Connecticut western news., 1902-05-22

by the help of God, to resist these first yieldings to sin! It is not stupidity to be pure and good and upright; it Is not cowardly to run away from the bland ishments of sin. The first wrong step may be the step over the brink of eter nal death; the first flush of shame man. tling the cheek may be the hell flame destroying the soul. My son, if sin ners entice thee, consent thou not"
 Avoid Danger.
 A wealthy gentleman once advertised for a coachman. To every applicant who came he put this one question, "How near can you drive a team of horses to the edge of precipice with out going overY' Well" answered one would be coachman, "I can go within twenty feet" Well" answered another, 'T could go within twelve feet" Well" answered a third, 'I could go within eight feet" and anoth- CT said, within five feet" At last one applicant said, If the horses amounted to anything, I would be so frightened that would take the other side of the road and get as far away
 
 answered the gentleman, you are the man am looking for. l do not want the driver who runs into danger, but the man who will stay away. I'll hire you" Who Is the wise navigator-the helmsman who points the ships prov toward the reef where hundreds of wrecks strew the coast or the pilot who keeps the keel in deep waters? Are you recklessiy going to do that which your father and mother, the Bi- ble, the church and all good men and all good women tell you not to do? King Solomon warns against sin be- cause young people are apt to become Respondent. Perhaps this discourage ment will be caused by homesickness. The loneliest place on earth Is a great city. In the country town you knew everybody, and everybody knew you. While the village minister was preach | ing you would be watching the neigh bor's daughter, whom you expect some day to make your wife. When you trudged away to school, every farm wagon which went by was ready to give you lift. When the poor woman back among the hills was sick, your mother made up a package and bade you carry it to the house. That poor woman always greets you now with | smile. But here in this great city you | do not even know the man who lives | across the hall. Perhaps you say Good morning. to him, but that is all. When you come home at night, there | is nothing but the cold, uninviting bed room. You long again for the farm, for | the matched roof of the old home stead, for the smell of the new mown hay and the sight of the cider presses vehemently at work squeezing the or chard's blood into barrels and casks. | St. Johns wilderness of rock is a fit | name for a great city. 1t is a wilder ness, and there are no wilder beasts of | passion roaming among forests than some of the human monsters which live here.
 from injustice. You may have been living in the great city now for two | years. You worked, and worked hard Then came vacancy in the store. Of | course you expected the promotion, but | another clerk under you who was not as bright nor as faithful as you had | influence, and he was pushed ahead. ! Then you protested-and vehemently protested. All that the manager did was to laugh and say, "Well, if you don't like it get out" You could not get out. You had no place to go. You sullenly went back to the desk, say ing: What Is the use of trying? Hon. esty is not the best policy" sGf Sinners Entiee Thee"
 | Perhaps your Encouragement came in a cruel way. You had your foot upon the lowest rung and were begin ming to climb the ladder of success, when suddenly the hard times came. The firm dissolved and you were dis charged. You are now not only looking for a new place, but you have to com mence all over again. Now comes the warning against temptations. Now the old sage tells me to put the hand of love upon your shoulder and say, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not" ..r.-.a
 give you this warning gladly and willingly, my brother, because these are the troubles which are fitting you for the mighty successes which are tc come. Remember this great lesson anything which develops quickly dies quickly. The insects are generated and grow to maturity in a few hours, but they also die of old agN by night The gourd which spread itself as an um
 brella over the head of the prophet
 Jonah withered as soon as 1t was touch
 ed of the east wind. The flower whicf
 blossoms in the spring goes to seed be
 fore the fall. 1t takes years and yeari
 to develop a cedar of Lebanon. |
 takes centuries upon centuries to bur!
 coal mine. It takes at least onescort
 years to make man, and the more ob
 stacles you can overcome the more O
 giant you will be. Only the god
 can reach the stars. Man can become
 like unto a god if God is with him ant
 he keeps on stretching.
 There Is a beautiful story told of
 missionary who became very much dis
 couraged. No conversions resulte,
 from his work. He determined to leav
 his field. That night as he slept b
 had a strange dream. He dreamed tha
 an angel had given him a hammer an
 placed him before a huge rock an
 said to him. Pound, and keep O.
 pounding" He pounded on, but coul
 not break the rock. Because he wa
 unsuccessful he sat down and wept
 But while he wept the angel again al
 peared and said, Why dost tho
 weepT Because I cannot break tn
 rock" Then" said the angel, tho
 hast nothing to do with the results
 Pound and pound, and keep on pound
 ing, whether thou breakest the rock c
 mo-" The dreamer arose, picked u
 the hammer and smote the rock with
 mighty blow. Lo, the rock broke Solomon bids me give to you the han |