The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-09

had tried to teach me to fly as yours taught you Take me up in your claws. Lift me higher and higher until the earth is far beneath. Then let me go, and I will use my webbed rect Tor Wins s' And as I now can paddle through the waters so will I soar through the ar.
 So the eagle, to please the turtle, LOOK him at his word. He clutched the turtle in his claws. Then the mighty wings be- gan to vibrate. Higher and higher they rose. Shall let you go now, mud tur- tle?' May. nay!" answered the mud turtle Lift me higher. The higher | go the easier it will be for me to fly. High CT and higher they went, higher ana higher, until at last the eagle loosened his hold. At once the mud turtle though he tried to flap his. webbed feet like an eagles wings, fell to the earth like a Iump of lead His shell was crushed upon the rocks below. How many are like the poor mud turtle and think that 1T
 we can only be lifted far up into the heavens with our poor webbed rect we will be able to fly. Pray God today that when he gives to you a position of in- nuence he will give you, too, the mental and physical and spiritual capacity to Ill it acceptably .
 The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet breaI to the wise, nor riches to men or understanding, nor yet favor to men or skill But rather, far rather, be pig man in too small place than sniaii man i'll too big place. The noted musl- elan who has to sit hour after hour teach ing A little schoolgirl the rudlments or music and how to thrum the scales must fret and groan. The greatest Of English orators. like Edmurd Burke, or the nob- lest of English writers, like John Milton. must have had many bitter hour when f.-fA +n1a q the popular applause and occupying the highest governmental positions which were denied them. But better to be the great orator who can charm only few listeners rather than the poor speaker who disappoints a large throng. Better
 be the inspired writer in small neg lected study, writing for the ages which are not yet born, rather than the lncom- petent statesman whose official pen Is piunging a nation into international strife and who Is bringing misery and woe and poverty and death to hundreds and thousands of innocent homes. when the Christian believer asks of God Tor a Christmas present a position Of earthly influence he should not ask Of him a place too small. Intentionally he should not desire to shirk work and responsi- bility. Neither should he ask of God place too big, a place too big, place which by brain and body and consecra- tion he is unable to fill. Then he may not only dishonor his Master, but disap- point all his earthly friends who love him and who would be proud of his success as they will greve at his failures.
 Temptations of Old Age.
 But as I go on making these Christmas requests there comes to me still another which we should all be willing to make. We should come to God and say: 70 God. give me these blessings if 1t be thy will. Then. I beseech thee, take away my position of influence as soon as l out live my influence for good or when am to meet temptation greater than l can bear" When l make this plea l espe- cially make it against the temptations of the forties and the fifties and the sixties and the seventies as well as the tempta- tions of the twenties and the thirties. It is easy enough to pray for help to guard against the temptations of youth. But who specially prays for help to guard against the temptations of middle and old age? Yet I for one always feel that the temptations of middle age and of old
 age are as great as if not greater than the temptations of the twenties.
 The young man has many restraints surrounding him which the older man has not The young mans finances are gem orally low. To go to destruction stylish ly and pay the way of your friends there