The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-06-03
MERIT WILL TRIUMPH
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come, just as the evils of the past
nave been overcome, for truth is on
the march. Gigantic trusts and mo-
nopolies will totter and fall. for they
are built on error. 1t is strange men
who would not think of putting in
defective foundation to their houses.
knowing that they must fall, will
build their characters on foundations
OF deceit and instability. Error,
wherever 1t is, will give way. Even
the wickew belle it. The dishonest
carpenter puts poor work into his
building, knowing that the work will
then not endure as long as good work,
but, trusting that he will be some
where else when the error manifests
itself. A carpenter may get away
from the house which he has built,
but no man can flee from his own
character. Wicked men do not expect
to be always wicked. They talk about
time coming when they shall turn
from the error Of their ways into the
path of truth. If they believed in the
triumph of error they would have no
thought of ever changing. There will
be sure triumph for merit, for it is
based on truth and truth certainly
will conquer.
Natures victories ere victories
OF real merit. Think what it would
mean for the world today If, instead
OF winning her victories by merit,
would copy the methods of noted men
and begin to play sly tricks with us
to win our admiration. What if,
when we came to pluck the flower, it
would fall to pieces? What If, when
We sought to gather our golden grains
of corn, we found we had simply emp
ty ears? What If, when we sought
to rest our house upon sure founda-
ton, the earth evaded US and glided
to one side? Such condition of af-
fairs Is, of course, imaginable, for
nature is truthful and wins its VIC
tories by merit. 1t would be an awful
crime for nature to do this. but Some
day men will come to understand that
1t Is just as much of a course for a
man to try and win favor by an out
ward smile when within all is decay,
as for the rose to deceive man; Just
as much of course for men to pre-
tend to great wisdom and set them
selves up as leaders of thought in a
community when they are empty, as
for the ear of corn to lie to man;
I just as much Of crime to offer men
advice In the conduct of their affairs,
and get them to trust them, and then
take all the have. as for the earth
to move to one side when it has prom
Used resting place for our homes.
Nature could not do these things If she
would. Man will come to understand
after while that he cannot triumph
by evil practices, for there will be a
Sure Triumph of Merit
| Nature cannot do this, for there
is God controlling nature. Nature
would be fighting against God if she
deceived man. Winning her victories
by merit she has God on her side.
All, here we have the great reason
why merit will triumph. God is on
the side of merit; God is on the side
of truth. Every time merit wins it
is victory for God, and every time
merit wins it is victory for the
evil one. My young friends, if l could
only press this thought home to you
l am sure that you would always
array yourselves on the side of truth,
for l know you believe the words of
our text: If God be for us, who can
he against us?'
THE triumph of merit comes
through willingness to take the posi-
ton to which the world assigns us,
until 1t says, Friend, come up higher.
The triumph of merit comes also
from not hesitating at any sacrifice,
when it is to be made for the cause of
right Sacrifice OF money must often
be made by those who would know of
the sure triumph of merit. Emerson
speaks truly when he says, Loss of
faith and an acceptance Of the Iucra-
tive standard will be marked in the
pause or solstice of genius, the Sc
quent retrogression and the inevita-
bic loss of attraction to other minds.
Men say, Merit is SO slow in being
recognized. / cannot wait for my
merit to become known; l must pro-
claim it, The very fact it is SO slow
in being recognized makes it's tri-
umph more certain. A mushroom
grows up in a night, but it takes an
elm years to knit its fibers. The
mushroom passes away, but the elm
stands for century, winning more
admirations as the years go by.
| 1t is a great blessing to man that
merit is SO slow in being recognized,
for in this period it can be preparing
itself. Merit is left alone with God
during these years. Paul says, If
God be for us, who can be against
u.s.? He suggests here that there are
many times when we stand alone with
God. He was true in his experience.
Left alone prisoner he often had no
one beside him but God. Those were
the very hours in which he gathered
the most strength. Fortunate they
who are left alone with God. For
tunate the young man who can be left
to prepare himself for his work, I'M
hampered by praise or blame. but with
the consciousness that God is with
him. Fortunate the young lady who
can withdraw, from society and work
alone with God until she has pre-
pared herself for her life work. How
sad to think that Mozart was dragged
before the public at the age of six
years. Why could not that father
wait Gods time? Surely if he had
done so the great musician would not
have found himself nervous wreck
at thirty-two and at DEATHS door at
thirty-five. How different the life OF
Hayden. who spent the first twenty
eight years of his life in seclusion,
alone with sometimes not enough to
supply the necessities of life. This
was Gods method OF training the man
who was to picture the wonders of
his creation in music. God led him
On from strength to strength and, at
the age of which Beethoven was dy-
ing of dropsy, he was doing his best