Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-08


Think Of having your wardrobes filled
with the costliest of dresses now being
made in the large establishments of
the Partisan modlstes! Think of all
the new bonnets one could have, all
the horses one could drive, all the
steam yachts which would ride at an
Choir in front of ones summer home!
Indeed, 1t looks as though to have a
life interest in the world is not to be
despised even though we must surren.
der all at the brink Of the grave"
But Satan's offer is not 80 liberal
after one begins to rightly estimate
the results The other day was talk
ing to the representative of a great life
insurance company. said to him: II
have a horror of old age, weak and
helpless. l do not want to be worn.
out minister, who has TO preach to
earn his daily bread. When grow so
old that the people would prefer a
younger man to take my pulpit, I
would like to be able to resign my
passionate" After hearing me patient.
~ this life insurance agent answered.
There would be no danger Of that II
you only had little money. When
you become sixty or seventy years Of
age, you could go to a life Insurance
company and purchase an annuity. For
a very moderate sum you could at that
age secure an annual income that
would be sufficient to keep you from
all want" But answered: "Supposc
l could not pass medical examina-
ton? What them" "Ah," replied the
life insurance agent, you do not have
to pass a medical examination. The
older you are and the poorer your
health the more anxious the company
would be to get you to invest. As
soon as you die the company will pos.
sess your principal"
Satan in similar way comes to n
man who in all probability will not
years, and he says: "My friend, you
give me mortgage on your eternal
soul, to be foreclosed at your death,
and l will give you life interest in
the world. l will give you more food
than you can eat more clothing than
you can wear, more houses than You
can live ill., more money than you can
spend, and at your earthly demise |
will not care for your money or your
stocks, but I will only demand and
take your immortal soul" Come, now,
let us reason together. Are you, an
immortal man, with a soul which shall
live on through the coming ages. with
a soul that shall stand by the cradle of
unborn milenniums. with soul that
shall yet witness this earth gasp and
die of old age. to enter into such con
tract? Read the simple statement OF
the proposed agreement. Ask yourself
this momentous question: What shall
it profit man if he shall gain the
whole world and lose his own soul?''
and exercise the common sense God
has given you.
Possibilities For Happiness.
Great worldly possessions do not nee
essarly imply life interest in happl-
ness. Indeed we believe those in the
ordinary walks Of life have better pos
sibllities for happiness than those in
the higher walks. The more influen-
tial one becomes the greater his respon.
sibilities and anxieties.
What was the happiest time of your
life? You are now a great merchant or
lawyer or physician or governor or sen
ator. Is this your supremely happy
moment? NO" you answer. "the hap
piest time of my life is not found in
the present, but in the past Now |
~ n
country home. These results of tinan
cial success do not bring to me peace OF
mind and cOntentment. The happiest
time of my life was when n poor young
man lived on small salary. Though
my wages were not large, l yet had
enough to marry on. | won n true
good, noble wife. We started ont in
two small rooms. The babies came one
by one. The small salary was somehow
able to stretch enough to furnish food
and clothing for all. We always had
enough to eat. Our garments could
defy any cold. Never were a pair OF
birds happier Matching out their eggs
in dovccot than my wife and l in
our little nest. But now, instead OF
working as mechanic ten hours pei
day, am planning most of the time.
am afraid the men will strike and the
whole plant will stand idle. My poor
brain. tired from overwork. will moi
let me sleep at night. | am worried
because | fear that If should die my
children could not straighton out the
estate. They might lose everything
Indeed, there is but little pleasure il
being rich and owning more houses
than you can live in.
That the advantages of wealth are
frequently overestimated is peculiarly
well illustrated In one of DR.. Die
Lewis lectures. He says: How mucl
more does the capitalist get out of hi
millions than the man of hundreds
gets out Of his hundreds? The million
aire cannot wear as he walks tn,
streets q hundred coats, hundre,
vests, hundred hats or a hundred
pairs of shoes. When he sits down a
the table he cannot eat whole roas
OK, two or three barrels of potatoes
couple Of bushels of turnips-in fact
he very rarely eats as much as hi
brother in poorer circumstances. Whel
he dies, he requires no ten acre lot Il
bury him. The hole that his body vii
fill will be no larger than that require
by the pauper who died in the poor
house. His eyes can penetrate no far