The Monmouth inquirer., 1906-09-27

I
help his nelghtor than when he is in
the mountains. The valleys are the
places where man TOO often lives for
himself. The wild mountains are the
places where man lives for others. If
you are in trouble in the high hills you
can always go to the first man you
meet and he will help you ont of that
difficulty If it is possible for him so
10 do. There everybody is honest.
There everybody tries to help Others.
We had our goods carried up into
the hills by a teamster. Where did
he leave them? By the public road
side. There they lay hour after hour
unlocked. Scores and hundreds of peo-
J. - passed them, and no one touched
m,sn. They have four legged thieves
~ the mountains. The wild cattle viii
. one and steal your grain, but there
are no two legged thieves In the noun
tains called men. There every one is
honest ''If you want anything from
town just give the money to the first
man you find going there" said gen
tleman to me- TELL him what you
want and he will get 1t for you and
bring you back the right change" /
tested this honesty of the mountaineer
again and again and never found ii to
fail. Then the kindnesses of the peo-
pie! Oh, how kind they are. If you
have sick horse, as l had. they Will
hitch up their horse and bring you
your goods. IL you are hungry you
can find food at their tables. If they
have only one loaf Of bread they are
always willing to give you half Kind
ness, kindness. kindness. brotherly and
sisterly kindnesses are to be found ey-
erywhere in the mountains. Oh, why
do we not learn to help each other In
the valleys and lowlands, as the noun
taineer is always willing to help his
neighbor among the hillsf Yes, in the
secret place of thunder man not only
learns to love the Lord his God with
all his heart and soul and mind, but he
also learns to love and to help his
nelghbor as he would his own child.
But there is still another fact about
these mountains that l would have
you bear well ip mind. Gods secret
place of thunder Is not circumscribed.
There are many secret places of thun-
der. Just as mountains seem to over
top mountains. so for man there should
always be higher secret places of thun-
der, to which he should always be
striving to 60 This fact also Is most
beautifully illustrated among the hills.
While l was on my way tramping
looked up and saw where storm was
raging In Little Bear valley. "Oh," |
said to myself, IF could only climb
up there and sit by the cradle of that
STORM" Time passed on. and | Was
able to climb up to where the storm
was born I'VE had an awful electric
storm here a few days ago." said
lady to me after | had climbed into
Pioneer camp did you see it in the
valley below?' YES" &ewered;
1--WE saw it." Then l was In secret
pIce of thunder. Then | went to OBJ
seryation point, at Skyiand. and looked
off upon the valley. How far below
me that valley appeared! Far, far be-
low / could see the trees laid out In
rows. | could see the ranch houses
dotting the horizon here and there. |
could see the cities and villages
through which we had passed. Then,
from watching the earth under my
feet, I began to look up. | saw the
greater mountain peaks rising just as
high above me as the valley was be-
low. There were mighty Grayback
and San Jacinto peak and old Cuca-
monga. There they lifted their snow
capped heights thousands upon thou
sands of feet higher than / was. Then
/ said, as 1 saw the valleys below and
the mountain heights above, There
are secret places of thunder where
God talks to US near to the Valleys
But the Christian who stays In one
secret place of thunder must surely die
in a spiritual sense. Higher than his
present spiritual life he must see VI
sions God keeps saying to him al
ways this one sentence: Child. climb.
keep climbing higher and higher into
the spiritual realms. Way off among
the cloudlands of the mountains
have for thee other secret places of
thunder, where thou canSf commune
with me. Thou must climb and keep
on climbing until at last thou shalt
dwell with me in the eternal secret
places of heaven" AS one Of Gods
chosen ones are you continuing to
climb higher and higher into his spir-
ituaI realms?
The Beautiful valleys.
And oh, how beautiful the valleys
look after we have dwelt for little
while among the hills. A man as
rule cannot appreciate the lowlands
and the valleys when he Is climbing up
the mountain sides. Then his breath
comes quick and short. Then he. like
Bunyan's hero. Christian. is tugging at
his load He stops every little while
to put his mouth to the waters to
queneh his thirst, for his lips &e fever
ish and his brow is an overheated fore
head. But after he has climbed the
mountains and rested his tired limbs
among the cool shades of the trees and
slept for little while upon the softest
Of courhes made I'D of pine needles