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Show Jottings 'Froma Froma From ' a Prodigal SonDear Son SonDear Dear Bish ' . One of the pleasant things thmgs of life lifeas , as we grow older , is the contemplation contemplationof of friends What is life hfe without withoutfriends withoutfriends withoutfriends friends ? The hermit plods the road roadI roadand roadand roadand and does not ask task , nor want the com com- companionship companionship companionship - I panionship of friends frielids frie ds That to him 15 is 15joy isjoy isjoy joy , that is his life and therein lies hIS hIShappiness hishappiness hishappiness happiness To the hermit hennit , loneliness lonelinessis Is sheer joy He exults in m it and is issupremely issupremely issupremely supremely happy But to the over over- overwhelmingly overwhelmingly overwhelmingly - whelmingly majority of people , , we wewant wewant wewant want friends , companionship compamonshlp of wIfe wIfeand wifeand wifeand and happy , romping rompmg children There There- ThereIn Therein Therein - in lies l1es the key to genuine genume happiness happinessThe happinessThe happinessThe The joy of knowing others , enJoymg enjoying enJoymgtheir enjoyingtheir enjoyingtheir their confidence and withal the thewannth t thewarmth h e ewarmth wannth warmth and joy of friendship friendshlp This Thisgives Thisgives Thisgives gives us the radiant hope of lIfe lIfeThele lifeThere lifeTheie Thele There are people we just naturally naturallyI naturallylIke naturallylike naturallylike lIke , there are others we just dust naturally naturallydislike naturallydislike naturallydislike dislike What is the reason for this thisIt ? " I It ma may be that those whom we dislIke dislIkeare dislikeare dislikeare are not congenial congemal and show their lack lackof lackof lackof of good neighborly fellowship In the thedIsl1Ung thedisliking thedisliking dIsl1Ung disliking of our fellow man it is soon soonmade soonmade soonmade made manifest mamfest by one or the other , and andwe andwe andwe we soon find fmd our level with Wlth that class classof classof classof of people A tried triedand -and and 'and ' - true friend 1S is 1Sa isa isa a tieasure treasure , and brings a pecul1ar peculiar pecul1arv.almth peculiarwarmth peculiarwaimth v.almth valmth warmth . to the heart Frank Crane Cranesays Cranesays Cranesays says "Of Of " course an old friend is a aI atI atreasure atieasure I tI treasure easure Old friends tried and true truecannot , cannot be too teo loyally cherished chenshed " WIth Withold Withold old congenial nerds frleI'1ds frleI1ds friends f ' we can spend spendmany spendmany spsndmany many happy hours We can meet them themin themin themin in the home md and < elsewhere el.cewhere elcewhere . : , and al- al alv always al always - - v . ways ays feel that wtarmth warmth and glo glow of ofhappy ofhappy ofhappy happy and contented friendship WIth WIthpleasure Withpleasure Withpleasure pleasure we look back and recall the thehappy thehappy thehappy happy hours.e hours v.e ve \\.e .e we \ . . ha\e ha e hale \ spent together togetheronly , only to know they are gone but not notforgotten notforgotten notforgotten forgotten whilp whilg \ \ hll we still lIveJust liveJust live liveJust Just the otnei othel other day it w \ wa a < my goed good goedplaasme goodpldasme goodpleasuie plaasme pldasme to meet an old-time old time - friend m in mmy inmy inmy my rambling ramblmg around the country , a anative anative anative native of the old horns homa home town where I Iwas Iwas Iwas was born and ' raised 'raISed We talked over overthe overthe overthe the old days and old friends In the thecourse thecourse thecourse course of our conveisation conve1satIon conversation , the subJect subjectof of religion came up . . I said to this old oldfllend oldfriend oldfnend fllend friend . , who shall be nameless in thIS thISI thiscommunication I commumcaUom communication ! ; ' "How How .How " ' . . do you stand standI standon standon standon I on the religion rel1glOn you once espoused espousedcheiished , , cheIIshed cherished and defended ? " ' * " The ques ques- questIOn ques- ques question question - - tion must hav have struck home , because becausehere becausehere becausehere here is 18 the change in life hfe which I Inot.ed Inoted Inoted not.ed noted . The party1as party \ , was \1as 1as older , trifle trifleWISer triflewiser triflewiser WISer , with graying graymg han hall at the temples temples"The templesThe . . "The The " religion of my youth 18-\1 18 1 is-well- is well iswellit's is - - \ well wellit's ' , eU- eU eUit's - it's its ' a thing of the past , ia la a delusion , a afake afake afake fake and there's theres ther&a thera ther & ' s . , nothing to 1tIt it 1t It " ItThen Then ThenIMemarked ThenI ThenIcremarked IMemarked I : emarked , "You You " have grown wiser bya byaccepting by | a accepting cH- cH cHCpHlIti - epUng -C-pHlIti C pHlIti - - another tlll-ltUCl tlll ltUCl ' - faith 1H.1LU 1H1LU . , anothel another ( UlUUld re- re reI rehgIon religion 1C- 1C 1Cligion - I ligion hgIon " TheaDSV The Theanswer -aDSV aDSV - -answer answer - . er came like a aflash aflash aflash flash , , "Yes Yes " , spiritualism Today an all ancreeds allcreeds allcreeds creeds are worthless , a sham , a delu delu- delusion delu- delu delusion delusion - - sion , a fake The communion commUl1ion with the thespmts thespirits thespints spmts spirits of the departed , and , oh , how howmany howmany howmany many have come back to me from the theborder theborder theborder border land of spirit lue llIe hie " This nameless filend fl1end fnend had seen 'and and 'andtalked 'andtalked > ' ' andtalked talked with numberless of the depart depart- departed departed departed - ed dead There was no doubt about aboutIt aboutit It Then I said , "I I " am going gomg to take takeISSue takeissue takeissue ISSue with you I do not believe a aword aword aword word in what you tell me I believe believeas as life is to the living hVIng , so death is to tothe tothe tothe the dead That is we cannot go gowhere gowhere gowhere where they are , and they cannot come comeback comeback comeback back to us , or where we are ' on 'On thIS thisearth thisearth " earth It is remarkably strange to tome tome tome me , " I said staid , , "that that " so many come back backto backto backto to you , and talk to you , and yet how howmany howmany : many good , noble mothers have been beenI beencalled beencalled beencalled I called from earthand earth and -and - their chIldren childrenwhom , ' whom they loved , have been left to tostumble tostumble tostumble I stumble along the lonely path of life he lifewithout hewithout lifewithout without a word from those loving lovingmothers lovingmothers lovingmothers lifeI I mothers , which would bring , at least leastcomfort , comfort and happiness happmess to that brood broodof broodof broodof of little httle children , also a father and andhtlSband andhusband andhusband htlSband husband , left alone with them Don't Dont Don'tyou Don'tyou Don'tyou Dontyou ' you think , " I said , "there there " are countless COUl1t1ess children who would like to see and andhear andhear andhear hear the mothel mother who nourished them themwho , who fed them . , loved them bettel better than thanhfe thanlife thanlife hfe life itself ltself , and fondled them as babes babesupon babesupon babesupon upon her knee , and yet she n\ n nos nel nc ( ' \ el ei eicomes eicomes . comes back to those loved ones here hereon hereon hereon on earth ; : but she comes to you youso , so you tell ten me No . , I cannot bel1eve believe bel1evethat believethat believethat that . kind I.md Imd of doctrine , even from you youWere Were I on that other shore , living llvmg hying in inthat inthat inthat that spirit land land I am lam tam inclined mcl1ned to tothink tothink tothink think I Id d come to see my loved ones onesand onesand onesand and : have Pave a talk with them , and if it it1 itwere itwere \1 1 were \ ' , ere possible passible give them a word of love loveand loveand loveand and encouragement , so that they theywould theywould theywould would pursue the path of rectitude m in mdase indace incase dase dace they w " weie "ele ele ei a faltermgly falteringly on the thedownward thedownward thedownward downward road " ' But , " this friend said , "You You " must musthave musthave musthave eyeYou have an inner eye , a spiritual eye You cannot sec see themVlth them with \Vlth Vlth \ your natlU- natlU natur- natur natural natlUal natm-al natm al - al eye They are spnitually spllitually discerned discernedwith , Wlth with a spiritual spiritufal eye " "All All " guff , all I Ip.onsense . nonsense p.onsense ponsense , , " I said yard sai . yardAnd I And so we parted parw pads . . , ? Imine .mine mine . mine , content With win , 1 < - 11 > I content with n flIlIl telfirm firm . , and and deep ria riaWj my rel tel . " ' -Wj Wj - WjWe rooted root IWe rootWe We gfriends parted in frle itte fri I ittefriends friends , born andf andfold and Sold : feared old attendSiSo town attended attendedt t attendedold iI dancbiplaces Places old d log ho hou&e houe home & e . , danced dancbi daaci % 10 y i I , attended the they t theI I school , enjoying the thewere I were told us by our o.d od . ourin in the long ago I I agoI And thus we drift drtrt AX , jydislike driftdislike , dlsllke dislike binot fnendSnot myoId my old fnend bi not see eye t to { ) ittJligious ey eye iij t f llglOUS ifgtous way , nor should i t ) ion ) > on the part partofmynfflA of partofmynfflAI my > q I I cherluhoticause qSo So it is we v.e ve . cherluhoti cherid cherish i iI I i cause we like them itt & llgion ligion ln&llgion lnllgion ittligion , or no teJJg-Ct teJJg Ct religon - - rellg-otwarmth rellg otwarmth teJJgCtwannth religonwarmth wannth warmth of their fr fne ino ino.congeniality ; .congeniality congeniality . congemality congeniality of theii their aq ctomingle mmgle mingle aqmingle soathe sQthe thethe around thei the sQ : the homeI home i , ' I only hope I have ha\e ha e hose \ t.1 t1 try : ! . Kthe t.1the trythe the old home town twn { ) . . 1 lr lfc1aU r : ; all the fnenos fnenas I lhavibaafter haH hale ba ) , after I want Vtant to toma nWera nWeracan mutt tecan , can I want Vtant to ro chen chmq chenAsship . , shIp and have their thell ' hi IiI k'ihereafter Iihereafter h k'i ki Ii ' I hereafterI I i hereafter hereafterAnd And no1m now no\\ no \ I Im 1m m throng throogb throolh ! ) } iBish BlSh Bish I hope I hare have sit sitwith coitwith X Wlth with my long and Itt 1 tart tartcould 1could toacould could not tell you J1l311 J1l311with iii ria'with riawith " * ' with any Icss-rords Icss rords lesswords less -words words vorh - - . . , vorhYOU YOU YOUB It ; |
