Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1918-03-17

shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet
thar dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God
proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your
Deuteronomy 13-l, and B.
False prophets and wild dreamers are as
common now as they were in Bible times
when God felt constrained to especially
warn His people against them. On every
hand they arise and upon their lips are
many prophecies and in their minds are
many visions They came to Wilhelmn of
Germany few years ago and he followed
them unto his present state. They come to
the peasant among his vines and the
worker at his bench and the merchant in
his store and the lawyer in his office and
the woman in her house.
Most of us have, in our time, listened to
the sayings of some prophet or other and
either left a good job or a good home or
good habits or good intentions behind us
and followed his words over the rough track
that leads to nowhere at all
And dreamers we have with us always.
They weave mists into cities and fashion
castles from smoke. Their words are win
ming and fit together into beautiful and per-
feet sentences But in the cold gray light
of reality their dreams vanish into thin air
and are gone forever.
On every street corner and in every town
there are prophets who speak of new gods
and preach new doctrines and promise new
cures for old ills In our midst and every
where are dreamers Of dreams that never
come true, but many there be who listen to
the narrative of their visions and build
hopes and stake regulations and happi-
ness upon their frail foundations.
In the old times Gods own people, led
by His own prophets and inspired by
miracles, turned aside to listen to the tales
of other gods and to follow the rainbow
CLEAN of strange and foolish dreams Thou
shalt not harken unto them. said God to
His people. For the Lord your God
proveth you to know An, in this strange
yet plain old world of fact and fancy close
ly mingled it is well to prove and to know.
Why. oh, why, do we run after every fair
fancy or follow the lure of every smooth
word? Our feet are bruised from these
vain quests; our eyes are dim from watch
ing phantom sails of the ships that never
return through the mists; our purse is
empty, our work is wasted, our years are
spent for nothing and still we listen to the
dreamer as he relates his dreams
A new face that is handsome; new
friend; soft voice; plausible story; a
pretty phrase, and we desert the old friend
who was so strong and true and we leave
the old faith and wander from the old safe
path and soon find, alas. too late, that we
have traded golden happiness and priceless
loyalty for the brass vessel of some dark
genii and it is filled only with smoke
The simple homely things of life are the
only ones that wear well. The plain friends
are truest Strong hands hold fast and
short, straight words speak truth. There
is only one God, and His prophets were
plain, blunt men, clothed in coarse gar
ments and speaking words that flew home
like spear and spared not. His people
wandered from them in the old days, led by
the beauty and pleasure of heather deities,
and it is so to this day. We leave work too
often for pleasure; we cannot bear a sigh;
the truth hurts; the down hill path is east
est; it is so nice to sit in the shade. But
what about the harvest? How will your
books balance? What have you done3
For the Lord your God proveth you to
know whether you love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your spul.
By your steadfastness only is your love
known. Common sense sorts the doctrines
of the false prophets from the true. Dreams
are night time fancies that are dissipated by
the daylight 1t is only by holding fast with
both hands on to old friends and old faiths
that we may in any wise be sure of happi-
ness on earth and hope in the skies.