The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-22


ecy. He grumbled when he sat upon
the hillside overlooking the city. He
grumblel when the gourd was taken
away. lie would have grumhled If the
leafy sunShade had remained open. just
as he grllmbled when it Witheret away.
In other words. Jonah was grumbling
with his surroundings, just as some OF
US are @run,hling with our surround
ings merely because we are not will
ing to obey Gods commandments.
When you and I get out OF touch with
God every flower we see will become
weed. and every living creature that
flies about uS will be Il hornet thrust
ing a sting. and every sunbeam VIII
have a blasting heat. and every wind
will be a sirocco kissing and moaning
over Il desert of sand. Jonah was not
angry with the withered leaf. He was
not angry with his own obstinate, Sin
full, selfish self. He was out of tune
with the divine nature. and therefore
he was out of harmony with everybo1s
and everything.
Oat Of HARMONY
My friend. you know exactly whAt
am driving at You know when you
get out of harmony with siod every
thing that is about you irrtateS you
Why, only last week you had an illus
tration of this fact. Ihe supper was
ended. You were in the midst of the
children's frolic and fun. No one was
having a happier time than yourself.
Suddenly the doorbeli rang. An old
friend came in and said: Harry, ]
have q fine financial scheme. Ii you
will go in with me-, Te can make $1,000
apiece" But, Charlie you say, lis
that square," "BoSh.'' answers your
friend. Business is not made up OF
Sunday school ideals. If we do not do
this, some other fellow Will. We'll,
you answer, "all right; go ahead. !
will stand by you Your friend hur-
ries out of the house saying: "All rignt.
Goodby. | must clinch the bargain.
He is gone i'll fash. You went back
to the sitting room. Everything was
now different The frolic was now dis
corlant to your nerves. You took out
your watch and snapped it shut ano
said sharply: Children, stop that rack
ct. 1t is time to go to bed" Your wife
said something, and you answered her
Grossly All night long you tossed and
tumbled. or when you did sleep it was
troubled sleep.
The next morning when you arose
the sun was shining just as brightly rs
ever for others, but not for you. There
was a dense fog around you. The
breakfast left bad taste in your
mouth When You got into the car You
yrumbled because ii fat man had the
! impudence TO sit down beside you and
did not give you room enough to
| stretch out your elbows. When you
entered the store you began to find
| fault right and left Nothing seemed to
please you. Everything seemed to rul
you the wrong way. Oh the employ
ees whispered. better look out today
The wind is from the east. The governor
| is on the warpath." And this condition
went on for days What was the mat
ter with YOU. my brother! Why was
! everything wrong in the home and Oh
the street car and IN the store: Why
were the blue heavens black for you
Need tell you why? You know. Goo
4 told you to go to Nineyeh, and yol
| went to Tarshish. God showed you {
plain. simple Christian duty, and yor
refused to do it.
How to Get Right.
My brother, do you want to see th'
sun shine again? Do you want to as
ISOLATE with loving. gentle, kind PEG
pie? Would you have your pathWa,
strewn with flowers and your HEAVIER
melodious with songs? Then get RICH
| with God Get right with your bette
and truer self Undo at once TIT
wrongs you have done your neighbors
When the Russian engineers were plan
ming the railroad line between st. Pc
tersburg aud Moscow, for personal AM
selfish reasons they planned to max
the track bend this way and that
When they brought their plans 10 En-
peror Nicholas, he looked at them
moment. Then he laid a ruler upol
the map and drew a straight line be
tween the two cities as he answered
"You will construct the line So" Thu
God draws for us straight line o
duty, and until we are willing to 70
low that straight line of our own az
cord we will never be in harmony wit
the divine will.
But we must not halt here. Jonah
anger stands as the symbol of til
small souIed Christian that we Sc
sometimes on throne or In a bishop
chair. who says: IF the world cannt
be saved through me, then shall {
all In my power to destroy It, If cal
not make all Christians surround m
chancel or study my catechism or Ii
ten to my preaching, then will do e.
erything in my power to debar thel
from entering any other church {
. studying any other catechism Or lister
Ing to any other preaching. What W
, want In religious work is Il gre;
church trust. And the man whom W
want at the head of that great churc
i trust Is man of our own denomin
ton or selection In other words, II
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