Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-03-31
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! SATURDAY NIGHT TALKS
/ What the Sheep Teach Us.
\ BY f. E. DAWSON.
April 2, 'O5.-Gohn 10:7-1S.)

BY f. L. DAWSON.
April 2, 'O5.-lJohn 1O:7-1S.O

Oriental lands are entirely different
ing lands of the far west, or the
Grampian hills of Scotland, or the
rugged mountains of Switzerland, or
the vast uplands of Australia, or the
historic fields of Palestine, there is
something peculiarly attractive and
romantic about the business.
David was a shepherd, and in his
psalms is heard the bleating of his
fathers sheep. The Ettrick shepherd
got his wonderful poetic inspiration
during the ten years in which he was
watching flocks of Laidlaw. The shep-
herd and his sheep is a favorite fig
ure of the Bible. Christ calls himself
the Good Shepherd. There is almost
infinite sugg%estiveness in the theme of
the shepherd and the sheep as the
Chief Shepherd applies it to men and
women
For instance, the most of us prefer
being led rather than driven. There
is something in every man that rebels
at the crack of the whip. To be per-
emptorily ordered about, goes against
the grain of any man who is not COM
pletely cowed into subsection. There
are some races which seem to accept
servitude and adapt themselves to
being mastered by others, but Ameri.
cans do not belong to that class.
Arbitrary treatment sours us. Com
x,,11t@. ,o~1y1Oa 10 49, hrnnGfc XNn
will refuse to pay the stamp tax,
throw the tea into the harbor, and
take the consequences. We a be
allured, cajoled, loved into almost any
course of action, hut if any one says
you shalt" we instantly bristle all
over with rebellion. That is human
nature The race was created with
that disposition. The first wrong do
ing was precipitated on account of the
prohibitory law of the Garden of Eden.
What mattered it that there was an
orchard-full of ripe fruit from which
to select so long as one tree was for
hidden. The officer who says go and
capture that battery" may or may
not be obeyed. But the officer who
says Come on, boys!" will find his
men crowding upon his heels, ana
they will climb over the muzzles of
Of their commander.
And then again we prefer a good
pasture to a poor one. In New Eng
land 1t seems to be taken for granted
hat because a sleeps nose is sharp,
nature intended it to browse among
the scanty heritage Of a stone-covered
field. so that if there is a piece of
ground in the farm that no other
creature can live on, it Is turned into
a sheep pasture.
How many a man has had to feed
his mental, moral and spiritual ma
ture on the short commons, because
Of his inability to secure the best pas
turage for which he was created. The
world is full of illustrious examples
of men and women who made the
most desperate efforts against intel
lectual starvation and never knew
what it was to be fulfilled. They be
came famous because, with pine knots
and tallow dips they found their way
out of the desert to which the world
had doomed them into fresh fields
and pastures new" where they found
nutritious food at last.
Sheen have = right IN evnect food
and ca have mon The Good Shenherd
coid n the under whom
no loft in oborqo "Feed NV sheen,'
II would seem as though some of
them understood him to say. Stone
nv sheen" or SHEAR my sheep" in
stead of Feed NV sheen" An old
preacher once said. 'I have learned
something about feeding sheep. and
esnociallv lambs. that has helped me
much in dealing with men. Here is
a good rule for both: GIVE il to tr7m
often. a little at a time. and warm
All kinds of mental pabulum received
that way is conducive to growth and
development.
And then again we al want life
abundantlv. Life is something more