River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-02-25

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H. Ml heart is heart
that feels the pres
sure of Gods goodness and lifts itself
up in praise and prayer.
1t is easy TO thank God for what we
have gained, and yet the loss is often
gain. You lost your wealth and gained
a submissive spirit. You lost your
health and gained a firmer grip on the
promise of God that "all things work
together for good You lost your
friend and gained a larger realization
of the friendship of God. Emerson said
of bright young man graduated at
Harvard, ''He lacks but one thing. If
he could lose his popularity with his
class, or some one would SANDER him,
or some great misfortune should come
into his life, it would make a man Of
him."
There is legend in England about
the sunken city of Is. Two or three
places are pointed out as the tradition
airy spot where the city during an
earthquake sunk out of sight. Tradi-
ton says that during a storm the
steeples of the churches can be seen
in the trough of the sea, and even dur
ing a calm the bells of the church
steeples still ring out, and they ring
the appropriate song or tune for each
day The sunken city still makes mu-
Sic Has your wealth sunk out Of
sight? Have things that you priced
gone out of view? If you have accept
ed it in the spirit of true Christian &C
quiescence there still comes music
from the sunken city of loss, and every
steeple that has gone beneath the
waves sends out harmonies of peace,
hope and joy.
Gain Through Loss.
A mother buried her little daughter,
the only child of the family A friend
called to see her a few days afterward
and found her smiling through her
tears. "Oh," she said, II think l under
stard it now. God has taken my little
girl in order that | might be the
mother of every little girl that walks
the streets" Thus, while there was
great loss, there has been the gain of a
larger sympathy, and it may be a
sweeter experience.
We thank God for all that he has
done for us. Old Jacob said, 'All these
things are against me" But, Jacob,
you were mistaken, the Lord was work
ing In way you did not know toward
your elevation, enrichment and joy.
When the Pilgrims at Plymouth were
fighting the cold, burying their dead,
watching against the Indians and, as
the old captain of the Mayfower said,
plenty of nothing but gospel" one Of
them might have said, What is the
use of all this suffering on a bleak
shore far from home? We may as wen
lie down and die" Little did they
know that God was making this repub-
lie through their sufferings and open
ing a land of liberty for the oppressed
of all nations
The Best Gift.
But after all, the very best thing
that God hath given us is himself. Dur
ing this year have we not entertained
the King? In one of the great stores
of Washington a few years ago tired
clerk, young lady, was called to wait
upon a well-dresSed lady with bunch
of violets on her coat. Instinctively
she said, What sweet violets." Said
the well-dressed woman, who had for.
gotten about the violets she was wear
ing, "They are beautiful, but do you
not know that the violets are blooming
in the park?" The young lady replied,
Il am so tired and busy 1 really have
not the strength to go to the park, and
even on holidays 1 feel compelled to
stay at home to do work that needs to
be done" Said the lady, Il will give
you this bunch of violets.' Thank
you," said the other. Now, if / were
to come round after the closing hour
on Saturday afternoon with my car
riage would you ride with me through
the park?" The girl was much embar-
raised and said, Il am not used to
that" But l will call for you at four
o'clock on Saturday afternoon and we
will take a ride together through the
park" and what was her delight to
find that the lady was Rose Cleveland,
the sister of the president. That was
better than the bunch of violets. And
so the Lord Jesus gives us not simply
the bunch of violets of his love and
blessing, but he gives us his own pres
ence, and his presence brings more joy
and peace with it than anything else.
We will thank God for all we expect.
We may gain or lose, but if we have
taken Jesus Christ as our Saviour we
shall never lose him, and that cloud in
the distance that seems black will be
like a picture in an art gallery of Eu-
rope. 1t is a great, dark frowning pic
ture until you get close to it, and then
you find that every cloud is an angry
face. My friend, as sure as you trust
God, the cloud that hangs over the flu
ture you will find to be be full of bless
ing.
FiIlino Our Place.