smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1869

a SAD, TRUE SruuY.-An Incl.
lci.t otthc sad side qfliic occurred in
obstruction, with tho smull:hoS
hospital y week or two ago. y
young lady Of German parcntayc
was taken there to remain under
treatment for the smallpox, Just
at the time she was to have been
married to an cstimahIo Young
man connected with ono Of oar
most houriShin!s business houses.
Day after day he came to tho Gin
cinnati Hospital, on tho Twelfth
street, to hear from his allianccd
bride. Tho time for the wedding
passed by, and tho nows came to
him that she worse and must die.
With tho characteristic devotion
Of q woman, she sent him word
not to visit her or to be present
at her funeral. She also made
tho request that sho should be
buried in her bridal dress. So
about the middle Of last week, in
tho white vostnents with which
she was to have been arraycd at
tho marriage altar, she became
the bride ordcath, In tho hearing
Of strange though toahcr voices
she had passed away. The hands
Of strangers clad her IN the bridal
garments and laid her in the
coffin. Tho eyes Of strangers
dropped tears as they closed the
coflin-lid over her, and thought of
what she was and what she hoped
to be, and Of tho ono heart left sad
by her departure. Friends, but
not old ones, saw her deposited in
tho earth, and marked the spot,
that those who knew her well
might find her resting place.


{ Cincinnati Gazette.
Year: 1869

A few days ago, one of Gods faithful
stewards, man endeavoring to glorify his
Heavenly Father with his substance, and to
lay up treasure in heaven, made this remark
to me:


81 sat down night or two ago, and cal
culated the increase of dollar at compound
interest, and found that, in less than two
hundred and forty years, it amounted to
more than two millions and half of dol
lars. And 1 asked myself whether God
would not make dollar laid up for him
grow as rapidly as it does by the laws of
trade"


The arithmetical calculation, and the
transfer thereof to the field of benefcence,
struck me.


Eyes, my BROTHER" said I, "we need
hardly doubt The word of the Lord is:
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
He has also said: He that hath pity upon
the poor, lendeth to the Lord, and that
which he hath given will he pay him again.
The laws operating in the spiritual world
must be, at least, as certain as those which
operate in any other department of the uni
verse. God is more able and willing to pay
his debts than men are to pay theirs. You
would not have my money as q loan without
paving me interest, and God is more noble-
mlhaedA than man. How certain and en-
phatic is the promise that he will pay it
again! I have not the least doubt, dear
brother, that in two hundred and forty years
from this day you will find every dollar you
have laid up for the Lord worth more to
you than two and half millions of dollars.
And, then, there is this to be thought of
about the matter: if you put out your dol
lar on receipt, you must be certain to col
lect your money and its interest every year,
and every year find responsible borrower
for the amount. When you give to the
poor, you lend to the Lord, VINO keeps the
accounts, and does the compounding for
you. DR.. Deems.
Year: 1869

God can unravel the most intricate paths;
can make the crooked straight Oh, there
is softness in Gods touch, which gives a
help no man can minister God sees where
the sore is, and lays his hand on the very
place; whereas man only aggravates the
wound.


You can do, in connection with God, what
you cannot do or pass through with man.
And what pains does God take to encourage
our trust in him, constrainng US to pour out
our hearts before him, and find q refuge !
Yes "Unto the upright there ariseth light
in the darkness" Be the cloud ever SO
dense, the way never so perplexed, there
will always be something in the midst of it
which will reveal Fathers love, Father s
care; there will be ever bow in the cloud.


In the midst of midnight darkness, the
believer knows that eight is sown for the
righteous" therefore he occupies himself,
no4 with forebodings as to how things will
turn out, but rests on the promise of God,
and above all, on his purpose in affecting
us-even to make US partakers of his holi-
ncss-and he stays himself on his God.


Again, all our care should be so as to walk
that we may know, in times of trial, the
controversy is not one of judgment, but Of
love, and seek to extract out of trial the
spiritual blessing for which it is sent, name
ly, conformity to Jesus, and partaking of
his holiness.


Be it perplexity Of circumstances, or
other trials, God has in all but one intent.
Deliverance, not death, is his aim. If he
made Israel hunger, it was not to starve,
but to feed them. 1t is the characteristic
of our walking in Christ, not to be moved
by evil tidings. The soul casts its burdens
on God; and if any say, the upright only
are promised light, then the gospel comes
in the blood which cleanses, and We feel our
ground of hope is in the righteousness put
on US.


Satan often strives to take from us this
confidence, and thereby separate us from
God. Let our desires for holiness be as the
wood which the fire from the sacrifice kin
dies into q fame. When the Lord asked
the blind man, "What wilt thou p he knew
what to an swer; so in trial, let the real OBJ
ject of the desire be the removal of that
which makes trial needful. The Lord has
Year: 1869

and come as frequently as he thought ne
cessary, and say plainly, this or that ought
to be done, and ask the right men among us,
we would get to work, it might be, one and
all.


You have [ think ten elders in your
church. Suppose you could fairly interest
each one in the department best suited to
him, so that he would be eager to interest
all the members of the church in the same
thing, how much work would be accom-
plished. 1t would require much labor on
your part? Yes, but if you succeeded, it
would relieve you of much labor afterwards.
If, when you wanted information on such
and such matter pertaining to the congre-
cation, you could go at once to an elder who
knew all about it, or when something was
to be done, you could commit it to the hands
of another and feel assured that he would
attend to it with diligence and ability, you
would be securing much more time than you
could in any other way, for your study aud
pastoral visiting.


I wish to say something about the man.
agement of a session when assembled as
iudcatory, but | have not left myself space
in this number. will therefore only add
that while the elders are those whose CO.
operation it is most important to make avail
able to the highest degree, there will be
found among the other members of the
church, and not unfrequently among some
of the congregation not members of the
church, persons who, if judiciously dealt
with, will contribute highly valuable in
Auence for good.


To the women of the church you may di
rect your efforts with the certainty of find
ing them ready to be trained to prompt,
spirited and indefatigable action.


Sic.
Year: 1869

There are in every church persons who
may be called uneasy spirits, fault-fnders,
croakers, always in unrest, captious critics,
whom no action of church or society ever
conciliate. These troublers in Israel, not
of Israel, must have some vent to the fer
mentation of their, disturbed spirits. The
pastor is generally the object Of their
animadversions. lie does not preach to
suit them, or visit as he should, or conduct.
the meetings of the church in proper man.
ner, or discipline with vigour; he is too
social or too reserved, too popular or too
unpopular, too rigid or too liberal. Let the
poor man do the best he can, they are al
ways seeking to disturb his peace of mind,
to depreciate his worth, or abridge his infu-
ence And this, bad as it is, is not the
worst of their conduct. In time they drive
him from his people, who perhaps are at
tachcd to him, but who, strong as their at
tachment may be, will allow him to depart
rather than have division and wrong spirit
in the church. = Many a,church'is kept in a
constant state of uneasiness on account of
these carping spirits, and rendered feeble
by their misunderstanding.


Irecently visited church, the pastor of
which resigned his Office. The church has
had three pastors within about as many years.
"But why did your pastor leave?" I'asked.


because few individuals were dissatis-
fed" was the answer.


"Were the people, as whole, united in
him? p


eyes, very much so; and these same men
drove away our former pastor, whom we all
liked"


"But how came you to permit SO unjust
thing?"


go, some of these men paid a pretty
heavy tax, and such men, you know, can
unscttle minister if they set out for it.


Now, for the mischievous, ruinous work
which this class of persons re,doing in our
churches there iss.an,remedy. 1t is in the
hands of the church, and let 1t be applied.
Let the church conclude that they can get
along without their aid, which they certain.
ly can, for such members are..assuredly
damage to the church pecuniariiy. Let the
church give these members to understand
that their unreasonable, querulous disafec-
ton shall not drive from them pastor in
whom they are generally and happily uni
ted, and if one of the two parties must 60,
they, and not the pastor, had better ask
letter of dismission.


And while the church is thus decided, let
the pastor be faithful and affectionate. Let
him not be driven from his post by these
few troublesome members. If they annoy
him, let him bear it. He will, in his best
condition, be annoyed from some source,
and he may as we'll be annoyed from this
source as from any. Let him 90 right on,
treating these brethren as well as Gods grace
will permit him; preach the gospel and live
it, and God will take good care of him, and,
in time, the right care of them. They will
be found occupying their own place.


Pastors, around whom your people as
body are gathering, do not quit your post
for few James and Jambres. Watchman
and Reflector.
Year: 1869

no pleasure in the low standing of his saints.


He wishes them to shine in his brightness,
and when the desire of the wicked perish,
ours will be fully realized; and the wicked
shall see it, but it will be as Dives saw Lag.
arus in the bosom of Abraham. How COM
plete is the contrast. "The wicked melt
away, while the righteous endure forever"
Year: 1869

Light is sown l-Ah bless the words


That light is sovn for me:


Then darkness cannot alway last,


And will patient be.


Ny God hath sown the precious seed


OF that forthcoming light


And what He meaneth now for me-


To walk by faith, not sight


"Lght as sOwn for the righteous" And
much of that light hath springing even
here on earth. God were good, all good,
inexpressibly good, $50 good" had He re-
served entire light to His people for the
land beyond the grave, the shadowless land
But who shall measure His goodness when
considering the light He suffers'to spring up
here?


Very often God gives, after a, time of pa
tient waiting the very thing the .Eman heart
craved, and not in anger either, but along
with the gift the grace of medication which
enhances the beSsingin wonderful manner.
Pause moment and view the difference be-
tween the gift of meat to the murmuring
Israeltes, and the gift of son to humble,
asking Hannah:-the after conduct of the
two, the ungratefulness of Israel and the
pious use of Hannah-God's blessing and
Gods curse the one sown light, and the
other a sown darkness, and each bringing
forth its own appropriate fruit.


A perilous journey is safely accomplished,
or some apprehended season of sore trial
safely and comfortably passed; anxiety
about the absent is found to be groundless J;
some desirable, but not absolutely necessary
thing falls to our hands before wish is ex-
pressed; some timely and needful provision
is handed in from an unexpected quarter;
strength and opportunity are given to per-
form Christian duty. and in the perfor-
nance obstacles vanish, or by kindly human
help are overcome; friend or letter comes
just at the right moment; word of sympa.
thy or encouragement is uttered by aperson
whom we love, and uttered just when the
heart most needs panionship. All ! the
heart, the chastened heart especially, is
something like the arms of Moses during the
Amalekitsh strife; it needs an Aaron and
Hur touphold. Let Aaron typify sympathy,
and Hur encouragement. A dear suffering
one iSrelieved and Gifted up by the unseen
hand of the Saviour, is once more restored
to our keeping, and our heart is made glad.
Let US see to it that we are more than glad !;
that we are thankful. Said plain Christian
woman in reference to one who had been
raised from extreme illness, "Ah honey,
| can tell yoe hs is glad, but not thankful. :"


Now, from the temporal let us rise to the
spiritual, that better and purer earthly
springing of a sown light. God denies what
is desired, and we are greatly disappointed; /;
our beloved dies, and where is light this side
of heaven? The true, but sad believer can
tell. That sweet acquescence in the Divine
will, the heart,melting before the mercy seat
the soft walk before God, an inward quiet
ness, and the sustaining hope of future and
perfect rest arc growths of asowo light even
here on earth Let US then trust our Faith
er,-hope, wait,--watch and pray. Mean
while let us rejoice that in holy Writ the
words are found, "LigM as sOwn for the
righteous A. l.. P.


Monterey, Va., February, 1869.
Year: 1869

WEALTH is the smallest of the gifts of God.
What is it to be compared with his Word, or
corporal gifts-such as beauty, health and
activity? What is it to the gifts of the mind
such as intellect, science, and taste?
Year: 1869

Mn SHIRLEY Brooks tells the Illustrated
London Nescs a rather singular story of a
bit of mcanness and the appropriate re
venge which followed it. When the Prince
of Wales lately visited Hull, there was a
desiie To ornament, in his honor, the
monument in that city erected TO the
memory of Wilberforce. But the column
was lofty and not easily climbed, and it
was hard To find any one TO make the
ascent and wreathe it with flowers and
foliage. The authorities offered money
reward to any man who would accomplish
the task. After some time, two sailors
from one of Her Majesty ships undertook
the job, and performed it well. They ap-
piled for the reward, but the local officers
refused to pay it, on the ground that, be-
ing servants of the Queen, il was no more
than the duty of the sailors to decorate the
shaft in honor of the Prince. Beer was of
fered in lieu of the expected guineas, and
the sailors drank it and went their way.
But during the night before the arrival of
the royal guest, all the ornament was torn
away, by the same strong and skillful hands
that had carried it aloft. Moreover, a
small ladder, decidedly not an ornament
to the column, was left sticking there,
where no one could get at it. The loyal
authorities of Hull could only hope that
the Prince did not observe the bar.
renness and Disagreement of the wilber-
force column, as he passed it.
Year: 1869

TIE tendency to let any dispute drift
into quarrel is very much a matter of
habit; but it is habit which
may be greatly modified, if not
wholly cured We should teach our
selves, 20 begin with, that moderation in
language and temper is evidence, not of
weakness of character, but of the reverse.
While a dispute is yet in embryo, modera-
ton and selfcOntrol may remove it but
when it passes that stage-when it is de-
veloped into a q,larrcl-thcn all hope of
setting the matter to rights is at an end.
The prudent man will now simply with
draw himself from the affair, instead of
necdlessly embittering himself in useless
struggle OF course it requires some dis
cretiOn to know when the dispute has
reached the point OF being irremediable; ;
and 1t is at this point that it should be
thrown up. Considerations of false pride
should not be allowed to interfere. No
matter how just your cause is, there is


nothing to be gained by declaiming


against the injustice of an obdurate Oppo-
nent, who sees only right on his side. A
man ought to study the history and dc
vclCpment of former quarrels in which he
has been engaged, i'm order TO see how re-
sultless they were, and what an enormous


waste of time and temper they involved.
He will sec the misunderstanding grow


more definite, until it reaches that stage at
which it is impossible to remove it with
out the most heroic abnegation on one side


or the other. He will perceive that


neither side is willing to take the lead in


coming to an arrangemnt. The cause OF
dispute becomes, by argument, bigger.
Fash disputant is now more confirmed in


his notions By-and-by, they are not 81


anxious to prove themselves in the right


as to punish each other for being quarrcl-


some and causing annoyance. The origi-
nal ground of quarrel is lost sight of in this


sense of mutual injury. They are angry
with each other because each has quar-


relied, and the quarrel is continued out OF
| revenge. How does it end? Time, the
great pacifier, smooths down their wrath


but look at all they have suffered and lost
in the interim 1t is fortunate, indeed, il
one or the other perceives the obvious les


son, and resolves thenceforth TO abandon
any dispute which reaches the irretrieva


bic and merely recriminatory stage.
Year: 1869

A BOY borrowed a tool from "A neighbor
promising To return If at night. Before
evening he was sent away ON an errand,
and did not return until late. Before he
went, he was told that his brothers should
see the tool returned. After he had come
home and gone 10 bed, he inquired and
found the tool had not been sent 10 IFS
owner He was much distressed 10 think
his promise was not kept, but was per
suaded To 60 to sleep and rise carly and
carry il home. by daylight he was up,
and nowhere was the tool to be found.
After long aud fruitless search he set off
for his neighbor's in great distress 10 ac-
knowledge his fault. But how great was
his surprise to find the tool on his neigh
bor's doorsteps And then it appeared,
from the prints of little bare feet on the
mud, that the lad had got up in his sleep
and carried the tool home, and went 10
bed again and knew il not. Of course, a
boy who was prompt in his sleep was
prompt when awake. He lived respected,
and had the confidence of his ncighbors,
and was placed in many offices of trust and
profit.-ErchdnQe
Year: 1869

thinking he had ridden farther than the
distance to his home he thought he would
trust his horse to get HIM out of the diff
Guilty, and gave Nellie full liberty to choose
her own road; so, after he had gone on
for some time longer, Nellie stopped and
whinnied. The Doctor unmuffled little,
and peered around in the darkness and
snow.


"Why, Nellie, where are we?" he said.
"This looks very like Chestnut Ridge !;
yes, there's the opening in the trees, at the
turn of the road on the brow of the hill
this must be Chestnut Ridge-eight miles
from home. Well, Nellie, I'VE may as well
camp for the night, for we can't get
home"


"How lucky that Bruce supplied US
we'll with blankets" soliloquized the Doc
tor as he unhitched Nellie from the cutter,
and fastened one of the blankets on her,
and turned her loose to look out for her
self Then spreading a buffalo robe on
the snow and turning the cutter up, he
wrapped himself in mis- blankets, and
crawled into his novel bed and was soon
sound asleep.


His faithful dog was very uneasy all
night at his masters absence, and bounded
out at the first opportunity to look for
him. Finding the cutter in such a novel
condition, he began to bark turiously
around it.


You can Judge of the Doctors astonish-
ment, when he came out of his bed room,
to find himself in his own door yard, and
Nellie standing ut the stable door, Won
dering, no doubt, why she was treated SO
|coolly.- Western RuraI.
Year: 1869

TAKING into account the habits of the
people, tea and coffee for supper and
breakfast add to human health and life, if
single cup be taken at either meal, and is
pever increased in strength, frequency or
quantity. If they were mere stimulants,
and were taken thus in moderation and
with uniformity, they would in time, be-
come either inert, or the system would be-
come SD habituated to their employment
rs to remain in the same relative position
to them, as if they had never been used
and consequently, as To themselves, they
had better never been used, as they are SO
liable to abuse But science and fact unite
in declaring them to be nutritious as well
as stimulant; hence they will do a new
good to the system every day, to the end
of life, Just as bread and fruits do; hence
we never get tired of either. But the use
of bread and fruits is daily abused by null
titudes, and dyspepsia and cholera morbus
result; yet We ought not to forego their
employment on that account, nor should
we foregO the use of tea and coffee be-
cause their inOrdinate use gives neuralgics
and other ailments.


But the habitual use of tea and coffee,
at the last and first meals of The day, has
another high advantage-is productive of
incalculable good in the way of averting
evils.


We will drink at our meals, and if we
do not drink these, we will drink what is
worse-cold water, milk, or alcoholic mix
lures. The regular use of these last will
lead the young to drunkenness; the con-
siderable employment of simple milk, at
meals, by sedentary people-by all, except
the rObust-will either cOnStipate or rem
der bilious; Willie CUiG wafer, DrSely
used-that is, to the extent of a glass or
two at a meal, especially in cold weather.
attracts to itself so much of the heat of the
system, in raising said water to the tenn
perature of the body (about one hundred
dcgrees) that the process of digestion is
arrested in the meanwhile, giving rise to
a deathly sickness of stomach, to twisting
pains, to vomitings, purgings, and even
to cramps, to fearful contOrtiOns, and sud-
den death; which things would have been
averted, had even the same amount of
liquid in the shape of simple hot water
been used. But any one knowing these
things, and being preiudiced against the
use of tea and coffee, would subject him
self to be most unpleasantly stared at and
questioned, if not ridiculcd, were he to ask
for cup or glass of hot water. But as tea
and coffee are now universal beverages,
are on every table, and everybody is ex-
pected to take one or the other as a matter
of course, they are unwittingly the means
| of safety and of life to multitudes They
save life where glass of cold water would
| have destroyed it. SO that the use of
these beverages is not merely allowable,
it is polite, it is a neccssity.-HdtpS Jour
| nal of Health.