UNBELIEF
Years ago, in my Sunday-school, a young
fellow came to me and said: "I have come
to the conclusion that there is no God, no
future life, no heaven and no hell. When
you are dead, you are dead, and that is the
end of you." My reply was: "My dear fellow,
these opinions will wreck you before
you get through." Before long, he left the
Sunday-school, and I saw no more of him
for years. Then one evening a knock came
at my study door, and behold! the young
man appeared. He was much run down, was
blear-eyed and bloated. "Is that you, Fred?"
said I. "Yes," he replied. "Is it drink?"
said I. "Yes," he replied again. "Do you
remember that I told you your opinions
would wreck you before you got through?"—A.
F. Schauffler, The Christian Herald.
(3316)
The waves of unbelief mount and recede,
And jar the century with strong unrest;
They carry back the sands of many a creed,
But only leave the rock more manifest.
(Text.)
(3317)
Uncertainty of Life—See Precaution.
UNCONSCIOUS GREATNESS
If John Wesley himself, the little, long-nosed,
long-chinned, peremptory man who, on
March 9, 1791, was carried to his grave by
six poor men, "leaving behind him nothing
but a good library of books, a well-worn
clergyman's gown, a much-abused reputation,
and—the Methodist Church, could return to
this world just now, when so much admiring
ink is being poured upon his head, he would
probably be the most astonished man on the
planet. For if Wesley has achieved fame, he
never intended it. Seeley says that England
conquered and peopled half the world in a
fit of absence of mind. And if Wesley built
up one of the greatest of modern churches,
and supplied a new starting-point to modern
religious history, it was with an entire absence
of conscious intention. (Text.)—W.
H. Fitchett, "Wesley and His Century."
(3318)
UNCONSCIOUS INFLUENCE
A Persian fable says: One day
A wanderer found a lump of clay
So redolent of sweet perfume
Its odors scented all the room.
"What are thou?" was his quick demand.
"Art thou some gem from Samarcand,
Or spikenard in this rude disguise,
Or other costly merchandise?"
"Nay, I am but a lump of clay."
"Then, whence this wondrous perfume, say!"
"Friend, if the secret I disclose—
I have been dwelling with the rose."
Dear Lord, abide with us, that we May draw our perfume fresh from thee.
It is nothing wonderful that men
said of the early disciples that they had
been with Jesus. They had in their
life the perfume of the rose—the Rose
of Sharon.
(3319)
Understanding, Perfect—See Future Life.
UNDERSTANDING, SYMPATHETIC
If I knew you and you knew me—
If both of us could clearly see,
And with an inner sight divine
The meaning of your heart and mine,
I'm sure that we would differ less
And clasp our hands in friendliness;
Our thoughts would pleasantly agree
If I knew you and you knew me.
—Nixon Walterman, Epworth Herald.
(3320)
UNEMPLOYED, PROBLEM OF THE
The problem of the unemployed is emphasized by facts and comments such as these from the metropolitan press:
James Kelly, seventy years old, a homeless
wanderer, was found frozen to death within
a few feet of the General Philip Schuyler estate,
near Irvington.
Wilson Meyers, seventy years old, and homeless, was found dead in a stable near the Long Island Railroad tracks, at Rockaway Beach.
