THI- ] NORFOLK WKKKIjY NKWS-.IOUKNAL , Fill DAY. DKCKMHKK 521) ) , 1011.
The Norfolk Wccldy NCWB- Journal
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The mail who resolves to ilo right
not to got loft.
Success In avliitlon depends not on
flylm ; high or long , but In knowing
how to light.
Thu Turks and Itnllnim liavo been
obliged to postpone their next en
gagement till the grounds dry off.
Some people can't sccin to enjoy
their Happy Now Year , until they get
the new resolutions safely burled.
Los Angeles lmn gone back to the
clltnato nH a subject of conversation.
It's much the more profitable subject
Now that the Stokes case IB out of
the way , the Twentieth Century girl
can allow her mother to see the news
papers.
Wo 1mvo not much hope that the
shoo machinery trust can be dissolved ,
but poBHlbly It can be cut up Into shoe
strings.
It Is easier to get dynamite enough
to blow up the capltol at Washington
than to purchase a three Inch lire-
cracker.
People who receive a new pocketbook -
book Christmas are apt to bo embar
rassed for some time to know what
to do with It.
Don't bo discouraged , after Christ-
man Is over there will be the annual
distribution of garden seeds by the
agricultural department.
It is proposed that the trouble with
Russia bo referred to The Hague court ,
but the judges might drop dead if
they got a case to decide.
AB both parties liad been through
the divorce court , the marriage of Al
fred G. Vanderbilt and Mrs. Me Kim
is a thoroughly fashionable wedding.
Everyone will find the tariff board
report colored to suit his own politi
cal spectacles , and few will be able
to look atit through plain window
glass.
The New Orleans Picayune says "If
you take away from the intelligent
man the right to kick when things go
wrong , you make him lower than the
mule. "
The packers are now on trial , but
as there Is rumored to be an ink
spot on the 764th page of the indict-
mant , we don't believe the document
is legal.
It was a much more serious breach
of international etiquet for Undo Sam
to tell Russia she had broken the
treaty than it was for Russia to do
the violating.
Russia is surprised to find our con
gress acting in a week. When a
European diplomat comes around it
takes a year to say How-de-do 9G7.74G
dlferent ways before getting down to
business.
After having shown a Spartan reso
lution for economy by lopping off the
heads of a few $800 clerks , the con
gressmen now feel that they have
earned the right to a $35,000,000 public
building bill.
Old resolutions that you failed to
keep make the best sort of material
-out of which to construct new resolu
tions that will stand the test. Yon
know where the weak spots in the
old ones were.
A very serious problem has been
under discussion in the Dunkard
church , namely , " whether a Christian
may conform to the ways of the
world to the extent of having a telephone -
phone in his house ? " After much de
liberation it has been decided that a
person may be a Christian and use a
telephone , and five members who had
been expelled for having telephones
In their homes , are now reinstated.
The last revenue report Is not pleas
ant reading for those interested in
temperance reform. The last year
brought the largest production in dis
tilled liquors ever known in the his
tory of the United States. The de
crease in production for several years
made the people of many sections
hopeful of a constant decrease year
after year In the consumption of in
toxicants , but the gain has been wiped
out , for this year at least , and a retro
grade movement has taken place.
A great crop of any staple article
ought to bo cause for rejoicing , but
the unprecedented cotton crop in the
south has reduced the price to nine
cents a pound which the growers say
is not enough to cover cost of pro
duction. At a recent meeting of the
southern governors and leading agri
culturists of the states affected , the
cotton growers were urged to market
their crop gradually so ns to keep
the price up and in future to diversify
their crops so that they will not be
entirely dependent on the one crop
of cotton.
Thu passage of the Sherwood pen-
Hlon bill , which It IB said by I ho sec
retary of the treasury will take seven
ty-live mote millions of dollars In ad
dition to the $ lf.0.000,000 that are al
ready paid under existing pension
laws , has passed the democratic
IIOUBO. Whether It will pass the sen
ate remains to bo seen. And If It
should pass the senate It would yet
require the signature of the president
before it could become a law. Everybody -
body wants the old soldiers well
cared for , and the fact that since the
close of the civil war there has been
paid out to these who fought In that
struggle , nearly four billions of dollars
lars Is proof positive that the nation
has not been ungrateful towards Its
hcrocH. There IB , however , a point beyond -
yond which the spending of money ,
oven for the best purpose , Is unwar
ranted. It becomes a question whether
at the present time , when the country
demands a reduction In the tariff
schedules and a lowering of the cost
of living , we have reached that place.
The enactment of the Sherwood bill
Into law would absorb one-fourth of
all the revenues now being raised
from custom duties.
MINNESOTA UK ATS NEBRASKA.
The northern half of the state of
Minnesota is pretty much north. It
Is one of the shortest season districts.
It doesn't get warm till late in the
summer and it gets frost early in the
fall. It is not on an equality with
Nebraska when it comes to being In
the "com belt. " Yet the northern
half of Minnesota this last year pro
duced eleven bushels more corn to the
acre than did the state of Nebraska.
What's the answer ?
There Is an agricultural school in
every county of northern Minnesota.
Nebraska has no such institutions.
One Minnesota county has seven ag
ricultural colleges. And the state
gives every high school that teaches
agriculture , $1,000 a. year.
Minnesata appropriated $350,000 to
carry on university extension work ,
in which scientific agricultural meth
ods should bo carried to the farmers
by exports. Nebraska appropriated
but $17,500 a year for such work.
Most of the work of that kind done
in Nebraska , will be done free by the
scientists , for the good of the cause ,
and ia most cases they wdll pay their
own expenses.
That's a good part of the reason
why northern Minnesota produced
eleven more bushels of corn to the
acre last year than this "corn belt"
state of Nebraska.
It's time for Nebraska to realize it's
morning , and wake up.
THE ROOSEVELT PETITION.
The filing of a petition in Nebraska
upon the coming primary ballot , for
president , will attract attention once
more to Nebraska , because of the nov
elty of the scheme , but the plan is not
apt to have great significance in po
litics , of its own weight , unless there
should bo later developments to show
that the colonel is in sympathy with
the movement , which all his previous
statements have made doubtful. If the
petition were to be supplanted by a
statement from Roosevelt that he
could not prevent it , or if he were to
remain so persistently silent as to in
dicate that he was in sympathy with
the movement , then an important po
litical chapter might be written. Up to
date Col. Roosevelt has stated re
peatedly that he is not a candidate ,
and his friends declare he will not
be.
The petition shows for one thing
how divided are enemies of the ad
ministrations. It creates a split In Ne
braska instantly , the La Follette forces
coming out with a statement that a
vote for Roosevelt is a vote for Taft ,
and urging all insurgents to stay with
La Follette. On the heels of this ,
comes word that Senator Cummins of
Iowa is about to announce his own
candidacy.
It is apparent that the insurgents
have abandoned hope of naming La
Follette , and that they are consider
ably split up. But the petition is not
apt to make Roosevelt a candidate
any more than ho has been all along
and wo have it from him that he is
not in the running.
Many of the colonel's friends believe
that ho could not bo elected this time
and that defeat would hurt his chances
for 1916. And the belief is gaining
ground among republicans generally ,
regardless of prefix , that Taft IB the
only man who can be elected in 1912.
They point out that Taft will be nom
inated and that , when the summary of
his achievements is placed before the
people , nobody can beat him.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF TOYS.
The Christmas toy giving season is
annually the occasion of much fine
spun argument among our moralists
concerning the influence of toys.
A few years ago it was seriously
argued that the prevalence of the
Teddy bear was destroying the ma
ternal instinct among girls. To this
it might bo replied , that as wicked
nurses and heartless parents long
held the child heart in terror by
threats that the bears would eat
them up , so a social service was ren
dered when the youngsters were per
suaded to look at the bear as a friend.
This may bo regarded as particularly
true , now that a cultivation of nntl-
r
pathy for bears Is no longer necessary
for the survival of the race. |
An American Rabbi some years ago i
trlrd to persuade the Nuromburg toyi i
'
makers to glvo up making tin soldiers ,
which ho felt tended to love of mill- '
tarlsm. However , admiration of sol
dier life Is a disease every boy catches ,
and It may be useful to get It over j
early like the measles. |
The serious misfortune of Toyland
Is that HO many parents of small means
feel that they must buy expensive toys
to make the children happy. After all
It Is the simple toy that lasts. In a |
few days the $5 mechanical steamboat'
will bo In the junk barrel , while the
boy will bo playing with his twenty-
live cent cart. And the doll the Ilttlu
girl takes to bed Is not the French
creation that winks and smiles , but
ugly old Hannah , the home made darling - .
ling of rags. |
The moral of the Stokes shooting i
case seems to he that if you keep the
footlights between yourself and the
show girls you won't get shot in the
legs.
UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA
When the normal humanity of Amer
ican citizens protests against the
darker side of Russian terrorism , It Is ,
customary for Russian diplomats to i
tell ns that we are under obllga-1
tlon to Russia for her "traditional' '
friendship. " |
Meanwhile , Russia's 500 or more
spies in this country seem to think
we will bear watching. It is related
that one night in 1907 , Rev. Dr. Ly-
man Abbott delivered an address In
Now York denouncing Russian tyr- \ |
anny.
At 10 p. m. the same evening , per
sons who made a call at Washington
on Baron Rosen , Russian ambassador ,
found that ho already had a full report - j !
port of the doings of that meeting. [ I
The Slav , dogged and daring by na-1 |
ture , adds to these gifts a mastership !
at diplomacy. He uses the ceremonial
language of courts with convincing
finesse. But ono should not lay too.
I
great stress on the slippery adjec
tives of the great international game , i
The appeal has always been made i
to northern statesmen that Russia befriended - >
friended the federal government dur- ,
the civil war. The unanimous vote of
the northern congressmen for abroga
tion of the violated treaty suggests
that this is regarded as ancient his
tory , also that the north has never
regarded this alleged relation as based
on sympathy with the northern at
titude toward slavery and the ques- j
tions growing out of that institution. |
Russia at that time had a revolution [
in Poland , and she probably sympa
thized with any nation having family
difficulties on tiand , without much an
alysis of the nature of those difficul
ties.
Russia did try to bring about medi
ation in the war of 1812 , which waste
to her credit , though perhaps a de
sire to get England clear for the fight
against Napoleon was an influential
motive there.
Russia's remoteness , and the fact
that she never had colonies over this' '
way to lead to irritations , has no
doubt led to a certain negative friendship - \
ship for us.
But real international friendship ist t
based on likeness of ideals and tern- ,
perament. The Russian may wear
very correct clothes and show very <
good table manners when Uncle Sam '
Invites him out to dinner. But to
win our real love he must stop urging
on the cruelty of his Cossack soldiers
when they are removing the legs and
arms of Jewish women and children.
SirEEP.
The report by the tariff board on
Schedule K focuses attention on the
wool industry. Dropping the political
viewpoint , it will bo interesting to
look in a purely non-partisan way at
the present status of the sheep.
Sheep have not quite held their own
in the United States for the past ten
years. There wore 57,216,000 of them
in 1910 , and 61,725,014 In 1900. I 1
Scarcely any other branch of Amer
ican industry has offered such quick
and bountiful returns as have been
gained in the west , provided the work' '
was done scientifically and efficient
ly. A young man in Montana a few
years ago had eighty head of cattle.
He was unable to support his family
from their increase and finally sold
out and bought sheep , taking some
also on shares. Ho sold out after
four years with $19,000 to the good.
The reverse side of the picture ap
pears in two other young men who
came into Montana at about the same .
time. They had $500 between them ,
they bought sheep and rented on
shares. They had comparatively mild
winters , and in four years they were
worth $12,000 apiece. The favorable
weather made them over-confident. !
A severe winter came along. Sheep
(
died by droves. They did not have
enough hay , and had no shelter sheds.
At the end of their fifth winter they
had just enough sheep to pay back
what they had borrowed on shares.
Much depends too on getlng good
men for herders. A good sheep herder -
er needs to bo something of a philos
opher , self contained , content with a
solitary life "under the wide and star
ry sky , " finding companionship in the
voices and moods of nature. Once
homesickness gets him , his vlgllenco
will relax a little , and the thousands
of helpless creatures entrusted to his
charge will some day be lacking food
and water.
In the west pasturage is still largely
free. The average clip of seven
pounds of wool , at 12 to 25 cents ,
more than pays for the care , which
costs only .10 to 7"i cents each , anil In
a year there Is a lamb coming along ,
worth $2 to $1 each.
In the east the mongrel dog Is the
king of the hillsides. Many farmers
have concluded that the Industry does
not pay In their section except on a
large scale under professional shep
herds In enclosed pasturage ,
The question of the amount of pro
tection to bo gi\en wool depends on
how one feels about helping the
farmer of the eastern and contra !
states to retain or Increase his present
flocks.
WHAT WE OWE TO CHRISTMAS
The value of environment has been
emphasized in roccnt years until like
a great many other subjects affecting
the progress of the race and human
ity's welfare , It has become somewhat
trite. A writer in one of the leading
magazines of the country expresses
a phase of It In a somewhat fresh
and original way when , soliloquizing ,
she eays "I am terribly fond of atmos
phere. It makes no difference to me
whether or not a piece of fiction has
'action' in It , just so there Is plenty of
'atmosphere. ' I doubt that the average
reader knows what atmosphere is , or
perceives it all in fiction lie is all
bent upon the story and how it is
coming out But I like to read about
folks , and their houses , and their
ways of doings , and to sense be
tween the lines the nctual atmosphere
in which they lived. "
Atmosphere is the most contagious
thing in the world. For a month be
fore the Fourth of July the sale of na-
tlonal Hags begins , and in ever in-
creasing measure continues until on
the day itself the spirit of patriotism
is in the air , seen in the thousands of
Hags of all sizes and descriptions wav
ing in every city and town in the en >
tire country.
If one were to visit this world for
the first time on Christmas eve and
the day itself , in any Christian coun
try , and witness the sights and scenes
in the thousands of happy homes
where merrymaking and kindness and
good cheer abound among young and
nld , ho would indeed envy a race where
BO much happiness prevailed. If love is
th greatest thing In the world , Christ
inas is its climax in the year's record
and the homo is the greatest place in
the world. Wo owe a great deal to
Christmas immeasurably mere than
wo do to any other day which wo
commemorate. It means so much In
our lives , in its far-reaching Influence
that it is impossible for us to fathom
Its significance. No other event in hu
man Interest compares with the birth
of the Christ child in the manger at
Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago.
It brought a message of peace and
good will to men which hu boi-n in
creasing over since as the nwt pro-
clous possession that the homo can
know. Christmas is in every respect ,
the cornerstone of our civilization , and
it is only in-as-far as the spirit which
is astir in the hearts of all today , per
meates and dominates in the affairs
of men that there is any guarantee of
the future of that democracy and free
dom which is our greatest and su
preme asset.
Everybody acknowledges that Christ
mas is the brightest , happiest spot in
each recurring year. It is the child
ren's day. It is the one day when all
the world is young. The day when
doubt and pessimism are banished to
the winds , and in the family circles of
Christendom , joy and friendship , and
oelf forgetfulness rule. It Is the day
when through the gateway of child
hood the gateway of sincere , unaf
fected love the world enters into a
larger and truer conception of the pri
vileges and destinies of life. The story
of the shepherds and the wise men and
the angels , as they each in turn re
joiced over the coining of the Christ ,
as it is brought down across the ages ,
1at each Christmas season is more and
more understood and interpreted in
terms that mean good will to others.
Christmas has brought us so much
joy and happiness that wo are under
some very binding obligations to it.
If it means anything to the individual ,
It means that whether he be young or
old , he should strive to make every
day in the homo have something of
the Christmas spirit in it. Of all the in-
stltutions there are in this world , the
home stands out incomparable in its
value and its character above and be
yond everything else. Hero is where
the lessons of love and service and
self-sacrifice are daily learned. It is
because the homo was so Important
that heaven through its portals
ushered in the King of Glory to do his
earthly mission. From the cradle at
Bethlehem to the cross at calcary , ho
walked the earth as other men walk
it , and with stainless feet and un
faltering purpose , quietly and hum
bly went about doing good. He lived
that the world might be more efficient
in making progress toward the stars.
It is our duty In the homo , the state
and In every department of the civili
zation of which wo are a part , to see
that the spirit of genuine brotherll-
ness Increases. This is the day of gift-
making. The thought back of the gifts
Is to show In sonio slight way our ap
preciation of the love and friendship
which helps to brighten the life about
us. Every gift is of value in as far as
it carries with it a part of the life of
the giver. Aside from this It is cold
and meaningless. So In our years as
they pass , humanity gets only the
benefit of the spirit of what we do.
The world has advanced wonder
fully In many ways slnco the song of
the angels was heard "upon the mid
night air , centuries ago , " above the
Hethlehem manger. The prophecy of
"peace on earth and good will to men"
was n strange message to a race
bound In the bondage of tyranny and
tradition which meant little to the
masses of men and women. Today ,
woman Is exalted as the queen of so
doty and the attitude of men Is more
fraternal than over before. And still
there are many dark spots to ho re
moved before that prophecy is ful
filled. The world Is still full of trouble
and discord. Nations are In arms
against nations and class hatred is
too painfully apparent.
It Is to break up all this sort of
thing and bring In a reign of universal
happiness and peace and good will
that we should each , as far as our In
lluence goes , strive to do. It is the mis
sion of the Christ , whose birthday is
celebrated with such happiness and
joy and love at this time by him
dreds of thousands of little children
and older people with young hearts ,
to bring a new and lasting era upon
earth. It is the wonderful message of
Christmas that we can share In this
service.
Christmas is here. May it be a
merry , merry Christmas to each and
every one of The News readers.
AROUND TOWN.
Merry Christmas !
The News is going to skip two is
sues tomoirow and the next day.
Here's hoping we all show up sober
the morning after.
If you shoveled early , you had to do
It over again.
Hello , here's that birthday. And this
Is about the last one we care to have.
How many times did you go down
town to get something more , after you
had thought that everything was
bought ?
Doesn't anybody do anything but
sew the week before Christmas.
At the age of 20 , no matter how cold
your feet get , you're perfectly willing
to suffer for the sake of the joy you
think you're getting out of a sleigh
ride. When you get 30 and bald
headed , you wouldn't take a sleigh
ride if you were paid for It. At that ,
though , sleighing hasn't been better
in twenty years.
But doesn't it beat the band how
these automobiles shoot around
through the snow , just as if It were
July ? There are eleven taxicabs in
Norfolk , and they scoot around
through the drifts as if they liked it.
Seeing the telegram about a Santa
Clans being fatally burned in a schoolhouse -
house , somewhere in the east , the
other night , makes us reminiscent. It
reminds us of the two Christmases ,
nine and ten years ago , when we
played Santa Glaus out at Carl
Relcho's school , south of town. The
teacher was a Norfolk girl , and that's
how it happened that wo wore a fur
coat and rope whiskers and sleighbells
on those two Christinas eves. We
made a speech and handed out Christ
mas presents just as if we'd been
doing it for centuries. And take it
from us , wo got acquainted with some
people on those two festival occasions
that are among our best friends , to
this day. We wouldn't give up the
memory of these Santa Claus ex
periences for a good deal not for a
barrel of gasoline.
We're glad , after all , that it only
comes once a year.
There's a kind of "dull , grey dawn
of the morning after" feeling about
it that wo don't like.
No matter how many birthdays you
have , if you stay in the town where
you grew up , everybody always thinks
of you as still a boy in knee trousers.
Speaking of staying in a town that
you grew up in , an actor in a show
the other night put it this way : "In
a little country town all the boys who
have it in them get out as soon as
they grow up go into the cities and
become the biggest men there ; only
the yaps stay at home. " All of which
Boomed rather personal.
It's wonderful how far a little salvo
will go. Every time anybody tells us
they read this column first it tickles
us all over , even though wo know
darn well it isn't so.
These cylinders are fixed.
But not paid for.
We see now where we'll never get
any shoes with holeless soles.
And we're trying to make the coal
last till after the first of the month
as another way of economizing.
We got a box of cigarettes for
Christmas with a label on them that
said : "Here are'some cigarettes that
father won't smoke. " And that was
right.
Notice how much longer the days
are getting ?
The birthday has come and gone ,
and we're twenty years older than we
were a year ago at this time , countIng -
Ing the bald head and all the rest.
We see by the paper they're going
to have a big peace dinner In New
York next Saturday night. Would
you call that a piece-meal proposition' '
"Will turkeys become 'extinct ? ' " a !
headline asks. We don't know what j
that means , but we assume they're
talking about the cold storage kind.
A piano was sent to a Norfolk
\\oiiian for a present. Her husham
had to pay the diayage from the depot
pot to the house. "Poor fellow , " ttalil
the woman who got the piano. No\\
there was a SYMPATHETIC wife , If
ever there was one.
There were five columns of "sod
ety" nowH In the paper the other day
and the society editor apologized he
cause she hadn't got more.
Christmas is only 361 days away
So do your shopping early.
Isn't it the luck , though , that It
would have to snow just as soon as It
found out about that hole In the solo
of our shoe ? Now we'll liavo to buy
some rubbers and we'd hoped to savi
all our rubber money for tires.
Still , If wo can get the shooman t <
accept rubber money , it won't bo so
bad. And why isn't that a good waj
to solve this elastic currency problem
We see in the paper something ,
about the packers pact. But we're not
surprised. We always supposed thntV
what they did for a living.
By the way , have you got 'em al
packed and sent ?
It's the shortest day of the year ii
more ways than one.
If you haven't shoveled , get busy
Also , if you haven't shopped.
Twenty-three years ago this Christ
mas ( it was our first ono in Norfolk
and it's the first Christmas we re
member anything about ) we distinctly
recall crawling out of bed in the gre >
dawn of the early morning , running
barefooted ( or did we wear the flannel
kind with feet in 'em ? ) , running into
the dining room and finding , near the
baseburner , a dark red train of real
cars and a real locomotive and a ma
hogany colored square leather pocket-
book. All of which goes to show how
things change. Every Christmas since
then has been hitting that pocketbook
and now we have to pay real cash
money Avhenever we take a ride on
that train.
"ED" HOWES PHILOSOPHY.
( Copyright 1911 ; Gco. Matthew Adama. )
When a mother is indulgent with
her litle son , ho kicks her on the shin
when she mildly corrects him. Aren't
you a little that way with your friends
who are good to you ?
There is no riddle in life that cannot
bo solyed by practicing the simple
virtues more patiently , that it may be
said of you after you are gone : "How
patient he was in his sufferings ! "
Probably we are all too indignant
when we dislike a thing.
I'm always glad when Christmas is
over with. I am never satisfied with
my Christmas conduct.
Of all the people I know anything
about , telephone girls are the most
polite and patient , although treated
more impatiently and unjustly than
any other class. I recommend that
young men marry telephone girls.
I note that some of the women have
determined to obtain the right to vote
at the point of the bayonet. Let no
woman jab a bayonet into me ; I here
bj jrive notice that I surrender.
The relatives of a mean man , in
giving excuses for him , always say
the same thing : "He's so nervous. "
I have noticed that my likes and
dislikes do not cause any great excite
ment. And how people struggle to get
away when I try to talk !
That which we call "nerve" has
habit of deserting all of us when the
occasion is just right to use it.
It's a trick most people have not to
take great Interest in a great many
others.
When I was a boy , I knew a farm
hand named Henry Olds. When he
promised to appear at a certain time ,
and did not , the farmers said : "Well ,
the creek must bo up , or Henry Olds
would be here. " Keep your appoint
ments , unless the creek is up , and you
can't get there.
"What this town needs , " a woman
writes , "is a stirring up in music. "
What most country towns need is less
stirring up of its music.
The success of your rival is dis
agreeable , but stand it amiably , rather
than advertise the fact that you are
jealous.
There is a certain word that will ,
nine times out of ten , cause a fight ,
when ono man hurls it at another. And
I have noticed that It is not used
much.
You are always hearing of a man's
duty to his loved ones. But rarely hear
a man's loved ones criticised for fail
ure to do their duty toward him.
If no one else will do it , a man will
pet himself.
What has become of the old-fash-
ioned country horse that had its tall
eaten off by the calves ?
A souvenir spoon is the ugly kind
that is of no use , and which you give
to a person you love or greatly ad
mire.
SATURDAY NIGHT
/
iEKMONS i
BY
ttoSAMUEL
W.PURVI&D.ft
TUE LAUGHTER OF THE ALMIGHTY.
Text , "Ho Unit alttoth In tlio luuivono
chilli liuiKli.-l'B. II , 4.
Not many can Htand ridicule. 1C
you're loved you open up and ripen In
the sunshine , if you're hated you
brace up like n pine tree In the gnle. I
hut if you arc laughed at you'll wlth-
rr and wilt You dlHliku April 1.
Homo youngster may pin n card on
your cont. A farmer found hln lost wal
let on the street on April fools' day.
Hundreds passed by. but nil sniffed
the air or walked around it with u
"you can't fool tn " air of wisdom.
They dreaded being laughed nt. Sir - " > .
Walter Scott tmld ridicule was the |
dread of his childhood. It broke poor \
Kents' henrt. There are young men |
who'd risk ruin and downfall rather i
than risk ridicule. Boys stop going to
Kundny school , men to church , If some
worthless corner lounger sneeni. Had
John Alexander Powlo been lien ten In
the HlreetH of New York nnd n couple ,
of his folio went IKMMI burned at the |
stake ho would have returned toAnn
City with a thousand converts nnd
$1,000,000 , but the newspapers Inugh
ed at him. The result Is history. ,
The Mockery of Sin.
"Consequences are unpltylng , " snld
George Eliot. A fearful nentcnre !
"Soul denth is the consequence of sin. "
Thnt is what the old book declared ,
"Tho wages of sin la denth. " Mini In
mi engine built to run threescore
years and ten. Sin cuts down his
time nno-hnlf. Sin In a cerehro-splnnl .
meningitis thnt bullion earthly cure.
Sin Is n boomerang. Strikes when the
dnnger seems over. Shi Is n trail of
powder we Iny from our house to tht j
train truck where the sparks f.ill.
Then we forget. Some day the unex \
pected happens. Tin ; spark nnd the
trnll of powder do their work. Yes.
consequences nro unpltylug. The aero- V ,
bat who stood on his bend at the edge Y
*
of Glacier point. In the Yosemlte , with
3.000 feet of n clear drop boncnth him.
and the hontmnn who tries to see how
far he can go toward Burkhorn Island.
In the Nlngnni river above the falls , \
are fair types of the man phiylng with I
sin. Some day the rocks of Yosemite
and the Maid of the Mist will laugh at
the foolhardy. Consequences nre un-
pitying. Repent It over nnd over '
again us you would your A It O or
your multiplication tnble. "The wages
of sin in death. " Wages ! It Isn't
throwing dice ; no gambler's luck. It's
wages. Indeed , some nre so anxious I
to give the devil his duos that they I
pay In advance. "Fools mock nt "ln"m ,
says the w&rd Te . nnd sin gibes nt"1 J
fools too. I
The Laughter of the Almighty. f
*
It's an awful thing to hnvo God
mocking at you. God's smile i pleas
ure. God's laughter Is derisive. Ho i
often works through natural agencies. |
Cnptain Philip of the Texan snld thw <
side which fires first shot In n Sunday ' ,
battle has always been defeated. C'er- )
vera deliberately chose the hour when
the American licet were at worship
for his running fight. Ills battered ,
hulks still lie bleaching on the Antll- j
lean shore. Every asylum , prison. j
almshouse. Is God's laughter at men / \
who defied him. Men laugh at sani
tary laws and typhoid gibes nt them.
They laugh at social laws and ostra
cism taunts them. They laugh at
moral law and loathsome ; disease
plagues them. Did I say law war *
gibing nt them ? Possibly the Lawgiver
that sitter ! ) in the heavens was holding - t
ing them in derision. I
"God Is Not Mocked"
It Is so easy to laugh at God's serv
ants nnd their warnings. Men laughed
nt Xoah. He wns the jest of his day
the old dolt , building his ungainly ark.
Many n gibe he endured. Then the
heat lightning of God's displeasure
flashed its banner across the darkenIng - i
Ing sky. The low mutter of tile tliun- ,
der turned to crashing in the heavens.
Then the fountains of the deep were. ,
opened. A flood ? No ; God's laughter !
Lot goes through the streets of Sodom
nt midnight , warning. Men laugh 9
the old crank , the old fanatic. Was it
tire nnd brimstone crncUlIng in the
sulphurous atmosphere ? No ; God's i
laughter ! Is thnt n shriek in the pal- I
nee ? No ; the laughter of God ! There's \
shout of horsemen nnd rumble of I
ohnrlot Trhoels "Kill men ! Captur f
women ! Whet your swords ! " The
chariots drag ; the horses stumble ; the f
drivers curse ; the waters are return
ing. Is thnt. mocking ? Who Is Inugh"T
Ing ? God ! He thnt sltteth In the ,
heavens has them In derision. Christ ,
warns the .lexvlsh rulers of the com
ing of Titus and Vespasian and the
destruction of the temple and thnt
Jerusalem will He in dust nnd ashes.
Huh ! No ono believes thnt But the
most dreadful siege In human history
tells of the mockery of him who Is the
God of Judgment. All of God's pre
dictions of Judgment on Individual and , t
nation have come true to the let
ter. Men escape preaching nnd laugh
amusedly at the church. But they
cannot escape God that way. Preach \ \
ers often wish they could get all the
careless and Indifferent to the gospel
call. But there is to be a meeting that
every infidel will attend , and every
Impenitent sinner , every stingy , un
forgiving , excuse making church mem
ber will attend , nnd I hear the Judg
ment of destruction. Men are craftily
mocking God , and he that sltteth in
the heavens Is laughing at them !
A want ad campaign will get you
acquainted with a lot of i > ople who
want to buy homes and the home you
want to sell would surely suit nom of
hem. \