Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-06

tnhnh Nou TOT tne uhyi we ought Also
to thank him for the night. Worlds
on worlds In sight Of the naked eye.
but more worlds revealed by telescope
At least one night in his lifetime every
man ought to go into astronomical OBJ
servatory and see what has been done
by the great World Builder. Thank
God for lunar and stellar illumina-
ton!
Further, on the instrument of ten
strings celebrate the possession of our
reason. A severe stroke upon the head
or sudden calamity or any one of
fifty kinds of accident might dethrone
our reason and leave us worse Off than
the brute. for the brute has n subst-
tute for reason in what is called in
stinct, but mans brain shattered
and he has neither mind nor instinct.
The asylums for the insane. though
all the time multiplying, are not enough
to shelter the demented Through the
examining system employed in many Of
the schools of this country there are
tens Of thousands Of children having
their brain depleted. Philosophers ut
ten years OF age, astronomers at elev-
en- years Of age, biologists at twelve
years of age. They will be first on ex-
animation day, but last in all matters
of useful and successful life. 1t would
be amusing to see how much children
are expected to learn and know if it
were not connected with the tragedies
of damaged intellects which follow.
Amid the increasing dementia of the
world let us appreciate the goodness Of
God to us If our mental faculties are in
equipose Noyaging from New Yea
land to Australia, u storm ewooped
upon us. and we saw all around us
fragments Of ships that had been
caught in the same tempest. And how
thankful we were, sailing into Sydney
harbor, that we had escaped. SO that
man and that woman whose intellect
goes safely through the storms of this
life, in which so many have foundered
ought every day and every night EN-.
ploy one of the ten strings in gratitude
for that particular mercy.
The Blessing of Friendship.
Another string of this instrument
now touch-friendship deep and abid
ing, by which l refer to those people
who, when good or bad motive may be
ascribed to you. ascribe the good; those
concerning whom you do not wonder
which side they will take when you are
under discussions; those who would
more gladly serve you than serve them
selves; those to whom you can tell ev
erythng without reserve; those who
are first In your home by person or by
telegram when you have trouble. Oh
what blessing to have plenty OF
friends! Aye. If you have only one
good friend. you are blessed in that
glad possession. With one such friend
you can defy the world But he must
be tried friend. You cannot tell who
are your real friends till disasters come
AS long as you collect vast dividends
and have health jocund and popularity
unbounded you will have crowds OF
seeming friends, but let bankruptcy
and invaldism and defamation come
and the number OF your friends vii
be 95 per cent of. If you have beer
through some great crisis and you have
one friend left, thank God and cele
brate it on the sweetest harpstring.
"While all this Is So" says some one
there are SO many things that Others
have which l have not" l reply, it il
not what we get, but what we are, thai
decides our happiness, With the bare
necessities of life many are unspcaka
bly, happy, while others with all tht
Injuries are representations of misery
In the Roman empire there was NJ
man more wretchcd than the Nero whC
} ruled It. The porticoes of his palac,
were a mi'e long \ statue of him il
silver and gold 100 feet high stood il
the vcstibule The walls Of his palac,
were mother of pearl and ivory Tit
ceiling was arranged to shower flower:
and pour perfumes upon the guests
His wardrobe was so large that he new
er wore garment twice. His mules
We're shod In silver. He fished will
hooks Of gold. A thousand carriages
accompanied him when he Travelled
His crown was worth 100000. He hat
, everything but happiness. That nevc
came, Your heart right. all is right
your heart wrong, all Is wrong
The CospeI of Good Morals.
But we must tighten the cords of on
harp and retune it while we celebra I
gospel advantages. The highest styl
of civilization the world has ever see
IS American civilization, and it is bull
out of the gospel of pardon and goo
morals. That gospel rocked our cradle
and it will epitaph our grave. 1t soothe
our sorrows. brightens our hopes, il
spires our courage. forgives our sin
and saves our souls. II takes n ma
who Is all wrong and makes him n
right. What that gospel has done fo
you and me is a story that we ca
never fully tell. What it has done fo
the world and will yet do for the NJ
tons it will take the thousand years {
the millennium to celebrate. The CRANE
est churches are yet to be built. tn
mightiest anthems are yet to be hois
ed. The greatest Victories are yet
be gained. The most beautiful Nj
donnas are yet to be painted. Til
; most triumphant professions are yet I
! march. Oh, what n world this will b
: when It rotates in its orbit redeeme
!" planet, girdled with spontaneous ha
vests and enriched by orchards who's
fruits are speck less and redundant an
the last pain will have been banishe