Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-07-28

Then he continued his supplications
with this earnest cry: 30 God, give
me Scotland or l diev'
Put Your Mind Into the Work.
Never was 1 more impressed with the
thought that in order to be true Cos
pei fisherman a man must surrender
himself, body, mind and soul, to the
Masters service than when some
years ago 1 went with party Of gen.
tmen fishing for Atlantic founders.
At that time was not much of fish
erman. 1 was so absorbed in the beau
ties of nature that when l threw out
my line would forget all about it, and
the fish would come and nibble off the
bait and swim away. In the meantime
l was admiring the curving waves; l
was watching the winds pile up the
clouds into valleys and mountains and
domes and arches and fortresses and
obelisks; was watching the sea gulls
take their morning baths or swoop
down to clutch a fish in their talons,
and then with a wild cry start away
for the nests where their young were
clamoring for food. And as l watched
those sea gulls my mind wandered on,
and l soliloquiZed: what if death
had slain my father and mother when
/ was young just as cruel marksman
for mere sport might shoot yonder
bird? Would l then have died as the
bird fedgelings would die of starva-
ton, or would l have lived to grow
up a Christian man or have fallen into
crime and finally been put behind iron
bars as convict?' And thus l
| dreamed the whole day away and only
caught one small fish! But right along
| side of me was a man who had the
| line and practically the same position.
He differed from me only in the fact
that he put his whole body and mind
into his work. He did not go down
New York harbor to watch the clouds
or the birds or the waves. He went to
fish, and he fished until the perspira-
ton rolled off his face in streams; he
fished until his hands were dirty and
till his clothes were dirty. He fished
until he forgot everything but his line
But the result of putting his whole
| force into his work was a basketful Of
at least fifty or sixty big founders.
| So, my brother, if you and l are to
become one purpOsed Christians, if we
want to live to save men, we must
surrender ourselves, body, mind and
soul, to the service of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We must leave our worldly
nets down by the shores of Lake Gal
lice and follow him. Jesus demands
that we make his service a life'S con-
secration, not a Sabbath's recreation.
He demands unceasing toll, not a sum-
mer's sport.
The True Gospel Fisherman.
The true gospel fisherman is brave
man. We have been taught to regard
the soldier as among the braveSt OF
men. True, it needs a brave heart to
stand unblanched amid a storm of shot
and shell and to walk up to the can.
mons mouth when the bullets are fall
ing around like hail pattering upon
the pavements. But the soldier never
has to face great dangers continuously
like those the fisherman has to meet
l suppose that among all the different
classes of men there is not one among
which the destruction of life proper
tionately is so great as among the mer
who make the harvest of the sea theil
avocation or life work.
During a recent journey across the
Atlantic and after we had been out &
couple of days from New York har
Dor l saw two men pointing to a darl
cloud ahead. | heard one of then
say: "We are going to have a bat
night. That is the Newfoundland 70.
bank" Soon the thick mists began t.
settle around us. All that night tn,
gloomy fog horn blew. l said to tn
commander of the Cunarder: Captain
why do you blow that terrific fog horn
Surely the danger of collision witt
passing steamer is comparativel
small" "Ah," answered the captain
1--WE are blowing the fog horn Chief
to warn the fishermen. All about thes
waters are hundreds of little fishin
smacks. The fishermen come here an
anchor. They stay month in an
month out until they catch their cargo
and scores and scores Of these poor fe
lows are run down every year. w
want to warn them, if possible, tina
we are coming along" Go to any Q
the little fishing towns along the rock
coasts of old Scotland. There you wi
find women who have lost fathers an
brothers and husbands and sons in tn
awful dangers Of a fsherman's lif'
Every seaman will tell you that th
perils of a sailors life are compar;
lively nothing if there are only sixt
fathoms of water under the ships kee
But the fisherman rarely puts out
the deep sea. He must fish compar;
lively near the shore. Then the storm
come up and threaten to drive the fra
craft upon the rocks. Then the foe
settle so thickly that the steersma
!, can hardly see the prov of the DO,
from the stern. Yes, the true fishe
mans life. whether it is found on LAl