"Such a gracious revival of religion! How did it all come about? Not by preaching; not by great manipulations; not by great singing, valuable as these all may be--they did not bring it about. It came about through a little half idiot boy, who had no better sense than to trust God the best he knew and do his level best." CHAPTER V IT IS NOTED FOR THE SWEETNESS OF ITS FRUIT All palms are not of the same variety, but the date palm is the one specially noted for its sweet fruit. When the orientals dry their dates and press them and ship them into our country, we then learn how nearly akin to sugar they are. The righteous shall flourish in sweetness. Full salvation surely sweetens one's life and disposition. A sour holiness is a sham holiness. Some professors of religion look and act as if they were pickled instead of preserved. When God described the beauties and benefits of Beulah Land, He told the people it was a land of honey. Honey was one of the leading commodities of Canaan. One of the prime factors of the palm tree blessing is spiritual honey. It is certainly a sweet experience, both in its inward enjoyment and outward manifestation. In the various tests of life one will find the inward proclivities making way to the surface, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak. Sister, do you find yourself saying, "Praise the Lord," when the clothes line breaks, or the bread burns? What comes to the surface when your children tug at your apron by the hour in their fretfulness? How is it when your neighbor's chickens clean up your radish and turnip patch? or husband scolds, or the older children are disobedient and saucy? It is true one may be tried in these disappointing ordeals, and have the smile of heaven at the same time, but is there an overcoming sweetness in it all that convinces others that you have the palm tree blessing? Perhaps husband is smiling, as wife reads these lines; but how do you feel when the horse balks, or the cow kicks the milk all over you? What do you say when hammering, and you hit the wrong nail? How is your equilibrium at the midnight hour in zero weather when wife hunches you under the fifth rib and notifies you that baby has the colic and requests you to get up and make a fire? Do you smile and say, "Certainly, dear," or do you growl and let her do it? Think of the palm tree blessing next time. A minister once asked his colored servant why he didn't get along better, while she always seemed so happy. She replied that it was because he read his Bible wrong. He could not understand that, for he certainly knew how to read the Bible. She finally told him, where the Bible said "Glory in tribulation," he read it, "Growl in tribulation."