Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-07-08
TIE TIRED MANS PRAYER.

TEE ElL TIRED MANS. PRAYER.
Cincinnati. O.. June 19-The fol-
lowing is 9 portion of sermon de-
uYered at the Vine Street church by
the pastor, Herbert 8. Bigelow ~
~" on, that I had wings like: q dove,
for then would I fly away and be at
rest. " Psalms 56-6.t ~ .;;~s:>:: ss:E5
$50 Iona az the world remains what
1t, is, life. for men OF conscience and
must be serious business. y:
It 1s pleasant! to lie on the shore,
watch the stately sails and dream Of
groaning argosies and distant lands.
But the sailor has truer view of life
who knows the sickenine monotony Of
the beating sun and the breathless
sea, or who has heard the straining of
the timbers, and has seen the waters
open q grave before the aounderine
ship. "
The housekeeper. harried by
Thousand cares, the factory worker.
distracted by the ceaseless din; the
business men, haunted by fears OF
failure, countless thousands. goaded by
daily needs to relentless toll behold
the distant hills from their prison
houses and cry in their hearts, "Ob,
that had wings like dove. for then
would fly away and be at rest. -
Last Sunday night young man
came to me who until two weeks ago
had been employed in Cincinnati
factory. he was one of the many who
had been laid eff because of sagging
trade conditions. Evay day for two
weeks he had looked for work. While
ne could keep himself neat and clean
he had hope. But his last penny WAS
gone and there was nothing with
which to pay for clean linen or BATH,
food or shelter. ''Do you think said
he, THAT 1t would be wrong for me
to take my life?'
He stood at the psiting of the ways.
One led to crime The other led to
beggary. Which should he take? But
wait Bot there was yet another road,
the road of self destruction. Might he
not take that to save himself from the
other tT662 The battle was going
against this yo12g man. His despera-
tion had half-crazsS hi! ksli:n: He had
come to understand the Psalmist's
ely, ''Oh, that I had wings: like a
dove, for then would fly away and
be at rest. ':5'
Look at the faces of these men.
standing all day idle in the market
place. Think Of the places where they
dwell. See the sickly children and the
sad old men. A spear Of grass will not
grow there. The flowers that are
planted sioken and die. The deafening
noise Of the streets. the gagging
smells from the cutters, the carousals
in the groceries, staggering men,
swearing women, alas, what a civili-
zation This is what certain editor
calls ''eur social cellar
This hurrying, haggling, hateful
city-whst will become of it, Will
some social Vesuvius bury it's shame2
Will this voioeless despair day find
s Marat and Robespierre2 Or will
it sink ignobly into the dust Of ages
unconscious of its chains2
Whatever Its fate, any man who tries
to save it will be taught by his exper-
fence the meaning of the Psalmist's
prayer: "Oh, that I had the wings
of dove, for then would fly away
and be at rest
But wings did not come In answer
to the Psalmist's prayer. Neither did
he organize colony and bury himself
in the wilderness. Apparently he
stayed in the fight. He kept the faith.
In spite Of all bic doubts and discour-
agements he hoped and labored on.
Whether ne lived to see the fruits Of
his labor We are not told. But what
ever the external results may have
been, he felt that in hoping when
others despi-ed and in fighting when
others tainted, he had won moral VIC
tory which was worth to him all it
cost. His manhood, at least, had
never suffered defeat. At the end he
could say:
"He hath delivered my soul in
peace from the battle which was
against me-.
We have in our hands belonging to
c1;onta money To loan on farms. Mon