The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-05-10

over the measure of the practising.
The sacred power in our preaching is
sincerity. If that be lacking, our
preaching is vain. Ifit be there, we
must practise, and our sincerity will
dignity our practice, no matter how
short of perfection it may be.
How this is the comfort of imperfect
practice-that none seem to succeed in
reaching perfection of practice, yet
that nevertheless the world is charac-
terized by millions of acts done in sim
cerity though done imperfectly, and
out of all this weakness and incom-
pleteness comes the strength and
prowess of the world as it rolls on
ward. Mark it, that no one is excused
from doing something of practice and
something of preaching that comes
through practice. Any other course is
like the mistake of the poor person
who will not contribute anything to a
cause because that contribution will
have to be small. Let US be men and
women of large faith, believing that
the little counts, that the spirit in
which the little deed is done is the all
important thing, and if we cannot
stand forth and preach with our voic-
es, there is no position in life so isolat-
ed or so narrowed but that the voice
of the preacher can be heard, speaking
out through deeds well done.
1t is pleasing to those who never
will agree that strife and warfare are
to be final conditions of humanity, to
read that treaty has been signed be-
tween England and France, settling
questions that for centuries have dis
turbed both countries in relation to
| New wfoundland trade. 1t is a hopeful
sign of the increasing reasonableness
of nations that they do fnd many
questions which, if approached sanely,
can be settled without the exercising
of force. 1t is, applied to international
affairs, the same sensible attitude that
makes our cities safe dwelling places
very few realize that force is back of
law, but obey law without waiting for
the display of force. 1t is only the un-
developed, backward people who learn
to respect law by compulsion.
This thought says nothing against
righteous warfare and self-respecting
strife; for an appeal to force is abso-
lutely necessary at times to protect
ourselves, our property, our kinsmen
and our nation against dangerous at
tacks. But in life everywhere is dis
appearing the bullying tendency and
the boastfuluess in mere strength, in
which direction we of America have
something yet to learn, for some of us
speak as though our greatness justified
us in overriding opposition.
1t is easy to talk courage to others
in the words of proverbs that roll
smoothly from the tongue, and one of
these well worn epitomies of human
experience is this "While there is
life, there is hope" This CHEEKY bit
of philosophy could never have been
| written among those who declare that
mans life here is simply the working
out of fate over which he himself has
very little control. That view of life
leaves little hope, and makes us seem
like chips on current, swept and toss
ed irresistibly towards the end.
But we who stand in this world and
do things, deny absolutely that chip
swept on the current is at all simile
of life. Such an insensate victim of
the rivers force has no life. 1t knows
no growth, while life is growth We
who hope because we live, agree with
all who regar life as mystery-its
origin is mysterious and its persistency
is equally wonderful. But we who
hope choose rather to find the simile
of human life in the plants that grow.
While there is life in plant, it can
draw from the unliving substances of
the ground or from the slime of the
swamp, or from the unconscious air,
elements that it forces into its own be-
ing and transforms so that the leaves
and the flowers do not at all resem BILE
the elements (perhaps we might call
them circumstances, by giving the
word its original meaningl from which
they were made.
The plant, however, is not a com
plete simile, for in itself there is little
room for adjustment to circumstances,
and the flow of its sap and the form
and style of its leaf can be understood
in advance of their very being. But
we've who in our bodies work out
the human model aud therefore res
emble each other in the details of our
physical result-measure infinitely
above the plants, because while there