The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-01

tuelr Iatdl WOIk 6Qo were couHioekeo H.
most i~ncurable, now In majority Of cases
are conquered. Vaccination, which has
saved millions of lives and baked the
greatest scourge Of nations, and surgery, |
which has advanced more than any other |
science, have done more than can be told
for the ~prolongation Of human life. The
z ray has turned the human body, which |
was opaque, into a lighted castle. 1t is |
easier in this age to renew ones youth
than in any other age. When Paul stop |
ped the jailer from suicide by command !
ing, do thyself no HARM" he showed
himself interested in the physical as well
as moral life of man. Among the bless
ings which God promised was that in
which he said, with long life will / sat
isfy thee and David, in my text, illls-
trates the possibility of ~palingenesis or
rejuvenescence.
But the body is the smallest and least
important part Of you. 1t is your soul
that most needs r~ejuvenation, but that
will also help bodily v~iviication. In or
der to do this, 1 advise you to Danish as
far as possible all fretfulness out of
your life. The doing of hat viii make
you ten years younger. l know many
good Christian people who are worrying
themselves out in managing the affsirs
of the universe. They have undertaken
too big a job. They are trying to drive
too long and fiery a team. They have
all the affairs of church and state on
hand, and they fret about this, and fret
about that, and fret about the other
thing. They fear that China will be di-
vided up among the nations and there
will be an ENHANCEMENT causing wars
such as we have never heard Of. They fear
that Edward VII will not be as wise a
king as his mother was q queen. They
are appalled, at the accumulated national
debt. They fear society is going to
pieces by reason of immoralities. They
apprehend that America will be over
crowded with foreigners. They say the
newspapers are getting so bad that this
country is going to be utterly democrat
lied. They are all the time apprehensive
OF social and religious and political ca
lamities, and it is telling on their mental
health, depressing their physical health,
and instead Of renewing their youth like
the eagles they are initiating the eagle
who would sit in his nest of sticks lined
with grass ON the rock, mourning about
the woes of the ornithological world, the
loneliness Of the pelican, the flthiness of
the ~vulture, the croak of the raven, the
recklessness of the albatross. Would that
improve things? No. 1t would be a
molting process for that eagle which
would never close, and it would only get
thinner and more gloomy and less able
to gain food for its young and less able
to enjoy a landscape as it appears under
a 20 mile flight on a summer morning
under the blue heavens.
The Omnfscient King.
1 do not advise you to be Indifferent to
these great questions that pertain to
church and state and nations, but not to
fret about them. Realize that it is not
an anarchy that has charge of affairs in
this world, but a divine government. At
the head Of this universe is a King whose
eye is omniscience and whose arm is ON
impotence and whose heart is infinite owe.
His government is not going to be a fail
ure. He cannot be defeated. Better
trust him in the management Of his world
and of all worlds. All you and I nave to
do is to accomplish the work that is put
in our hands. That is all we have to be
responsible for. In a well managed Or
chestra the players upon stringed and
wind instruments do not watch each 9TH
er. The cornetist does not look to see
how the y~iolinist is drawing the bow over
luc SlIluSS, HOI uOSS Inc uule SCEullulZe
the drum. They all watch the baton of
the leader. And we are all carrying our
part, however insignificant it may be, in
the great harmony of this world and of
the universe which our Lord is leading,
and we all have to watch his command
and do our best and not bother ourselves
about the success or failure of other per-
formers. If you want to enew your
youth, better stop managing the affairs
OF the universe.
Mythology tells Is that Jason begged
Medea, the goddess, to take some of the
years of his life and give them to his ia
Their. She promised that without abbre-
Waiting the sons life she would prolong
his fathers life. She filled the caldron
with herbs and the blood Of beasts and
birds and then stirred the caldron and
put some of the juices in the mouth Of
the aged father, and it is said that his
hair turned from white to black, the
shriveled limbs rounded into robust health
and the rejuyenated man felt as he did at
10 years of age. All that is a poetic myth.
But a frightened religious hope and a
strengthened faith in Gods providence
have rejuvenated many a man in dispo-
sition and usefulness and renewed his
youth like the eagles. On the contrary,
1t is thought that worriment is becoming
in this country a national disease, and it
has been called "Americanitis."
Another mode Of rejuvenescence Is
much Of the time associating with those
younger than yourself rather than with
those who are as old or older. II you
have no children OF your own, better
adopt a child. There are in this country
and in all countries orphans by the tens
of thousands. Go to one Of the asylums
or institutions where friendless children
are cared for and select some little one
with an honest eye and good disposition
and take him to your home. Put around
him all the ~elevating and happy infu-
ences you can provide. In two years be
will become part Of your life, and his
company to you will be indispensable. 1t
will make you 20 years younger. He
will be an illumination to the evening Of
your life, and he will speak your praise
long after you have departed from this
world, and in heavenly places you will
horo boop ra-ordoE hr tho Uroaf friend