The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-02

chemists call atomic WeiKht-the WeiSnt ipf an atom? No. Such faith Is no faith \ s But ths~e Is another man who by rc- pentance and prayer has put himself into alliance with the Almighty God Made goes to work to make the world right. He says to himself: God launched this world. and he never launched Failure. | The garden of Eden was useless morass I compared with what the whole world will be when it blossoms ana leaves and flashes and resounds with It's coming glory. God will save 1t anyhow. with me or without me. but want to do my share. have some eouipment--not as much as some others. but what have will use. I have power to frown, and will frown upon iniquity. I have power to- smile, and will smile encouragement upon all the struggling. have a yocao uiary not so opulent as the vocabulary et {, some others, but I have a storehouse ot good words. and mean to scatter them in helpfulness. will ascribe motives to
 others when It is possible If can say say anything good about others, will say 1t, If can say nothing but vile or them, I will keep my lips shut as tight as tne lips of the sphinx, which Tor sWo years has looked oil upon the sands or the desert and uttered not one word about inc desolation. The scheme of recon structing this world is too great for me to manage. but l am not expected .o execufed. Give me a brick and trowei and I will begin now to hep suiIo tne
 wall. am not a soloist. but can sing Rock of Ages to sick pauper. cam
 not write a great book, but can pick
 cinder out of chi,d's eye or splinter
 from under his thumb nail now en-
 list in this army that is going to take the world for God. and defy all the evil powers, human and. satanic to discourage me. Count me into the service. I cannot play upon musical instrument, but can. polish a cornet or string a harp or applaud the orchestra"
 A Cheerful Faith.
 All through that mans experience there runs faith that will keep him cheerful and busy and triumphant. T like the watchword of Cromwelfs Ironsides. the men who feared nothing and dared every thing, going into battle with the shout: of Jacob is our refuge! Selah"' No bal ance that human brain ever planned or human hand ever constructed is worthy of weighing such a spirit. Gold and pre-
 which is four grains. The dealer puts the diamond or the pearl op one side of the scales and the carat on the other side and tells you the weight. But we need something more delicateiy constructed to weigh that wonderful quality of faith which I am glad to know will be recog- nized and rewarded for all time and all eternity. The earthly weighman counter poises on metallic balances the iron. the coal. the articles of human food, the solids of earthly merchandise, but he cannot test or announce Nthe amount of things spiritual. Here Is something which the Attic and Babylonian weighing sys- ltems of the past and the metric weigh- ing systemsof the present cannot manage. t.Yhe Lord weigheth the spirits"
 Put also into those royal ,.caies the ann birous spirit. Every healthy man and
 woman has ambition. The lack of it Is a sure sign of ldiocy or immortality. The only question is. What shall be the style of our ambition? To stack up a stupeu- dous fortune to acquire a resounding name. to sweep everything we can reach into the whirlpool of our own selfishness that is debasing, ruinous and deathful.
 If in such spirit we get what we start for. we only secure gigantic discontent.
 No man was ever made happy by what
 he got. It all depends upon the spirit
 with which we get 1t, and the spirit with
 which we keep it. and the spirit with
 which we distribute it. Not since the
 world stood has there been any instance
 of complete happiness from the amount
 of accumulation. Give the man of world
 ly ambition sixty years of brilliant que
 cesses. He sought for renown, and tn
 nations speak his narae. He sought foI afIluence, and he is put to his wits end to find out the best stocks and bonds Ill which he may make his investments. He Is director in banks enough and trustee In enough institutions and president oi enough companies to bring on paresis,
 of which he is now dying. The royal bal | ances are lifted to weigh the ambition l which has controlled lifetime. What | was the worth of thak ambition? How much did it yield for usefulness and heaven? Less than scruple. less than
 grain of sand. less than an atom. less than nothing. Have funeral mile
 long with carriages, let the richest robes
 of ecclesiastics rustic about the casket'
 oaricaturs the scene by choirs which
 the Lord" That mans life is a failure, and if his heirs scuffle in the surrogate s
 court about the incapacity of the testa-
 tor to make a last will and testament it
 will only be a,prolongation of the failure, The son, through disslpation. spent his issnares of the fortune before the father IAdied and so was Cut on with "a doTlaI.
 The daughter married against his will
 and she Is dlsinherited. Relatives whom he could never bear the sight of will put
 in their claim, and after years of litiga-
 ton so much of the estate as the law
 years have not appropriated to them
 selves will go into hands which the tes' tator never once though Of when, in his
 last days, he bade fearful farewells to the houses and lands and Government ss- curities he could not take along with him
 Into the sepulcher. 4t
 Gods Discipline.
 But look into the dream of that school
 boy. who. without saying anything about 1t, Is planning his lifetime career. From an old book partly written in r1ebrew v and partly written in Greek. but both Hebrew and Greek translated into good English, he reads of great farmer like Amos, a great mechanic Ike Aholiab a great lawyer like Moses. a great soldier like Joshua, great king like Hezekiah. a great poet ike David, 2 great gleaner like Ruth. a great physician like Luke. a great preacher like Paul, a great Christ like no one on earth or in heaven be- cause the superior of all beings terres- trial or celestial. He has learned by heart the Ten Commandments and the sermon on the mount and has splendid theories about everything. Between that
 fair haired boy and the achievement Of
 what he wants and expects there are ob- stacles and hindrances known only to the God who is going to discipline him for tisroics magnificent. I have no power to prophesY, that different experience.s of of his struggle or his triumph but as
 sure as God lives to make his word come true that boy who will sleep tonight nine
 hours without waking wifi be final vic-
 tor. I do not know the intermediate
 chapters Of the volume of that young
 mans life. but I know the first chapter
 and the last chapter. The I1rst chapter
 is made of high resolve in the strength
 of God, and the last chapter is flled With the rewards of noble ambition. As his cbsequies pass out to the cemetery the
 poor will weep because they will lose taeiE best friend. Many in whose tenn p0ral welfare and eternal salvation he
 bore a part will hear of it in various
 places and eulogize his memory, and God
 will say to the ascending spirit. To him
 that overcometh will I give to eat Of the
 tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God In the hour of that
 souls release and enthronement there will be heavenly acclama tiop, as in the
 royal balances 'the Lord weigheth the Other balances may lack precision and