Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-02

Subject: "A YEAR WITH GOD" Numbers.
9:lo-23: 1910.
PRAYER.
Father, we have no words to tell the burden of
With trembling hearts we kneel to Thee. oh,
dost Thou hear and heed: 49,. 49,. r
We are so weak. we scarce dare look this New
but i am strong; and in My strength each
We are 80 worldly minded. and the tempter
But Ia / am N near! My child shall not be taken
We are so selfish. Father, and so often seek our
own!
4 gave thee all: my child. My Son once bore
We are 80 sinful. Father. and our hearts are
Il gave My Son. all pure. for thee. once and
We are 20 tempted. Lord. and rash. We think
rs it not written. I shall hear before My
Dear Father, Master take our hands! We lift
them unto Thee!
And lead US the unknown way; We Edo. do not
ask to see. Jennie iiis"n'
A New Year Message.
- OMETIMES after a year which
has been peculiarly difficult We
almost dread the coming OF
~ new year. which may bring
forth we know not what Of con-
tinued trouble We are so human that
we imagine dangers before we see them
and anticipate trials before they threaten.
One of the advantages and disadvantages
OF experience Is that it creates caution
and may create fear. Just as a singed
cat breads the fire and Is either fright
ened at a flame or prudently avoids it. 80
men, who after all have many feline
qualities, having met disaster in the past
become exceedingly wary. perhaps cow
ardly. Once hurt. they think the cause
of their hurt is always dangerous. just
as horse who has once been frightened
at a certain place in the road will al
ways hesitate and shy when he comes to
the place again, and II he Is a bad horse
will refuse to pass or try to run away
Now all this is wrong and unreasonable,
both in human affairs and in the expert
ences Of the years. Because one ship
meets with disaster is no proof that every
ship will meet with like fate. / remem-
Der my father once saying that the safest
time to travel on a railway was the day
after an accident, because the trainmen
had learned caution and all care would
be taken with especial vigilance. But
there is another reason, learned from
what the insurance men call the law of
averages. With pretty reasonable accuracy
the number Of accidents and catas-
trophies is calculated: and taking the
whole history of humanity-that is. civ
ilized humanity-there is the same num-
Der of ever recurring failures and sue
cesses one year pretty well balancing an
other. 1t is a wonderful truth. which
shows the regular working of the laws
of nature and proves the government of
the world to be in the hands of Being
Who controls and has divine system.
But there is better reason still why
we should not tremble at the troubles Of
the past lest they should be repeated.
God is before US as we'll as behind us.
He has the ordering Of the days to come
even as He had the ordering of the days
past, and He never places upon His chill
dren more than they can carry of either
trouble or joy. No matter how severe
days gone by have been, God was in the
midst of them; and in like manner lie
will be in the midst of the days to come.
No chance or fate rules the world and
the affairs of men. God grants freedom
to His children. but that freedom is re-
strcted by His wisdom, which will not
suffer human folly to obstruct His right