Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-15
Sunday Morning Talk
THE HIGH PLACES.

The name of Benedict Arnold is a
kissing and a reprOach in American
ears. Yet, if that eXecrated man had
died on the evening of Oct. Z, 1777, he
would have ranked for all time as one
of our national heroes. 1t was Arnold
who by his matchless energy and mil
itary skill turned the tide of battle
on the red field of Saratoga; a vic
tory that paved the way for Britain's
final capitulatiOn, and SO for Ameri-
can freedom.
With his horse shot under him,
grievousIy wounded, he magnani-
mously saved the life of the soldier
who, in honest fight, had laid him low.
When his men rushed up to bayonet
the Hessian whose bullet had so near
~ done fatal work the PROSTATE gen.
eral cried out, Don't hurt him! He is
fine fellow
1t has been we'll said that this was
the hour when Benedict Arnold should
have died. In addition to proved mil
itary genius, he now had disclosed a
chiValrous nature that made him the
idol of every soldier in his command.
Had the thread of his life been cut
short in this glorious hour, monuments
to Arnold may well have We'd with
those to Washington and Lafayette in
our land today. He had touched his
high place.
From how many lives which fail OF
ultimate greatness, stray CLEANS OF
grandeur FASH There are inspired
passages in the works of many 3
minor and unknown poet worthy OF
the immortal dweliers on Olympus
| Hundreds of garnet musicians have
| left US fugitive strains which Bee
| thoven or Wagner might have claimed
with pride. No day passes that deeds
| of splendid herOism and sacrifice do
not proceed from prosaic, unknown
| Of
must be passed in the valley, there arr
| hours when any of us are liable Il
| touch the high places.
Why should we hold these exhibit
| lions of moral splerdor TO be merel!
| the result of chance? That is to taxi
an ungenerous and an unchristial
view of human nature. Why can W,
| not see the real Arnold in that hour o
magnanimous victory rather than il
the traitorous Vaccinations of late
| years?
Let us Judge our fellows by thei
| best and not by their worst hours. ]
| they can stand but for moment onl
on some sun-kissed hilltop, let us viev
| them in that clear light, and Their
draw their portraits. We are sure {
get a truer likeness than in the 70
of the valley.
In any mood of synicism, let tn
carper at human nature remembe
this: Man at his normal and best es
tate is noble and not base. There
something abnormal about his COW
ardice or his sin. 1t was when tn
prodigal came to himself that he re
turned from the far country and re
entered his fathers house. The bette
impulses and actions that punctuat
the career of even some chronic dow
and outer are more than prophets
They are of the substance of his ret
personality.
The thing we long for, that we are
For one transcendent moment;
, Before the present, rude and bare,
Can make it's sneering comment.
Man is not the child of the Dew
but the child of God, and the implics
tons of the mighty fact should new
4 be lost sight of. His supplies of spil
= itual energy are as great as he is will
e ing to appropriate. He is made
D breathe the upper air. The great taE
S of life is to make our best moods oil
I habitual ones and to take up a perm
s anent residence on the high places.
t THE PARSON.