The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-03-23

western Sanitarium before March oV
| wouldn't be writing this now. ie-
l am coward. After my taking sucl
liberties as propose to take with th5
Elder l wouldn't want him to preac-
to me next Sunday. No l wouldn
He's got way of pointing his finge'
at you and pointing his words too' an
between the two, of them they get me
going. | have thought lots OF thing
that | considered it the better part %
valor never to say to the Elder l have
thought other things about him tha'
didn't say because he blushes easily.
and because two he's getting old an
we have got to keep some OF the gooa
things to put in his obituary. he
woulden't do that. Ill bet he'd preach
as good sermon about me today as be
would if he was preaching at my funer-
al--and nine chances to one there wouo-
en't be such an awful lot of good in il
about me in either case.
Yet, the Elder likes me. ! am TOT
as good as he would like to have me-
be, and he is to honest to tell anyon-
they are good when theyare not. / i
bet he'd like to taffy some people that
he likes. but he would consider any such
inclination the work of the devil and
would thrust it behind him.
The Elder makes his home here In
the Sanitarium and attends to the
spiritual needs of the house and com
munity. You see it is Seventh Day
Adventist community and that is the
Elders religion. Ever think much g.
bout the Seventh Day Adventis re-
ligion? | used to have notion that
they were lot of mentally weak re-
ligeous fanatics. Course | ought 10
have known better. having had an op-
portunity to study some good neigh
bors who belong to the faith. But,
most of my religion has been thrust
upon me. and these people are not OF
the thrusting kind. ! can't quite SUD-
scribe to good many things the
believe even now after living
with them upw ards of four months, but
l want to say that while l heard E;deu
Nettleton preach, nea-4y every, g. Il
day of that time, l never heard tn>>
sermon that didn't make me q better
man. Well? That's religion isn't 1t!
If il isn't religion it is at least christ
ianity.
Yes the Elder is great mana gre at
millions and millions OF people
will never know how great he is. he
has his weaknesses-Oh no, it makes
me chuckle to be able to tell the dear
old Elder that he has weaknesses.
bet hetis limiting at some OF mlne ne
never guessed | would be so mean as tc
retaliate. Hinting? Did ! say he was
"hinting at mine?" Him limiting
He never hints. When he was parad-
ing some of my weaknesses before the
whole congregation then, I'll bet, ne
never guessed how / was going to gel
more than even--how l would pull nm
up before 5, 900 or more strangers thai
isn't lie Elder, m counting four an'
one half readers 20 every subscribe
how | would pull him up and expose
his weaknesses and get even.
Overwork-ah ha, you WINGED diden
vou? Sort of had a notion didn ~ ~
that you could go on all your life lel'
turing others, and that that they'd new
er come back at you? Been soothing
vourself that it was the Master wcfA;
haven't you? Let's see. l suppose y7u
can find some text in the bible whese
the Master tells you it is all righi tc
60 on and commit suicide, providing sou
will use holy tools, can't you? Ihsre
there, don't frown. Idon't mean 70
hurt YOUR feelings. 1t strikes me ais
i. getting too personal--doesnt it :, ke
you that way?
I guess l wont tell any more OF IL
faults after all. He's got them. ant
he knows he has got them, and l De
a cookey he is sorrier about it thAa !
Besides for every weakness he h4s
thousand virtues For every frov u n
makes a hundred smiles. If he Uses
unkind words he uses them as si'ee
on uses knife, that he may heal Tn
wound with love and sympathy.
l don't know much about the t.lef
early years. know he was pione II
Nebraska, and that his first e-urcI
work was with the Methodists. knoV
too. that is, others have told ne n
isn't as old as he looks-that be ha
had human sorrows Of his own T. bear
SORROWS that nothing but his 18th il
God enabled him to bear. His Cod an
his Bible are awfully and lovingy res
to him. They are his food, his c2thlng
his medicine. They are his lie ID
believes in all its doctrens--the YER
doctrens perhaps that have kept yo
and away from it--as he be eves l
the life of Christ and in the div nlty
God. Oh he is in earnest. There IS n