Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1901-05-02

dentally shut and they were suffocated
their corpse not discovered until the
next day But every day and all up
and down the streets OF our cities there
are men, body, mind and soul, forever
fast in their own money vaults. Ac-
emulation OF bonds, mortgages and
government securities and town lots
and big farms Just for the pleasure OF
accumulation is despicable but the put
ting aside OF surplus for your self
defense when your brain has halted
or your right hand has forgotten its
cunning or your old age needs man
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 Solomon's 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 il is insignificant. The frag-
ment of seed 1t hauls into its habita-
ton may be so small that the unaided
eye cannot see 1t, 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 balance would hardly make
the scales culver All Of it work on
a small scale. There is no use in our
refusing a mission because it is insig-
nificant. Anything that God in his
providence puts before us to do is
important The needle has its Office
as certainly as the telescope and the
spade as a parliamentarian scroll. You
know what became of the man in the
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 a dozen
candidates. What we want is private
soldiers in the common ranks, masons
not ashamed to WELD a trowel, candi-
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 a grain
of corn into an ant hill.
Furthermore, go to the ant and con-
slider its irdefatigableness. 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 it 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. IL you
love and trust the Lord, Paul looks
you in the face and then waves his
hand toward heaven full Of palaces
and thrones, saying, "All are yours!"
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 a 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 il 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 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! | have no con-
fdence in the morality of man Oh
woman who would harm horse OF
dog or a cat or a pigeon. Such men
and women, under affront, If they
dared would take the life of a 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-