Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-12-19

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 cannot find. You might as
well go down Pennsylvania avenue,
Washington, or Broadway, New York, or
fremont street, Boston, your eyes scruti-
nizing the pavemcnts looking for tur-
quoses and emeralds and rubies. Per-
haps you might find them, but there is
not much probability that in fifty years
you would find one Of them.
No one has come to midlife who has
not been stung of ingratitude. On the
battlefield Of Alma in 1854 wounded
Russian was crying in anguish of thirst
for water. Captain Eddington of the
English army ran to him and gave him
drink. AS the captain was running by to
join his regiment the wounded soldier
shot him. Almost all languages have
proverbs setting forth this perversity.
English provcrb, Bring up a raven. and
it will pick ont your eyes" Arabic prov
erb, Eat the present and break the
dish" Italian proverb. "The ass. after
having drunk, gives a kick to the buck
ct" An old proverb says. 'If God were
to be so compacent as to carry us on his
back to ROME, we would not thank him
for his pains if he did not also set us
down in an easy chair" You will never
he happy in this world il you do not do
all the good you can and look for no re-
sponsiye gratitude. All the damage | did
a man who is my enemy was to take him
from a position where he received 500
year salary into n position where ne has
ever since received $500 year. He
never forgave me, but has pursued me
with a pen vitrioic ever since. The worst
enemy you ever had is the man you in
troduced and favored and helped. But be
not disturbed or even lrritnted. You are
no better than your Lord. If the world
had had any thankful appreciation Of his
coming. it would have filed that Bethle-
hem caravansary with flowers which
bloom there clear on into the December
month. and Herod, instead of attempting
his death. would have sent a chariot to
fetch the infant to the palace. and the
oyer and terminer Of Pilates courtroom
would have pronounced him not guilty,
and instead of cross and crown of
thorns it would have been n coronation.
with all the mighty ones Of the earth
kneeing at the foot of his throne.
Another discovery that surprises us be-
cause we had not passed this way before
war with each other the one who is the
most wrong is the hardest and the slow
est to max, up Who wrote them know
not. hut | cur these two lines out and
pasted them in my scrapbook twenty
years ago, for the words are SO strikingly
true:
Forgiveness to the injured does belong,
But they ne'er pardon who have done the wrong.
We talk about the great discoveries Of
the age, the electric power, the steam
power. the telescope and microscopic
power, bat do not say anything about the
discoveries we all make year by year and
day by day. There are surprises all the
time. 1t is new road we are travelling.
"Ye have not passed this way before"
Our Last Journey.
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, hum
ger we ought to feed, cold that we ought
to warm, kind words that we ought to
speak, generous deeds we ought to per-
form. All that you and do toward max
ing this world better and happier we
must do very soon or never do at all.
Joshua anu us lroops neNei .une Jun
o,t' 1Ne way ny ~,
'nc oi's'lne VI Wv po'u"1. ~ ,
y, Wy J.: " Wv I;.1,;o y,
u'oi We" :" ",'.t' . y" 40 o.
ne p"' me- u'e ~. tiv i AZ. Wv h ha',
uai VI any u,' Vi 'Ae,N SUI" 'N'' =. Htu
letui nv w. nie az ~
cohit. i"e'v Is no ,e'ieat, n'e. 'n.'e unu
nuen'! "p"u no' pe ~ .tn 'a a,. We
cou.u I'M NV Wy sd! WI oe oaen nh ,ie ~
again iht 'h',iss neeieol ~. nov WI. w
'He leN' ,''ne 'oiiie, " al We L,-Nt',.
huteu' anu WIN resume NY ga my ooh-
tbon 7 have now will discharge nv
earthly duties hotter than can now dis
charge thcm I do NOT give solemn IA re-
we'll TO these obligations and opportuni-
ties, but smiling and CHEEKY goodby un-
til 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 cannot re-enter.
How many millions of people have lived
and died | know not, but of all the hui
man race who have gone only seven per-
sons that now think of have returned,
the son Of the widow at Zarephath, the
Young man of Main. the rulers daughter,
Tabtha Eutychus, Lazarus and Christ.
Among all the ages to come do not sup
pose there will be one more who will re-
-. -.