Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-06-23

premium. suppose lily perSOndl eX-
perience in getting insured is that of
almost every other young mar. When
l took out a twenty year tontine life !
insurance policy, felt as though was |
paying for something which would |
happen at the end of eternity. l paid |
my first premium very grudgingly; | |
paid the second in the same way. At |
the third year 1 was almost ready to
surrender the whole policy, but as the
flying years began to go over my head
as a flock Of migrating birds l began to
see that the twentieth year was not so
far away. Now, the last investment I
would be willing to sacrifice is that
twenty year life insurance policy.
So the young student who works at
his studies is sometimes willing to
slight them because graduation day,
like death, seems to be far away at the
edge of the horizon. The more the
student works the farther graduation
day seems to recede. But, my young
friends, from now on you shall see the
direct returns from your daily labors.
An aged writer once fguratively de-
clared, "The longest half of a mans
earthly life is that in which he lives
before twenty years of age is reached
I think that statement is true. No
matter whether man lives to be sew
enty, eighty, ninety or even hundred
years old, the longest half of life is
that which he passes during the first
twenty years. When we were young,
time seemed to have leaden feet. Time,
walked or ran or flew. To a little
| boy the last week before Christmas
! is almost endless. Every second has
the longevity of an adults hour. The
week seems as long as the average
adults year.
| But as we grow older the years seem
| to have seven leagued boots. They
| grow so fast that they almost seem to
be born with gray hairs. To the man
in active life January seems almost
| to tread upon the heels of December
and spring and autumn seem to be
twin sisters. My young friends, though
you may hardly be out of your teens,
yet in the sense in which l speak you
have already lived half of your life.
During that first half you have had
hard struggle to get an education. At
times you were almost in despair. But
in answer to your mothers and
fathers prayers, and also to your own,
God always came to your rescue. You
were able to get through somehow.
Here you are at graduation day. So,
in the latter part of your life, if you
trust God and do your best he will
surely see you safely through. You
are going to have troubles, and hard
troubles. You are going to stumble
over the hillocks of new made graves.
You are going to have injustices prac-
ticed upon you. But if you will place
your hand in the Divine Fathers hand
He will never let you go.
A Story of Heroic Sacrifice.
He is able to deliver as we'll as to
guide. To illustrate this truth Dr. New
ton, the noted English divine, used to
tell wonderful story of vicarious suf-
fering. The scene was laid in the little
German village Of Ragenbach. One
day a number of people were gathered
in the large room of the village inn.
AS the party was merrymaking, sud-
denly huge dog appeared at the open
door, the only door which afforded
egress from the room. The monsters
eyes were bloodshot; his long red
tongue was protruding from the mouth;
his lips were covered with a mass Of
white foam. At a glance every one
saw that the dog was mad. Some of
the guests were too frightened to even
pray From every lip went the cry:
Mad dog! Mad dog! My God, what
shall we do?" With that the swarthy
blacksmith arose His arms were a
mass of knotted muscles. "Stand back,
men, he cried. "There is need of only
one man dying here. If necessary,
will be that man." &c. while the vii
lage blacksmith leaped forward and
clutched the mad dog by the throat
and bore the struggling beast to the
floor, the assembled people made their
escape. The mad dog buried his teeth
in the arms Of the blacksmith, but he
would not let go until all his friends
were saved. Then he flung the mad
dog into the room, where the brute
was afterward shot. The brave black
smith then went to his shop and took a
long, strong chain. He riveted one end
: of that chain about his body and the
! other end about the anvil. Then he
turned to his friends and said: "Now
am safe and can do no harm. Bring
me food and water while l live. KeeI
out of my reach when l am mad. The
rest l leave with Cod" Soon the aw
full paroxysm of hydrophobia was
clutching at his throat. In nine days
the brave blacksmith's agony was end
ed. God has made it possible for us al
to live right for time and for eternity
by sacrificing his only begotten Son fol
us. AS the village blacksmith died il
, the chain which he had riveted to his
own body, so Christ died for us upoI
the cross which he himself carried tt
Calvary.
Now, my young friends, who arr