Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1926-05-06
THE OBSERVATORY
(By REV. CASTOR R. COYNER)
County Schools DAYS

l have attended three county school
meets. The first was several years
ago while teaching in Barbour county.
Our whole school,-or practically all
-twenty-eight in number, went
through a rain for nearly a Inile and
then boarded a B. & o. passenger
train to escape the rain, travelling a
whole mile on said train. We out
numbered any school in attendance
and carried off all the honors, the
reason being ours was the only school
that had any program to offer. / have
attended two Upshur county school
meets since then and it rained both
times. But what was the difference?
1t made the day all the more inter-
cstirg. Yoe can't dan per the spirits
of youngsters. Young America has
real bs' kbonc.
County school days should pc en-
couraged and we should all give them
our support. The programs consist of
the cleanest and finest kind Of enter
tainment. The children get real pleas
IRE out of the contests which are en-
tered Sinto with all their might and
the play the game square. believe
there rs no nation on earth that can
equal America when it comes to our
boys and girls.
God Still Answers Prayers
A young woman from the Moody
Bible Institute, Chicago, has gone into
a neglected place forty miles from
Charleston, West Virginia. to preach
and teach She has found that the
people are hungry for the Gospel and
she says that in addition to her ether
work, on Sunday she breaches three
times. teaches two Sunday school
classes and superintends one Sunday
school. Some Of her Sunday school
boys have been converted since she
went there. To reach enc school she
travels six miles in a wagon, sitting
on bed of hay, and fords the river
fourteen times. She says: Sometimes
in crossing the river the hay gets wet
and that is not 50 pleasant, but still
wouldn't change places with anyone
l know"
II is touching % knew that one old
lady in this remote section every day
for eight years has been going by her
salf into the woods and praying that
God weuId send someone q preach the
Gospel there.
God still answers prayers.
'Tis the Way OF life
A certain woman has been teaching
school for several months. She has
been greatly interested in The work
and has found much joy in it. To-day
was to have been the closing day Of
the school. | saw her at certain
railroad station With tears in her
eyes she told me that she was on her
way back home as her smallest boy
was Seriously i'll. She herself only
few months ago recovered from
very serious illness Of several weeks
Now, it seems that her Joy in teaching
has been turned into soiov.
1t is the way Of life. When our
first parents fell in the Garden of
Eden, sin and sickness and sorrow
entered into the world. The roses be-
gan to bear thorns. The song Of the
birds became less beautiful. Is it
worth while to live in a world where
there is sin and instigations to evil
on the right hand and the left If it
had been the will of the Creator to
have told me before birth of all the
hardships and trials and temptations
| should have TO face in this world
if | we're born into it, of the sin there
would be to darken my soul, but Of
the gift Of His Son Jesus Christ as
remedy for the sin, and then the per-
secufion | must bear as a servant of
Christ; and Than He had said: 'lou
may have your choice; will you enter
the world or not?' should imme-
diately have ans @ercd: yes.
1t is true that while there are many
JOYS and mach happiness to be found
in this world; there are also sorrows
and this life at best is d yale Of tears.
But Psalm 1876: >, says: They that
sow in tears shall reap in JOY Thank
God for that! How good to think Of
that blessed time to come for Christ
ians when they shall eat Of The tree
of life in the Paradise Of God. Ia that
bright land Of sunshine and flowers
we shall feast on Heavenly mama and
Sit down with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Then our tears win all have
been wiped from our eyes and as we
serve God continually about His
throne and partake Of the joys laid
up for us we shall know then some
thing Of what it meant for Jesus to
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