What cares the babe for the blackness and the wild storm if only the mother holds it to her bosom and croons the hymn of peace. And in the hour when the world reels beneath his feet, frail man becomes almost omnipotent in the thought that beneath this world are the everlasting arms. (Text.)—N. D. Hillis.
(1258)
God's House for All—See Americanism, True.
God's Image—See Restoring God's
Image.
GOD'S INSCRUTABILITY
Incompetent to the making of a single cherry-seed, as Luther remarks, how can we expect to fathom the works and wisdom of an infinite God?
"I am not so much of a farmer as some
people claim," said Hon. W. J. Bryan in his
lecture on "The Prince of Peace," "but I
have observed the watermelon-seed. It has
the power of drawing from the ground and
through itself 200,000 times its weight, and
when you can tell me how it takes this
material and out of it colors an outside surface
beyond the imitation of art, and then
forms inside of it a white rind and within
again a red heart, thickly inlaid with black
seeds, each one of which in turn is capable
of drawing through itself 200,000 times its
weight—when you can explain to me the
mystery of a watermelon, you can ask me
to explain the mystery of God." (Text.)
(1259)
GOD'S PRESENCE
It is said that on the doors of Linnæus'
home at Hammarby, near Upsala, these
words were written, "Innocue vivito; numen adest"—"Live blameless; Deity is
here." "This," said Linnæus, "is the wisdom
of my life." "Thou God seest me."
(1260)
GOD'S WAYS
God's ways seem dark, but, soon or late,
They touch the shining hills of day;
The sinner can not brook delay—
The good can well afford to wait.
—Whittier.
(1261)
GOLD, TAINT OF
The ancient fable of King Midas and his
gift of turning everything he laid his hands
upon into gold has been exactly reversed in
these modern days. This good king was
delighted with the gift the gods gave him
until one day he turned his daughter into
a golden image by a careless use of his
power, and the counterfeit presentment was
so utterly worthless compared with his child
of flesh and blood that henceforth his charm
was a horrible curse. Now it is our brightest
and best which come under the spell of
gold itself, and how it does harden and
fossilize them! Our artists paint, our literary
men write, our business men take
hazardous and doubtful ventures, our young
men and maidens marry, all for gold. How
bright was the promise of Bret Harte until
he began to command high prices for his
stories? Howells, James and Stockton all
delighted us, but presently we found ourselves
wading through such stories as "April
Hopes" and the "Hundredth Man." As soon
as one begins to preach good sermons in the
pulpit he immediately attracts the attention
of some rich congregation and becomes a
high-priced man. Everywhere the test of
excellence is price, and all the choicest
spirits are sought out and put into the livery
of our sovereign gold.—Providence Journal.
(1262)
GOLD USELESS
It is true the California gold will last forever
unchanged, if its owner chooses; but,
while it so lasts, it is of no use; no, not as
much as its value in pig iron, which makes
the best of ballast; whereas gold, while it
is gold, is good for little or nothing. You
can neither eat it, nor drink it, nor smoke
it. You can neither wear it, nor burn it as
fuel, nor build a house with it; it is really
useless till you exchange it for consumable,
perishable goods; and the more plentiful it
is the less its exchangeable value—Edward
Everett.
(1263)
GOLDEN AGE, THE
That the golden age is not in the past nor in the future, but now, is the refrain of these verses:
There are no days for me in long ago,
No days in which to work and love and pray,
No richly freighted hours where sweet winds blow.
There is no treasure for me but to-day.
