Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-11-10

that the woodman passing the night in
tho forest may have a soft couch to
sleep upon Mt the foot OF some giant
oak. The sullcn blizzard, sulking be-
hind an arctic iceberg, may decide to
make spring journey back to the
place where It had tried in vain to bat.
ter down the doors Of summer cot
tage during the past winter months
and in ono night destroy all the sprout-
ing leaves. A forest fire may allow
the flames to feed upon the tender foil
age which has been exposed by nature
for few weeks to be colored by the
Hight of the sun. Some men in their
youth or in strong middle age in full
health may be struck down by some
accident or contagious disease as quick
ly az n soldier upon battlefield may
have bullet pierce his heart and in
stantly drop dead. And some men may
instantly exter1ninate their lives by the
evil effects Of sin.
Man Dies ms the Leaf.
But. after all, most leaves do not Gle
sudden death. They live on through
the spring. They live on through the
summer. They live until the cold Of
oncoming winter makes dormant the
wonderful forces which give life to the
tree They die as gradually as the
summer days slip into the fall days;
as gradually as the ebbng tide, each
wave of which is q little lower down
the beach than the preceding wave; as
| gradually as the twilight slowly grows
DINNER; as gradually as the echoes in
the mountain ravine become softer and
softer. Man dies as the leaf, gradual
| ly. 1t is sickness after sickness. It
Is fewer walks, less work. less physical
energy. 1t Is q gradual beuumbmeut
Of the mental and physical faculties.
You know you are not as strong as
you used TO be. What is the matter7
We are all fading away as the leaf, "a
the autumnal leaf.
But this autumn day, as the leaves
are everywhere failing from the trees.
| know God has n purpose in their
death as well as in their life. one rea-
son why God every fall strips the trees
Of their leaves Is that the next year
the forests may be robed with another
covering OF green. And ono reason
/ WHY God makes one generation Of hui
man beings pass away from earth IS
that another generation may be born
and live and have the opportunity to
do the work which is necessary for
them TO do and then pass on to the
eternal life beyond the grave, rs past
generations have done and as we must
Go.
Did you ever stop to consider from
an earthly standpoint the blessings OF
death as well as the blessings of life7
Every year in order to make the fruit
trees and vineyards bear well the
farmer with his pruning hook has to
go among them and ruthessly destroy
hundreds Of buds In order that the
other buds may have enough nourish-
ment TO grow and do their work In
order that the human race may be
strong and physically we'll God has to
keep his pruning hook busy or else
this old earth would soon be over
populated, and there would not be
room for man to live by the side of
man. $50 great are the possibilities
of growth" said the old sage, Benja-
min Franklin, that the productivencss
OF the vegetable and animal life is In
conceivable and almost without limit"
BY the Malthusian doctrine we learn
that II death did not destroy one gen
Grafton almost as soon as it was born
the world would soon be an impossible
place for human residence. BY that
Malthusian doctrine If there was no
death the human race would double
itself every twenty-five years. In the
United States there are today over
10000. 900 people In twenty five years
from now there would be 40 900 600
In fifty years from now there would
be S0,000O0O people. In seventy five
years from now there would be $780,
600 900 and in a hundred years 1.12o,-
100000 people. Thus the race would
keep on doubling and rebuilding until
mt last man rs a cannibal might be
driven to feed upon man, as the earth,
with all its productiveness. would be
Incapable ultimately of supporting
such multitudes.
Span of Life Is short.
The span of human life on earth Is
very short yet like that Of the leaf
God does not permit mans life, short