Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-03-20

text DIR. Talmage diseourses OF good
@ Influences brought TO bear for the
worlds Improvement The text is Eze-
kiel tx. =, And one man among taem
was clothed with linen. with writer 5
inkhorn by his side
The poem from which my text is taken
is epic, lyric, dramatic, weird and over
powering 1t is more than Homeric or
Dantesque. No one ever had such divine
dreams as Ezekiel. In vision this
prophet had seen -wrathful angels, de-
stroying angels, each with a sword, but
in my text he sees mercifui angel with
an inkhorn. The receptacle for the ink
in olden time was made out of the horn
of a COW or ram or a. roebuck. as now
it is made out of metal or glass, and
therefore was called the inkhorn, as now
we say ia stand. We have all spoken of
the power of the sword, of the power of
wealth, of the power of office, of the
power of social influence, but to-day
speak of the power for good or evil in
the inkstand. 1t is upon your tables,
holding a black or blue or red liquid. 1t
is a fortress, an armory, gateway. Il
ransom or demolition. For practical,
for moral, for religious, for eternal pur-
poses. | speak of the mission of the
writer's inkhorn."
First / mention that which is purely
domestic. The inkstand is in every
household. 1t awaits the opportunity to
express affection or coincidence or advice.
Father uses it; mother uses it; the sons
and daughters use it. 1t tells the home
news; it announces the marriage, the
birth, the departure, the accident, the
last sickness, the death That home ink
stand. what mission it has already ex-
ecuted. and what other missions will it
yet fulfill! May it stand off from all in
sincerity and all righteousness. Let it
tell only that which it would be well to
read after the hand that wrote it and the
hand that received il ian write no more.
Dip out Of that ink stand only tat which
is paternal, maternal, filial, sisterly,
brotherly. Sacred let it be not TO what
are sometimes called the household
gods" but to the one and the only God
who "setteth the solitary in families"
Dip out of it solace for parents on the
descending grade of years and encourage
nent for those who are climbing the
sleeps.
Writing to Old Folks at Home.
q We who have with recent years set
up homes of your own, out of the new
home inkstand write often to the old
folks. if they be still living. A letter
means more to them than to US, who are
amid the activities of life and to whom
postal correspondence is more than we
can manage. They await the coming of
the letter. Undertake no great thing in
life without their advice. Old people for
counsel: young people for action. Even
though through decadence they may be
incompetent to give valuable opinions on
important affairs, compliment them by
asking their counsel. 1t will do them
good. 1t will make their last days ex-
hiarant. Make that home inkstand a
source of rejuveneseence to those who
are near the terminus of the earthly
journey. Domestic correspondence is not
attended to as once. The newspaper,
joining with the telegraph, bears the It'd
ings of all the neighborhood, but swiftest
revolving wheel of modern printing press
and quickest flash along the electric
wires can never do the sympathetic work
of the home inkstand AS the merciful
angel OF my text appeared before the
brazen altar with the inkhorn at his side
in Ezekiers vision. so let the angel of
filial kindness appear at the affairs of the
old homestead.
Furthermore the inkstand OF the bust
ness man has its mission. Between now
and the hour of your demise. 0 CONNER
cial man, 0 professional man. there will
not he day when you cannot dip from
the inkhorn a message that will influence
temporal and eternal destiny. There is
rash Young man running into wild spec
ulation, and with as much ink as you can
put on the pen ut one time you may save
him from the Niagara rapids of ruined
life. On the next street there is young
man started in business who, through
lack of patronage or mistake in purchase
OF goods or want of adaptation, is ON the
brink Of collapse. One line of ink from
your pen will save him from being an I'M
derling all his life and start him on a ca
reer that will win him fortune which
will enable him 70 become an endower
of libraries. an opener of art galleries al j,
builder of churches.
The Authors Responsibilities.
Furthermore, great are the response
bilitics of the authors inkhorn. All the
people. or nearly all the people, read, and
that which they read decides their NOR
ais or mmorals. their prosperity or fail
ure. their faith Or their unbeief, their
purity or corruption, their heaven or hell
Show me any mans library. great or
small. and after examining the books,
finding those with leaves uncut, but dis
played for sake of the binding and those
worn with frequent perusal. and without
ever seeing the man or knowing his name.
/ will tell you his likes and his dislikes
his morals, good or bad or Indifferent; his
qualification for business or artistic or
professional or mechanical life The best
index to any mans character is the book
he prefers above all others. Oh, the pow
er of Il book for good or evil.
Abraham Lincoln in early life read
Panes %Age of Reason" and it SO in
flucnced him that he wrote an rs ay
against Christianity. but afterward some
Christian books came into his hands and
eloriously cham II his mind and made
him most ardent friend Of the Bible
and a man of prayer. a letter in Mr..
Iincolns own handwriting is in my
house. the letter in response to some res
olutions passed by Methodist confer
en,e. saving: IN response TO your ad-
dress. allow ne to attest the accuracy
OF it, historical statements. indorse the
sentiments It expresses anI thank you IN
the ,atian's name for be sure promise
il gives. Nobly sustained a the govern
mcnt has been BY ali the churches. l
would utter nothing which might IN the
least appear inyjdious against any Yet
wisbor- this it may fairly be said that
the Methodist Episcopal Church, not less
Favgrp1 than fba t.tsf i hv its great