The Washington herald., 1917-09-30
Steps Through the Slough
Of Despond."
BY JOHN n. HUDDLE,

ACcoTulls " Dunsdn, one OF the
first difficulties the Christian meets
as he wends his upward way, Is the
slough OF despond. 1t Is interesting
to note that In Spencer's allegory
the knight of Holiness in his search
for truth has his first battle with
error and the knight Of Temperance
in his quest for self-control has his first
contest with idle sensuality; while
Christian In the Pilgrims Progress
seeking forgiveness and peace has his
first struggle with despondency.
Accompanied by Pliable we see the
Christian marching across a plain in
the midst of which is a miry bog.
Busly conversing, the two travellers
do not realize its presence until their
feet begin to sink into its treacherous
depths. Pliable. berating his COM
panion for getting him into such a
predicament, soon extricates himself
and turns back.
Christian, on account of his load
does not get out so easily, but sinks
deeper in the mire until he Is res
cued by stranger called Help, who
inquired how he happened to get into
such a place in broad daylight.
Christian replied that he was SO op-
pressed with fears, and so anxious
to get to the city Of refuge that he
didn't realize the nature of the bog
until he began to sink. Help said,
why didn't you look for the steps.
Don't you know that running through
the midst Of this slough of fears and
doubts and discouraging apprehen-
sions there IS a row OF steps and the
wise man, instead of wading up to
his neck in the mush of dispondenoy,
steps across dry shod. Put aside
your blues, therefore and keep your
eyes open next time for the steps"
We need the same advice. Our
faith leads with wonderful regularity
through sloughs of encouragement,
and otherwise sensible people strug-
gle here up to their eyes while at
their very side Is a row of steps.
Often we can cross a wide stream by
stepping from rock to rock. Through
the slough Is a similar footway which
the wise pedestrian always uses. If
you are interested come along and
I'll show you the way over and we
will examine the stones as we go.
The first one is:
Look After Your Health.
Until recently sickness has been
looked upon as unavoidab BILE and no
blame has been laid at the door of
the patient. He was considered a
victim rather than a transgressor.
But the time is coming when it
will awaken very little sympathy
for a person with a sound body and
mind to complain OF aches and ills.
When people overeat and over
work, and dissipate when they
should be asleep, they should bear
the consequences of their sins in
silence and not afflict others with
their grouches. No piece of ma
chinery will do effective work with
out constant care. The body is a
very delicate mechanism, wonder
fully made and the reason some of
these human machines are ready
for the scrap heap at 35 and some
are still buzzing the song of health
at 20. is because one looked after
his physical nature with Jealous
care and the other didn't have in
terest enough or sense enough to
know what body was for.
The physical effects the mental
and a man gets into the slough very
quickly who negIects or misuses
this temple of the spirit No won
der, in many, initiative and optim-
ism and ambition are gone and life
has become fiat, stale and unprofit-
able" They have mortga ged their
physical powers for a mess OF pot
tage.
OF course there are some who are
weak and ill through no fault of
their own. Despite this. many such
make of this very weaknesses step
ping stones to bear them up. All
power to such strong characters
they lay their own row of steps
through the slough. The majority.
however, cannot do this: but go up
or down according to physical con-
dition; hence the supreme impor-
tance of guarding your health.
The next step which Is big and
broad enough to hold a giant bears
this inscription:
This is one section OF the arlth-