The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-04-03

! as we dIstrust the providence OF God, on
disheheye in His providence, that anxiety
can find a place IN our lives. Why are We
anxious" asked Jesus. If God clothes
the grass O. the teld and cares for the
birds C. the ar. shall He not much more
care for you, O We Of little faith
! But this is only one-half Of Pauls secret.
| He had learned how 70 be abssed. bat he
| had also learned how 70 abound lie Aad
4 learned 10 face adverse circumstances. and
| ne had also learned 10 face prosperity. We
must all have known people who came un'
scathed through adversely, and were after
ward ruined by prosperity. Under the IN
| iuenee OF good fortune they become con-
celted. arrogant and selfish. More people
| have been spoiled by wealth than by pow
erty. | have come 10 feel that no greater
/ evil can befall a young man or woman
than 70 be rich through the effort OF father
! or grandfather, and so be freed from the
1 blessed necessity OF winning ones own way.
Tnose who struggl le from poverty. TO affiu'
ence bv learning tirst how 10 be abased al
terwsrd learn how 10 abound. But those
who begin IN abundance are frequently
spoiled by possessing without effort what
we are apt 10 call the blessings OF life.
Weal.a may be blessing, but poverty is
oftener so. Jesus said: Blessed are the
| poor" Now poor man ls not blessed be-
cause he is poor II that were so how easy
! for any one of US 10 secure b.essedness.
But poverty urges 10 effort and effort opens
| the door TO large attainment.
How, then. may one cultivate and pre-
serve such admirable qualities of charac.
ter, the true riches OF the soul, while iae'
ing prosperity
(l) Let him in the first place take a les
son in humility. We are apt TO say OF a
wealthy man, He is inderendent.' Ii Is
a false saying. No man who lives IN a CIV
| ilized community is independent The only
| really independent being is the savage man
who lives by himself IN the wilderness,
dressing in the skins of wild beasts and
eating roots. The moment he exchanges
his bear skin for blanket he places him
self under obligation 10 the man who raises
| the sheep, the man who cuts the wool, the
man who spins the yarn, the man who
weaves the blanket. The moment he eX-
| changes his diet of roots for one OF bread
! he places himself under obligation 10 the
| farmer who raises the wheat. the reaper
| who cuts II. the miller who grlnds IT, and
| TO thousands OF others whose busy brains
and hands have constructed the lnstru-
ments which make these processes possible.
| This truth Is extremely far reaching. Not
only for material wealth are we under OBJ
| legations TO our fellows. but also for our In
tellectual wealth. Others have labored and
we have entered into their labors. IL is
creditable for a man TO study and possess
! the wisdom OF the ages. But let hlm tenn
| per his pride in the abundance of his intel
| eCtual possession with the thought that
every great truth he learns has been dis
covered by another. Our abundance of in
! tellectual riches has been dug out OF the
| solid rock by the men of the past who la
! bored with bleeding hands.
And this is Just as true of those spiritual
riches which we value. Liberty of thought,
| how much has II cost In the suffering and
! mighty courage OF men who have long since
gone TO their reward? The environment of
our lives which conduces 10 purity of heart,
| how much did II cost In the struggle OF our
| ancestors out Of n beastly state into de.
cency of living? Let US not be wise in our
own concet, but in the midst of our abund
ance let us think humbly, soberly, accord.
ing as God has given unto us, through the
ministry of our fellow men, the measure
| of all things which we possess.
| (2) Then as we face abundance, even as
| when we face want, let us endeavor TO APP
preciate the relation of values. Is the man
| who possesses wealth better than the man
who possesses nothing? Perhaps. But not
| because he possesses wealth. Is the univer-
sity graduate, the man who Possesses intel
lectual riches, better than the man who has
| never been TO school? May be. But not
because he is a university graduate. The
man who possesses much and is stingy Is
| worse than the man who possesses little
| and is stingy, because there may be an ex-
| cusc for the stnglness of the man who has
| only crust and faces starvation, but there
is no excuse for the man who goes on add
| ing barn to barn or thousands of dollars TO
other thousands, while his neighbors hun
ger. There may be excuse for the lgnor-
ant man for not trying to advance the In
| tellettua standards of the community In
which he lives. He has nothing to give, no
| capital 10 work with. But there is no ex-
| cuse TO be made by the man who has had
| all the advantages that the colleges afford,
| for doing nothing for the world. He has
power and should use It,
The only riches worth while are in the
| character. Use your abundant possessions
| to help build the kingdom of God, as the
workman uses his tools TO construct n
wall or to build a bsidge. So shall your
dollars be transformed into character, and
your intellectual achievements minister TO
| ethical attainments.
(3l Finally learn to face prosperity by
continually acknowledging that what you
seem to possess you do not really possess
at all. You are only a trustee of a portion
Of the estate which belongs TO God. /
possess so many golden dollars. How beau
| tiful they are, how substantial, how en-
during. See me clutch them. They are
mine. ] will hold them: Nothing, shall
this hand OF mine which clutches so firmly
shall be palsied in death and later crumble
10 dust The grasp upon the gold shall be
| loosened Mine? IL was never mine. Out
of Gods earth it came. In Gods earth no
human power can prevent its ultimately
returning. NAKED came ] into the world,
and naked shall ! depart thither" To-
night, may be, that Journey shall com
mence. How absurd, then, to talk Of my
possessing wealth
But there is one possession which we
| shall keep, and which shall endure as long
as we endure. Character shall endure be-
cause nv character il myself If one has
learned love, that shall abide. Purity OF
heart, honesty of purpose, kindness Of life
| shall endure, for these belong to the i'm
mortal soul of man. Said Jesus "The
man who in the spirit Of love ministers to
| the sick. clothes the naked. feeds the hun
Cry. visits the prisoners, he and he alone
| shall hear the voice of Him who sitteth
| upon the throne. saying, Come We blessed,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
he foundation OF the world
Kindness.