Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-12-13

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PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED.

By Henry A. Cope.

BY Henry a. cope.
For l was envious at the foolish
when l saw the prosperity of the
wicked.'-Ps. lXxiii., 3.
Some saints have lost q lot of sleep
worrying over the prosperity of the
wicked and some sinners have made
themselves ridiculous boasting over
their immunity from adversely. 1t has
seemed strange to the saints that the
Omnipotent, who hates sin, should al
low so many of the good things of this
world to fall into the hands of the I'M
worthy; if they had a chance they
could tell where they would be much
better bestowed.
1t is true that there are many bad
men who have plenty of money, lands,
and other possessions it is true that
there are many thoroughly good men
and women who do not have even as
much as they seem to need. But it also
is true that the Snarling, clamorOus
voice of envy ever is ready to assert
hat a man must have sold his sou to
the evil Ii because he has secured
some measure Of success.
The saints are not all poor; the sim
ners are not all rich. Riches are not
at all an index to character or to
worth. The moral order of the universe
does not have to justify itself by the
precise and equitable division Of dol
lars. The Indictment of Providence on
account of the prosperity of the wicked
simply indicates the tendency of us all
to measure all things by the money
standard.
Who is the prosperous man? There
is a world of difference between being
personally prosperous and being the
nominal possessor of things hat are
prosperous in themselves. A poor kind
of Il man may W a rich farm and n
man may be rich in himself while get
ting his living off 4 poor farm or at
a poor job.
Prosperity must be measured by the
person and not by his possessions. We
answer the question, How much is a
man worth?' By quoting figures and
bank account. But we know we'll that
many a man said to be worth millions
is actually not worth 10 cents in him
self, is not in his OWL character add
ing one mite to the worlds wealth.
What are you, the real self, worth?
Is you life prosperous? Is your heart
getting richer? Are your sympathies
broadening. your ideas and hopes be-
coming worth more to you and to the
world? Even though you had all those
things which you envy others, would
not your prosperity still depend on
yourself? Can any other than your
self make you essentially either richer
or poorer?
This is not a plea for men to be con-
tent with poverty; to every man be-
longs that share of this worlds things
of himself in the world. Religion does
not mean the love of poverty o the
lazy spurning of lies duties and re-
wards. The charging and enriching
of this world Of things is the sacred
duty of every man.
But how foolish are we who judge
only by hat which is on the surface,
who talk about the injustice of a world
in which bad men can get SO many good
things INC fail to see that no a man
ever came in sight Of the real good of
anything, while no good nan can be
numbered from or deprived Of the en-
during and satisfying good Of life.
The man himself is the secret of
prosperity or adversely. He deter
mines whether his life shall be rich or
poor. Into the great game Of life no ele-
~,o- of oI,or1o at,tapS. . vun oro nD+ +Lo
puppets Of blind forces which in malig-
nant sport lift us up or toss us down ;
we will for ourselves whether we take
the good or lose it, whether we will
have heaven or let it go.
No man ever lived toward things
that are better, really sought the things
that are best, without enriching him
ties, and the deep, quick joys of life
ever had reason to envy the one who
had set his hea-. on things and thus
had bought them. .
The thing to be coveted is character.
The prosperity first to be sought is
that which is personal. The standard
by which to measure men and their
BuCSCSS ID q JIG Loudy 10 llOl
q sentence from Jesus or a thought
from Emerson worth more to us than
any check that can be signed on Wall
street?
Pity the prosperity of any to whom
life consists in the abundance of things
possessed. Poor, destitute, naked, such
a man walks among his palaces and
treasures; empty and soon forgotten
he goes from life. Rich indeed is he
who, though he have not where to lay
his head, sees the face of the infinite
Father. wins his brothers love, and to
whom belongs all the treasures of the
Kingdom of heaven now.
RELIGIOUS VALUE OF THINGS.
By Pleasant Hunter.
/ do set my bow in the cloud, and it
shall be for Il token of a covenant be-
tween me and the earth.-Genesis tx.
10.
Noah has just been promised that
the earth shall never again be de-
stroyed by a food. The promise is
sealed-the seal being the rainbow. A
common thing is thus made to serve
q religious purpose by associating a re-
ligious ideal Herewith.
There is a principle here which, APP
piled by man in the everyday work Of
life, would give that work a larger