The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-04-27
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Gods Answer.
Nearer to thee, O Father, ever nearer,
Thy loving purpose in my life fulfilled
Lifted above earth's strife, my visio1
clearer,
All earth-born passions :stilled.
Is this 81 my y, prayer? Why, then, am I fes
When lowly bowed beneath thy chasten
ing hand?
Why filled with doubts and fears, SO ofte1
fretful, &
So 10th to understand? a.e
Is not the answer il, my earnest PLEADING
Hidden within the discipline severe?
The very lesson that my heart was needinga
Taught by the bitter tear? =
The weary toll, the pain, the sore bercave,
ment, - Al
Are ladder rounds swung down for everH
soul; "a
The horizon widens with each dayS
And achievement, f6irsr asans ~. noo, q.
Here let me rest, assured my poor petition
Is heard and needed at the FathSTR
throne. I ,setsl
The answer comes, with faith the one eoK4
dition;
The way is all His own.
Miss Hattie Hunter Pierson, in N. ~
Observer. s.
Soul Growth. A
It has been salu that "the manufactures
Of souls of good quality is the first basi}
ness of great republic" Now, souls Of q
good quality are not manufactured, but
should distinguish between souls of bad
quality and souls of good quality, we wonldt
say that these latter are wise, just, happyl
self-suficing and Christian.
The han is wise-toward all truth in
books, in nature and in life. The man i4
just-his feet run along those highways OF ,
law that God has set up for the soups
progress. He is happy-that is, he is in
harmony with his own record, his conf
science and his God. He is self-sacrifcin8
that is, he is equal to all the emerge93
cies of life, and with surplus OF strength
he thrusts his broad yshou Lers under ah5
others burden and, carries that in addit
ton to his own. But all these signal quaH
tiles are growths; they are not suddenly
thrust upon men. Indeed, Christ's every
that interprets it as growth.
The kingdom of character is q seed. But
the wild grass grows into the rich barley{
The wild thorn becomes the red rose, tha4
is doubled. The wild orange, bitter and
acid, becomes the orange that is seedles9
and full of sugar. And the kingdom o.
heaven is planted in the soul as q seed
ard slowly grows and expands to Its ful4
size and fruitage. -
Another figure that was used to inter.
pref the growth of character is architecs
tural. Character is noble building; it - 4
based on the body, indeed, as marble
mud and go down to the rock. How beauS
tiful is the figure! What hall is rea3
con! What a gallery, full of pictures o4
the past, is memory! What decorated
walls are to be found in the chambers OF
imagery! How do housewives fill their
garrets, just under the roof, with all MANI
ner of cast-off furniture and old garmentsil
But the upper story of the soul is Ike
glass observatory. Often faith stands
in its tower of observation and hope fore
casts far.off and future things.
No marble mansion was ever erecte4
in night save in fairy stories. Ittld
are brought together. Slowly grows the
soul. Each thought is nail, each hab9
is a pillar, each noble memory Of friends
beloved is the face of an angel found IN
the frescoes on the wall. Slowly the souls
house is furnished and adorned and OF
the Stranger Divine is guest welcomed
and knocking at the door. To this neR
figure Christ adds third, when He hk.
ems the Christian life to an education. ~
was as if He had said: 'The church is My
school, you are My pupils. Life ls 9
great lecture room, Joy, sorrow,, loves
work, victory, defeat, temptation, booksi
death-these are the life teachers.
To make the soul great-this is the puts
pose and aim of the Christian life, for ins
dividual worth is the very genius Of Chris.
tianity One great soul is more infuena
tial for inspiration and encouragement
than million lesser ones, Just as one
Shakespeare can do more for the W0ridi
than q million penny-a-hners. God sayeA
by few. He raises up one Mary Wars,
as the far off founder of the Red Cross
movement, and then innumerable women
70 up to her level. He raises up one PanE
or one Luther and nations climb to the
heights where these exalted spirits dweng
of the world were brought together. WHAT
pictures! What architecture! What
arches and columns! What bridges! What
marvellous tools and looms and ships! But
a great character builded by. thirty years
of life is an achievement incomparably
richer. ~
What treasure in hero, in whom all
heroism, all disinterested love, all wisdomS
all patience and self-sacri6ce are united
If it takes long time to grow tree, 9
ripen a scholar, to construct cathedral
how much more to grow man into the
full stature of one who resembles Jesus
Christ! You have inaugurated a !gTeaS
enterprise in your youth, and the DplldlnG
of vour character is worthy of all thought
and ambition and tireless toiling.
Seeds That Will Grow.
Sweet hone that cheers the heart bearh
Company. And proves the nurse of age
-Pindar