The times., 1901-06-03

Thought for Mrs. Mckinley in her i'll
ness and OF the President in his trouble
porvaded the prayers of the service al
| the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal
Church yesterday morning, The pastor
the Rev. Frank NJ. Bristol, during the
devotional service, prayed most earnestly
that the Illness of the first lady of the
| land be abated, and asked that Provi-
dence incline q listening ear to the pray
ers going up from every heart in the
| country for her restoration to health and
| happiness.
In his address the pastor spoke of n>-
ture study and showed how, through 9
study of nature and a knowledge of the
| laws of the world, each human being
| could develop his character and become
| through a use of the natural forces he
came 10 know, more and more like the
| God in whose image he was created. He
took his text from Paul's Eristle to the
Corinthians. And they that use this
world, not as abusing it. for the fashion
Of this world passeth away"
Paul impFesses upon his readers the
muta bility of the world, he said. Man s
place in nature, when we follow the light
of reason. is a place of supremacy. He
was intended to be q ruler. and as such
ne NdE-Dul upon InG GdIIn t1t draws
for his power from all parts and all di-
visions of the universe. Just as nature is
subservient to man. so is mans body
subservient to his soul The body exists
to serve the mind-it is a tool for the in
tellect. 1t is not man-it is mans Mans
spirit is the leading and the lasting thing,
-, the body is the epitome of the ply
sical universe
The thinking world is absorbed in an
investigation of the universe and mans
relation to the universe. What relation
does man hold to the universe? Study
shows that everything has a service to
render to man. The first period of mans
life upon earth was a struggle against
nature, when nature seemed to he arrayed
unflinchingly and unconquerably against
him. Yet God had said to man when he
created him: 'Subdue the earth
There seemed nothing that man could
do against the great forces of nature, and
it appeared at first as if he must give in
to them and be exterminated. The great
forces of fire, the roaring tempests the
devastating winds were all arrayed
against intangible thought in the small
brain of man, and though the struggle
has been long. the great forces have been
conquered and the throb of the human
heart and the conception of his thinking
brain are supreme. Nature is now on the
defensive. The powers that were mar
shaled against man are now ministering
to him. We will soon see that no single
fact in nature approaches him but to do
him service.
Nature is the palace built by the Di-
vine Architect to shelter man. The
aborigine did not see the utility of the
manifestations of nature. and thought in
many cases that he would be very much
hetter without them. Now he sees the
world is being transformed into a beauti-
ful palace. the splendor of which is rails
ing the powers of the soul. we see now
the use of the thorn as well as the use Of
the rose. the use of the bees sting as well
as the use of his honey.
yet, when we stop to consider. this is
only the temporary habitation of man.
The sculptor erects around his marble
block a scanolding. When he has fin
ished his work, the scaffolding is taken
away, and the statue stands forth com
pleted. When the body passes away there
is something that remains, and something
that outruns the flight of time. something
that will rise everlasting. like the phoe-
nix from the ash IS. As the ship from
It's EIdnGt pl supports anu Ddl5 E4ON Gs Jul
free TO float upon the waters and to do its
great good in carrying its freight from
place to place, so after death the soul
survives, and untrammeled leaps out from
the body to an immortal life and an i'm
mortal destiny, to carry it's freightage Of
influence for good into the world.
THE care of the soul is called the most
important thing. yet il must not be for
gotten that the body must be taken care
of for he SAX Of the soul NOT
be forgotten that the body was made in
the image of God. and that it may be
made into a simulacrum Of the divinity.
The sculptor. though he does not make
the marble moIds the form Of the statue,
and so We may impress graceful form on
our bodies. We may use the agencies OF
character and by moiding our body
through character development, make il
take upon itself beauty we are given
powers over our body and over nature
VIII We use or abuse them?
Everything must be subordinated TO
the DEVELOPMENT of character, and yet 1t
can be said. with the greatest truth, the
use Of anything given to us by God does
good and develops the stature OF our soul,
The abuse Of anything does harm ana
stunts VS.. Sin and unhappiness IN this
world arise from misuse of things which
were intended for our enjoyment. BY
means of our increased knowledge Of ma
ture we have made nature more to US
than it has ever been to people. In past
ages people iEnOrantlY have abused ma
tUre and have suffered for it.
"A liberal education is necessary to en-
able man today to use the world and
nature properly. By education. and high
education. too, only can we realize What
uses can be made Of her substances Lack
Of education means deficiency OF char
actcr. We are beyond the day Of the
common school education; we need
knowledge Of the higher laws. ] WAS i'm
pressed thoroughly with the truth Of this
when | visited the fine exhibit OF work
done by the High School children, and as
walked through the rooms in the Cen
tral High School ! realized what is being
done for our children. ] saw how they
are being taught botany and physics and
chemistry and biology and art, and / saw
that because they were being so taught
the flowers were uttering sweet things to
their souls, the merest insect on the path
way had a message for them, the beauty
Of pictures was coming TO uDlift their
hearts and make them more noble.
What the people want is high schools
that shall teach such things; that shall
inculcate into the childish mind love
for nature, respect for her laws, an en-
ioyment in her beauties, and a delight in
her smallest manifestation. We want
high schools that shall open the eyes Of
our young ones TO the things Of the world
of which our abOrigine prCSenitor was
ignorant. TO understand themselves it is
necessary that in just such a way our
children should be Introduced to nature
Let the people not think that they are
being OvertaXed because their children
are being made familiar with nature
through these courses.
Nature has great lessons to teach
which viii make character. There is
more harm comes from ignorance of these
great lessons of nature than from the
Wulful abuse OF them. As man knows
more Of the world he is able to make
himself more q man. and yet more like
God. For the sake of character men
must know nature. aad parents are there