Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-07-08

guise.
Gustaf Johnson was married to
Johanna Hokanson in the spring of
1858 in Chisago county, and accom-
panied by his wife came to Kandi-
yohi in the early summer of 1858,
making the trip with an OK team.
At the time Of the Indian massacre,
after a great deal of persuasion on
the part of his neighbor,, johnson
reluctantly took their advice and
left for Chisago county, but re-
turned in 1866. johnson always
treated the Indians properly and
was by them regarded as a ''good
white man, and possibly the marks
made by the Indians upon a piece
Of paper fastened to the door of
Johnsons' house gave this notice to
the warriors Of the plains: Here
in dwells family whose lives must
be spared.' Be it known that the
johnson house was not disturbed by
the warriors. Who will venture
to say that those red men did not
remember previous kindly treat
ment received at the johnson home?
Johnson's family consisted Of
nine children, eight of whom are
living. His estimable wife pre-
coded him in death nearly nine
years ago.
Having enjoyed the acquaintance
Of these early pioneers who now be-
long to a by-gone past. l think it
proper to add a thought on the life
of the spirit, which l have a rea-
son to believe was participated in
by these earth's noblemen to whose
memory l am asked to jot down my
humble remarks.
When the life of the spirit il
mentioned, some people draw bach
with distrust as from the intang.
ible and the unknown. If mar
says to a company of people
Come out upon the sea-" ther,
are those who will say: 81 am
afraid of the sea; l would rather
trust the land.' Or if man says: :
Come on journey into the uppe,
air." many people will say: 81
fear the air; ! prefer to journey on
land or sea. When you explore the
upper air, leave me on the earth. >"
1t is just the same way, when we
are urged to make the venture into
the life of the spirit, there are
many who feel that they can trust
what they can see and handle; but
they fear the unseen, they distrust
the intangible, they shrink from
their own emotions.
But is the life of the spirit lived
in land of unhealthy? Have we
reason for distrust in the guide
that would lead US there? The Wis
ible world and the invisible world
are all about us and within US. By
the choices which we are ever max
ing. we move toward the one or the
other. Men sometimes say: 81
have no spiritual discrimination,
but | do believe in an honest life. !"
But there is no finer spiritual choice
than that which is made by the
man who chooses honesty above ma
terial gain. What kind Of thing is
honesty, and where is it found? It
cannot be weighed or handled; it
is intangible and invisible. It is
rooted in the invisible world with
the life of the spirit.
The man who with all his heart
follows integrity as a reality, is a
man of spiritual discrimination; he
is living the life Of the spirit.
Can human life attain the spirit
ual life? 1t cannot escape it. We
exist in the present moment, inf
nitely brief, and we are ever liv-
ing for, acting for the future, i'm
mediate or remote. The future is
unseen and uncertain; but our COM
monest activity is meaningless
without it. Do we feel that our
own feet are planted on the good
solid foundation of the visible
earth? But we are held to the
earth by the invisible power Of gra-
vitation. We are absolutely de-
pendent on the unseen in more
ways than we can enumerate. Life
is continually training US in the ex.