The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1906-11-08
SATURDAY
NIGHT TALKS
By F. e. Dawson Rutland Vt.
HOW CHARACTER rs TRIED.
Nov. II, 'o6-(Matt. 2e:36-50.) E.

There is a Gethsemane in the
pathway Of every man. He may be
conscious of it, or ignorant Of It; he
may try to prepare for 1t, or put 1t
out of his mind; he may meet 1t
sarly; or he may meet 1t late, but
| sooner Or later he will walk down
| into its shadow of death, and sweat
| blood. All mankind is divided into
| these two classes, those that have
been in Gethsemane, and those who
are going there There is no escape
from this experience: Jesus Christ
| the worlds redeemer, could not
! avoid it. The brightest and the best
as well as the dullest and the worst
| march through those grim portals,
| solitary and alone. Death Is only a
circumstance compared with that,
when one has drank the cup Of the
| garden the quintessence of bitter
ness has been drained. Henceforth
they are marked men. Whether one
drinks that cup for his own sins, or
| for the sins of others, the effect Is
always the same:
|, That Is superficial view IF life
which looks upon greatness as ex-
eIpted from suffering, and which
regards tears as an evidence of
| weakness. The greatest men the
| world has ever known have been
| the most tender-hearted and human.
Greatness does not consist In st61cal
Indifference to suffering. Was
Washington weak when he knelt in
the SHOWS of Valley Forge and
| prayed for the assistance of the God
of Battles? Was Lincoln weak when
House and wrestled for victory for
the Boys in Blue? Was William 3.
Gladstone, Prime Minister of Eng
land, weak when he knelt by the
side of crossing sweeper to COM
mend his soul to God? Was Jesus
Christ weak when the weight 6f ths
worlds woe crushed Him to the
earth and He "sweat as it were great
drops of blood?" If they were, then
| weakness Is the most magnificent
characteristic of the human race, the
thing which above all others differ
entiates man from the brute crea-
ton, and allies him to the angels.
Gethsemane may be bitter, but 1t
Is the crowning development Of
character. 1t is the wine press. 1t is
the crucible. 1t is the threshing-
floor. Ralph Connor in the "Sky
Pilot" gives an illustration of the
utility Of Gethsemane In human life:
Nature came to the prairie and de-
manded flowers Of her. And the next
year, crocuses and roses and wild
sunflowers grew, but nature looked
in vain for the columbine, the elena
tbs, and the sweet viOlets, and when
told that the wind was too rough,
and the sun was too hot for such
delicate blossoms. Then nature
commanded, and the lightning cleft
the rock with one swift stroke, and
into the deep, Jagged wound river
flowed, bearing rich black mold.
Then the birds dropped the seeds,
and in the canyon there sprang up
mosses and FERNS, Ind 10, the eelum-
bine, the clematis and the sweet vio-
lets, the favorites of nature.
Many a life is like that There Is
broad expanse of character, but few
flowers. Ruggedness there is, but no
fragrance. Then; Suddenly lightning
flashes, jagged canyons appear, cata-
clysms of upheaval take place, and
when the storm has spent Its fury
and is passed, instead of dead level
experience, however grand, the deep
valleys are filled with richer soil,
and the fragrance of flowers fills the
life.
People who have had things their
own way are not the most agreeable
people. In many cases they are
proud, conceited, naughty. No one
goes to them for sympathy and con-
dolence in the hour Of trial, they
have no knowledge of the balm for
wounds. But not so, those who have
passed through the portals of Geth-
semane. They know how to minis
ter to a mind diseased" They have
a look in their eyes that begets con-
fidence. They have grasp of the
hand that puts inspiration into the
discouraged. For them to say, II
know just how you feel, have been
there myself" puts hope into the
hopeless. "One touch of nature
makes the whole world kim"
When Christian, in Pilgrims
Progress, was passing through the
Valley Of the Shadow of Death, over
powered with the darkness, fright
ened by the hobgoblins which leered
and chartered around him, almost
ready to sink down into despair, he
heard the voice of Hopeful sounding
in the pathway on before him, and
cheered by the ringing assurance of
that fellowtraveller he plucked up
heart Of courage, and soon was
walking in the light. Thus 1t Is in
life, that those who have passed
through deep and agonizing expert
ences of suffering are by that very
fact ordained to the high priesthood
of help.
Let not the dread of Gethsemane
garden shadow the life with gloom.
Troubles always have alleviation.
Though the Son of Man drank there
a cup of trembling such as was never
pressed to human lips, before or
since, It should not be forgotten that
the heavenly visitants flew to his
relief in the midnight. and He was
sustained by a full chalice of the
L ~