Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-28

expected? Today your two children
who were once strong are dead. Diph-
iberia In one week slew them both.
Your invalid daughter, about whom
you worried, has overcome her invalid
ism and grown into young woman
hood. She is now married and hns
children of her own. Your troubles
came, but the panther leaped upon you
from the rear and did not lie crouch
ing in the open pathway ahead.
Some Useless Worries.
AS business man you have often
worried about this, that and the other
thing You have worried about wheth-
or the firm that failed would be able
to pay for the goods they bought. You
have worried about the tariff laws and
the elections. You have worried about
the rival concern which settled on the
next block. You never thought that
worse trouble could come to you than
the loss of your store. You never
thought that your own health could
break down and that you would have
TO resign from the firm and sell out.
Troubles came into your life, but they
invariably came In the way and at
the time you did not expect.
If this premise is true, is It not time
for you to stop your useless fretting?
Is 1t not senseless occupation to be
worrying about certain troubles which
In all robability-judged by the past
will never aff1ict your lifei Do you
not feel that the old English provcrb
t. -, t,l, Il
cross the bridge until you come TO it,
In the journey Of life you will find
many bridges down. You will discover
that the spring frcshcts have swept
away the entertainments upon which
countless abutments were placed. But
in all probability the bridge you worry
most about will be firm enough and
strong enough to bear you over its
stream. although you may have to
wade into other angry waters a little
farther on.
Anticipating troubles is sin, be-
cause the present duties of life tax al
most every mans physical and mental
resources to the utmost limit. We read
with sorrow and admiration about the
pathetic struggle Sir Walter Scott
made in his old age to pay off his
debts BY foolish investment he be-
came responsible for something like
100000. With his magic pen be went
TO work. lie worked during the day.
He worked during the night. lie
worked while he lay in bed. lie
worked when walking upon the street.
lie lived and worked for the one pur-
pose, that of being able to say he
owed no man penny. But while he
worked he so worried over this debt
that one day his physician came to
him and said, Sir Walter if you do
not cease worrying you will die"
With that the magician of Abbotsford
looked up and gave Il wan smile as he
said: "Nhy doctor, as long as that
debt is hanging over my head | cannot
help worrying. | know the worrying
IS killing me. But you might as we'll
go and tell my cook to order the water
In the kettle not to boil as to com.
mand my brain not to worry"
But Sir Walter Scott toling to pay
off his debts by the use of his pen, did
not have to work any harder than
|
Of men and women have to work to
meet the responsibilities of the present
time. Take for Illustration. the min
listers Of our generation. Last week |
/ received a message from a so called
| gentleman which politely Informed me
/ that 1.-The preachers of our time. as a
rule, lead an idle and an unoccupicd
existence and that there is nothing for
them to do Nothing for the average
preacher TO do? Why. the average
| preacher today IS working as hard as
ever beast of burden worked under
drivers lash. He is working so hard
that from Monday morning to Sunday
night he IS mentally and physically on
the strain all the time. ! tell you that
the preparation of two sermons and
the meeting of the many duties of tho
passionate combine to make a herculean
task, a task which gives but little time
for the sleep and recreation that are
necessary for physical we'll being, but
| the average preacher has no more de-
mands made upon his time than the
average doctor, lawyer. editor, mer-
chant, clerk, wife or mother. Almost
without exception all people are work
ing up to their physical and mental
limit, yet, strange to say, though most
| people are working very hard, COM
/ paratlvely few break down from over
work. God gives TO all of us strength
enough to meet the duties of the pres
ent day. but God does not give to any
one strength enough to meet the du-
ties Of the present day and those OF to-
morrow at the same time SO most
people when they break down do not
/ break down from overwork, but, like
/ Sir Walter Scott, from worry, and from
worry alone.
Carrying the Cares of Tomorrow.
People who are uniting themselves
for the duties of everyday life by wor-
ry remind me of an old story that Is
told about a traveller in the far east
who was trudging along highway
under what he regarded as a grieyous-
| ly heavy load. Along that highway
came king driving in his chariot He
refined In his horses and asked the
tired pedestrian if he would not like to
ride. The weary traveller gladly as
scented and climbed into the rear of the
chariot, After awhile the king looked
back and, to his surprise saw the tray
eler sitting crouchod in the rear of the