Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-23
. ROSARY OF A RAMBLER.


/ s.s ole
Many things have been said and
week about the tragic ending of the
life of the daughter of AleXande,
Dowie, of divine healing fame. Not
many have been kind. The instinct to
say Il told you so,'' is so strong in hui
man nature that even the pathos OF
death is not strong enough to overcome
it. Whatever Dowie may have done,
whatever he may have been, the pas.
week he has been but father be-
reaved, and the common sorrow OF
mankind should have brought him the
common sympathy as a common man.
1t should have made no difference
whether he was trickSter or prophet.
The world had no privilege to call him
inconsistent because in the hour of his
great agony, fearing to lose his daugh-
ter, he permitted her to receive the
medical attention which for years he
has denied He hadTd Itywi CIV CIV CIV
has denied. Had he not allowed such
attention to be given her, the tickle
public, which can never be satisfied,
would have maligned him for his cruel
ty. as now they are doing for his al
legged inslncerity. There is but one
thing in it all, which puts Dowie in
mean position. That is his reiterated
statement that his daughter died be.
cause she had sinncd by disobedience.
Yet let those who would criticise him
for that statement reflect upon the SER
mons they hear and the theological
books they read. Dowie for once is
orthodox when he says that his daugh-
ter was punished for her sins. He, too,
forgets that God Is the Father of US
all, that he is love itself, and that He
knows our every weakness and want.
1t was puerile statement of Dowie's,
and one that is worse than puerile for
1T accords to God hardness and
wrath beside which the imperfections
of man seem very gentle and loving.
In the excitement of the hour, and per-
haps in the natural desire to shield
himself, Dowie spoke. But it is sup
posed to be after logical thought and
mature reflection that the pulpit teach
es such doctrines. Let those who hold
to them pause before they condemn too
severely the one who, whether or not
he has saved others. was powerless to
save his own, and who is today bearing
one of the common sorrows OF human
life.
4 Have the lilacs ever been so pretty
before as they have this spring! Fer.
haps they have been. No doubt they
have been the same deep lavender for
centuries and centuries. and 1t is hoped
and to be believed that they will be for
many centuries to come. Yet this year
they have seemed unusually beautiful,
especially to little group OF people
who live in the city. They are fortu-
nate enough to live on a boulevard, the
park of which is radiant with the flow
ers and redolent with their perfume.
Talk about the dinginess of the city!
Some parts of it are dark and ugly and
forlorn, but small car fare and few
minutes will take almost any city dwell
Ter to one of the parks or boulevards,
where the grass is as green and the
flowers as fresh as those in any coun-
try lane. Then the lilacs. Deep and
,rIeh-they surely never have been SO
beautiful before. But that is one of the
best things about the spring. Each
before. 1t is the symbol of youth, and
youth is the symbol of freshness and
vigor and cheer. That is probably why
the lilacs seem SO very beautiful to that
little group of city jewellers this spring.
But whether they are better than ever
before or not, they certainly are very
good.
Did any one ever see himself as 9TH
ers saw him? And wouldn't it be
dreadful thing for him, If he did?
Wouldn't he be unhappy most of the
time? And wouldn't his self-contl-
dence vanish in moment? And what
ever he may say about egotism, there
is little to be accomplished in this busy
work a day world by those who do not
nut a good value on themselves and
their ioings. But as to seeing our
selyes-two women were visiting the
other day In a photograph gallery.
Each one had had sitting and each
one had received her proofs. Each one
was satisfied and ssatisfied-satisfied
with her friends and dissatisfied With
her own pictures. Candor compels an
outsider to say that in each case the
artist had softened and retouched and
refined, until the pictures were decid-
edly "fattering" Yet neither woman
could see 1t that way-in her own case
"She must be very hard to suit" each
one said later. about the other woman.
"Why. what does she think she is-a
beauty? Well, she's not, If she does, and
I should think she'd be glad to have
such good-looking pictures" Yet 1t is
not recorded that either woman saw
the humor of the situation, as the poor
outsider. who didn't dare to laugh, did.
Did you ever mean to say something
particularly complimentary and offend
the person to whom you said, who took
II in another light. 1t is one of the sor-
rows of life which is yet to come to you,
If YOU have not. A certain young lady
of Marshalltown, who is noted for her
tact and the pleasing power of always
saving the right word at the right time,
is wondering if she really did make q
break" the other day. She was talking
TO a charming young woman who Is
about halfway between the twenty
and thirty col1mns, altho she looks so
fresh and young that she can easily
mass for many years younger among
those who can not count back to school
DAVIS and so know her age almost to a
certainty. She had said something
about putting off doing certain things
until she was at least SO. ooh, we'll"
the tactful young lady said, you won't