The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1901-12-27


the three-quarters OF o mile co
4 mand, they followed the ARK, ana
Won will do well to follow the OWNS
leading. as the path you tread now
has not vet been trodden. we nave
not PASSED this way before" Many
81 Won are suffering from just sucn
annovances as have not occurred Id
all YOUR history. There have peeh
meannesses practiced upon you OF
Won have received sights or you are
The subject of neutrality-suspicious. or
vo, are in the midst of sore disaP-
yo;ntments or there are demands
made upon your strength and time
wore than YOU can meet, or some
physical ailment is laying siege 70
your castle of health or you are un-
der embarrassments that you canno'
mention even to nearest 1rlenos.
You say: "Well. never saw any
thing like this. I never expected
such treatment as this. l never
thought it possible to be placed IN
sucb circumstances" And when you
saw all that you are only translatlng
! the words of my text into your own
phraseology. If you had suffered
something like this before, you would
have known what to do, but here is
flank movement for which you are
not ready.
| AS our SORROWS are new, our joys
are new and all our experiences are
| new. Our life is one long discovery
of things that we did not know ana
could not know, because we nave not
passed this way before. We have
found, for instance, that gratitude Is
the rarest of virtues. You used 10
suppose that if you do kindness IL
will be fully appreciated and reclp-
rocated. You have found out by ex-
| perience, you could have found out
in no other way, that gratitude IS
ant to be only another ak to grind.
| While there is possibility that you
may return still more service you are
thanked, but when you can return no
more advantage you are dropped.
Here is man whom you have helpeo
in political elevation. When the time
comes for the compliment to be re-
turned, YOU are not only refused help,
but you receive positive opposition.
You have found out that you should
do the right thing not with respect
to reward or gratitude, but because
it is the right thing to do. Many are
miserable because they are all the
way looking for gratitude which they
| 1;rh
down Pennsylvania avenue, Washing
ton. or Broadway, New York, or Ire
mont street, Boston, your eyes scrutl-
nizing the pavements looking tor tur-
ouoises and emeralds and rubies. Per-
haps you might find them, but there
is not much probability that in SO
years you would find one of them.
We talk about the great discoveries
of the age, the electric power, the
telescope and microscopic power, but
do not say anything about the discov-
cries we all make year by year and day
by day There are surprises all the
time. 1t is a new road we are travel
ing. "Ye have not passed this way be-
| fore"
But closely allied is the other fact
which we limited at in the opening
that we will not pass this way again.
This is our only opportunity for doing
certain things that ought to be done.
On all sides there are griefs we ought
to solace, hunger we might feed, cold
that we ought to warm, kind words
that we ought to speak, generous deeds
we ought to perform. All that you Dnd
do toward making this world bester
and happier we must do very SOON or
never do at all. Joshua and his troops
never came back over the way they
were marching toward the crossing of
! the Jordan. The impress of the sandal
! or the bare feet of each soldier showed
in what direction he was going, but
never did the impress of the sandal of
: any one of them show that he returned.
We are all facing eternity to come.
There is no retreat. Alertness and
/ fidelity would not be so important if
we could truthfully cay: 81 will be
back here again. The things l neglect
now l will do the next time. I will be
reincarnated, and will resume my
earthly obligations. Having then more
knowledge than have now, will dis
charge my earthly duties better than
can now discharge them. 1 do not give
solemn farewell to these obligations
and opportunities, but a smiling and
CHEEKY good-by until see them again."
No, we cannot say that. There will be
no new and corrected edition of the
volume of our earthly life. After we
make exit from the stage at the close
of the fifth act we nnotreenter. How
many millions of nennle have lived and