The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-07-25
The Brighter Side of Life,

~
All things were created by Him
Col, j., 16. ~
By Him all things consist.-Col., i.
II.
The teaching of these words is that
the world in which we are is God-made
and God d-cared-for. 1t Is thought that
should give very bright look to lifei
Granted there are harsh things here,
the drought, the cyclone, the earth.
quake. For q full understanding OF
these things we will have TO wait uudl
we pass into a higher room and haya
more light. ~
Meanwhile we should see that there
Is another side to life and that 1t I'D
much the larger side. There are more
sparkling springs in the earth than
Dalarial swamps; more flowers in the
fields than nettles; more song birds in
the trees than croaking ravens. ThP
world is full Of good we could have
gotten along without. There need not
have been anything like the variety
that there is in fruits, nuts and foods.a
There need not have been such profuse
beauty as there is in flowers, woods
and precious stones. There need not
have been such sweet sounds as come
from musical instrument, human voic6t
or birds song 1t isn't simply life, but
happy life, that has been provided for.
Ghe great thought Of nature Is not
how little will do, but how much can
be used. ~. ~
Even things which sometimes do
harm often do more good. Electricity
does much mischief. 1t strokes the
house and burns it to the ground. It
strikes the innocent inmates and pros
trates id death. But what is all this
compared with the good it does in puri-
flying the atmosphere, lighting our
streets, driving our cars and bringing
every part of the earth into close touch
with each other? Fire Is dangerous
and sometimes does much evil. It de-
stroys valuable property and causes
great loss of life. But from this same
thing we get almost infinite good.
Think of what it does for us In foundry
and factory, on railroad train and
steamboat. in place Of business and
place of living. Water also is danger
Gus and causes not little suffering. {
| 1t comes down in torrents and Injuries
the growing crop. 1t swells the stream
and breaks the dam, wrecking houses
| by the score and shifting in death by
the hundred. At the same time water
is one Of the greatest blessings that
we have. What is true Of these things
| is true of others. Under certain cir;
cumstances they do great harm. But
the good which they are capable OF
doing, and which every day finds them
doing, is far in excess of the harm.
Many ills of the material world have
already disappeared and others are
sure to 20. Manual labor is a much
easier thing than it was before labor.
saving machinery was invented. A.,
severe winter is nothing like what 1T
was before the coming Of the furnace
or steam heater. To be called to live
far away from those We love is not so
bad as it once was, now that We have
the fast mail and the long distance
telephone. The sick room has BEEN
made into different place from what;
IL used to be- comforts have greatly
multiplied and the physician is able
to restore to health in many instances
where he was once helpless. Such facts
ought to make it easy to believe that
we are in a world Christ-made and
Christ-cared-fol. The belief should do
great good. 1t should lead to the feel
ing that every spot of ground upon
which we tread is in the divine domain,
that during every moment of life wa
are in good hands.-Pleasant Hunter,
Pastor Fourth Presbyterian Church, in
the New York Sunday Herald.
The Time is Short.
Oh. my dear friends, you who are
| 1ettinr miserable misunderstanding