Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-05-05
SNAKES
AND WILD HONEY.
!. We Find What We Look For. !.
-.s..t. .i-.t.s'
Observation-Disclosures.

man he knew In upper Georgia Cor
perhaps 1t was In the edge of the
Tar Heel State) who had killed in
his time a great many snakes--''a
wagon body full Of them," was the
way my friend put 1t. He was great
on snakes, this hardy mountaineer.
But, continuing, my friend, who was
something OF philosopher, said,
81 never heard of him finding a bee
tree"
In the woods where this man
found his snakes there were bee
trees galore, and lots OF wild honey.
But he was looking "or snakes and
not for honey. He found what he
was looking for We all do mostly.
We would not see near so much
trouble If we did not look for it.
Now you may say that the man
who found and killed those snakes
was more Of a public benefactor than
he would have been prospecting for
the hidden treasure of truant bees.
The point is, however, that he found
what he was looking for. At the
roots Of tree where these sweet lit
tie carpenters had built their house
the snake hunter killed rattle
snakes pilot; but he never heard
the hum Of the bees, nor caught the
scent Of the honey. To find bees
and honey you must look up; to see
snakes you must look down. We
do not look up enough. 81 will look
unto the hills" said one who was
wise and strong. Wisdom and
strength, beauty and health are the
blessings of those who look up. The
good, the true and beautiful are all
around us, and he who has eyes to
see may see them. There Is also
the evil, the false and the deformed
about us, and IL we will we can see
these all the time.
Some people are always looking
for the bad in people and things.
The country is going to the bad; the
churches are all dead; every man
has his price; all Of the good times
were in the past. and all the good
people (eXcept themselves) are in
their graves. Once | visited man
who talked like this. He was a
Christian--in fact he was seriously
thinking Of coming out of the church
because 1.-The churches were all
dead He read his Bible; he talk
ed great deal about religion; he
professed to be dwelling in a spirit
ual atmosphere far above the ordi-
nary Christian. But this good man
was most keenly sensitive to the
faults and faiings Of his fellow-man
The church to which he belonged had
large membership, but there was
not score of spiritual people in it,"
! was glad that i knew Christ for
myself, and that | had religion be-
fore met this snake hunter, for
there was nothing in his character to
remind one of the Meek and Lowly
one, or to make one desire the re-
ligion he professed to have.
In the same neighborhood. and in
the same people where the snake
hu.ter found so much to condemn,
we saw much that was good, and
pure, and beautiful. Tho church
seemed to have good deal OF zeal
for the lost and OF love for its
Lord--not near a dead church. The
people had their shortcomings, but
they also had their virtues. Holi-
ness that makes one critical, GEN.
serious, fault-fnding and impatient
with those who do not agree with
them is not that holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord. ;"
1t is the kind the Pharisee had, who
thanked God he was not as other
men. The Christian should sing
with Pippa: Gods IT, His Heaven;
AIS right with the world" Listen
to the banished duke in the forest of
Arden: 81 find tongues in trees,
books in the running brooks, SER
mons in stones and good in eIerv-
thing Let us all join the Sun
shine band. We can belong to it
and continue to fight evil and con-
tend tor the right. There are enough
people already TO talk things down:
we should talk things up. Tell the
good things 'obuut your church,
your preacher, your Sunday school,
your friends and neighbors.
The devil will attend TO the other
side He is a great advertiser also.
but he has too much sense to adver-
tise the good side of things That
would be bad policy from the devils
standpoint. When we talk about the
churches being dead, and cannot be
pleased with the preachers, we be-
come press agents for old Harry.
which pleases him we'll. Life is too
short TO be looking for snakes, and
poisonous scorpions, and ctilly
things. We must look up for he
honey, for the beauties Of natu e,
and up to natures God. and exclaim
with the poet:
Tis pleasant to wander away by
the stream.
And muse on Gods infinite grace,
And see in each object of nature His
love
In preparing this beautiful place"
l. RuSSpll \Vripbt