Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-07-16

priceless treasures, because they be-
licve that in them the great heart Of
happiness, rich blooded and life giving,
can be found. Then when they have
been defeated in the struggles of life
they sometimes drive the destroying
dagger into their own arteries. as a
tantalized serpent bures his poison
Gus fangs in his own flesh.
JOY of Helping others.
Moral application: Do not try to
build the temple of happiness out Of
yellow bricks. Think not that the
broad highway which leads to the
throne room of Joy is always lined with
applauding and vociferating multi
tudes. The ground mole may tunnel
his way into a gold mine, but he still
remains n ground mole. The bat, fly
ing about in the darkness may be able
to push his claws into trembling mems
pockets, but he is still nothing but a
hateful bat.
Envy and covetousness also lead to
suicide. The unwillingness to love our
neighbors as ourselves is one Of the
indirect causes of this dreadful sin.
Two ways Of looking at this old world
tho one is through the green glasses
Of envy. the result unhappiness; the
| other way Is through the sanctified
crystals of tender, n holy love, the
result gospel joy. The one way Is to
bitterly bemoan because some people
are supposed to be better OF than we
are. The other way Is to try to find
out how many people are worse off
than we are and then with a Christian
like to be helped If we were In their
places Through what kind Of lenses
have you been scrutiniz,ng the human
race? Through the green glasses of
envy, which make all the world look
dark, or through the clear. transparent
crystals Of gospel love, which always
make all the world look bright? No hap
py man ever wanted to commit suicide.
No man can be truly unhappy who Is
trying to help his fellow man. When
he finds that he is making others hap
py, their joys become part of his joys.
The suicidal knife is blunted upon
the milestone of kindness and love
and self sacrifice for another reason:
When a Christian earnestly consecra ties
his life to helping his fellow men he is
amazed how many troubles are piled
at his neighbours door and, instead of
repining at his lot, thanks God for the
mercics he enjoys. He becomes more
contcnted TO carry his own burdens be-
cause as his brothers sorrows grow
larger and larger in his eyes his own
necessarily by comparison shrink and
dwindle and become less and less.
Beautifully illustrated is this thought
by an old Latin classic: The gods. hear
ing the continual grumhlngs Of the
human race. decrccd that all men
should be able to choose their own bur-
dens but they must choose some. They
decreed that every man, woman and
child should bring their load Of trouble
In pac, and throw it in one place.
Then all the different troubles of the
world were piled in a heap. The rich
man came from his palace; the poor
man came from his hut The old man
came lettering upon his staff the
young man came leapng as a roe upon
the mountain side. The father came,
followed by his swarm Of children; the
single man came alone. The bride
groom came. leading his bride: the wild
over came after his wife had been
snatched from his side. All came with
their troubles All threw their packs
In the one pile. Now" said the gods
to the assembled people, 'let each in
divdual select any one pack of trouble
that he would" OF course the multi
tudes were overjoyed. Each man at
first lifted and weighed the troubles Of
every other man. Then at last" so
goes the fable leach individual at a
given signal was satisfied to lift up
again his own troubles and in content
ment go his own way"
The Cownrd's Heart.
No power on earth can make n hu-
man being more contented than that
which comes from being brought into
sympathetic touch with other peoples
trials. for all people have them. The
white, fleecy clouds off in tho distance,
circling about the mountain top. may
look like sea gulls sporting with the
crest of wave. On nearer approach
they are only fog and drilling mist.
The ships far out at sea have spotless
sails and trimmest bulls. But upon
nearer approach we see that their can
vas is befouled and their hulls SCARED
with the blows Of many tempests.
Clear crystals of tender love will not
only make us try to help our fellow
men and desire to live as long as we
can for that purpose, but they will also
teach us to be more and more content
ed with our own lives. Brother, better
change the lenses in your spectacles
Better be a sunbeam playing in the
day than sulking owl, solitary and
alone, croaking during the night.
A towards heart is a direct cause
for the suicidal sin. "Oh no." says
some one; that cannot be. A suicide
may be this or that or the other thing
but he is not a coward, No TSn Is G
coward who dares to commit self muir
der No man is a coward who viii
calmly look death in the face and defy
the grinning skeleton of the tomb"
Ah nE friend, you are wrong. The
I direct cause of the suicidal sin Is In
! variably the result of a towards heart
3 1t is the act of a man who runs ava!
= from trouble instead of courageously
= graphing with it. The bravest o
: deeds is to die if necessary to save 9th
8 crs. But it would not be heroic 70
q cowardly to fight. Neither Is 1t he