employed to
thrust and lacerate. But few men in
all the world and in all the churches
realize that if wit is bestowed it is
given them for useful, for improving.
for healthful purposes. If we all had
more of it and knew how to use it
Alright, how much it would improve
our Christian conversation and prayer
meeting talk and sermon! Robert
South and Rowland Hill and Jeremy
TAYLOR and Dean Swift and Lorenzo
Dow and George Whitefield used their
wit and their humor to gather great
audiences and then lead them into the
kingdom of God. Frivolity is repulsive
in religious discussion, but like the
humor of Job when he said to his in
solent critics: mo doubt but We are
the people, and wisdom shall die with
you," and I like the humor OF the
prophet Elijah, who told the Baalites
to pray louder, as their god was out
hunting or on an excursion or in such
loud conversation that he could not
hear them. I like the sarcasm OF
Christ when He told the self-right-
eous Pharisees that they were SO good
they needed no help: 1.-THE whole need
not a physician, but that they are
sick" or when in mirthful hyperpole
he arraigns the hypocritical teachers
Of His day who were 80 particular
about little things and careless about
big things, saying: Eye blind guides
that strain at q gnnt and swallow a
camel" and the Bible is all ablaze with
epigram. words surprisingly put and
phraseology that must have made the
audiences of Paul and Christ nudge
each other and exchange glances and
smile and then appropriate the ire
mendous truths of the Gospel. There
are some evils you can laugh down
easier than you can preach down. The
question is always being asked. why
do not more people go to church,
prayer meeting and other religious
meetings? will tell you. We of the
pulpit and the pew are SO dull they
cannot stand it. But when we ask
why people do not go to church we ask
a misleading question. More people
go now to church than ever in the
worlds history, and the reason is in
all our denominations there is q new
race Of ministers stepping into the
pulpits which are not the apostles OF
humdrum. Sure enough. we want in
the Lords army the heavy artillery
but we want also more men who. like
Burns, q farmer at Gettysburg, took a
musket and went out on his own &C.
count to do q little shooting different
from the other soldiers. The church
of God is dying of the proprieties.
Or is your talent IN opportunity te
set good example? One person do
ing right under adverse circumstance
will accomplish more than many trea
tises about what is right. The census
has never been taken of lovely ole
folks. Most of us, if we have not sucf
a one in our own house now, have II
our memory such saint. We went
to those old people with all our trou
bles. They were perpetual evangel
lists, by their soothing words, by theil
hopefulness of spirit, an inexpressibl,
help. 7 cannot see how Heaven coult
make them any lovelier than they art
or were. But there are exceptions
There is a daughter in that famil,
whose father is impatient and tn.
mother querulous. The passage O
many years does not always improv,
the disposition, and there are a grea
many disagreeable old folks. Some o
them forget that they were youn,
themselves, and they become untid,
in their habits and wonder how, whel
their asthma or rheumatism is so bad
other people can laugh or sing and g
on as they do. The daughter in tina
family bears all the peevishness ant
unreasonable behavior of senilitl
| without answering back or maxim,
any kind of complaint. If you shoult
ask her what her five talents are o.
her one talent is, she would answe
that she has no talent at all. Great,
mistaken is she. Her one talent is I,
forbear and treat the childishness O
the old as well as she treats the child
ishness of the young. She is no mu
sician, and besides there may not be
| piano in the house. She cannot skill
fully swing a croquet mallet or gol
stick. Indeed, she seems shut up t,
see what she can do with ladle an,
| broom and brush and other house
hold implements. She is the personi
fication of patience. and her rewar'
will be as long as Heaven. Indeed
much of her reward may be given OIL
earth. She is in rough college, from
which she may after awhile GRADUATE
into brightest domesticity. She is
heroine, though at present she ma.
receive nothing but scolding and de
probation. Her one talent of pa