The gazette and Democrat. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1860, 1860-04-26
Angel Visits.
BY 7. s. ARTHUR.

by 7. s. ARTHUR.
They do not always visi! us in beauti'
ful garments, making the iir arouLd gold.
en- with their sunny smiles. Oltrner they
come disguised in sobpr-hued vestments,
lips grief curved, and eyes heavy, as with
weeping. But come TO us when and how
they will, it is ever in love. Daily they
are about our paths, though we perceive
them not with our bodily senses; nor even
recognize their presence by the finer in
stincts Of our spirits for "of the earth
earthly as we are, and with affections
clinging to the earth, We have neither eyes
nor ears for the inner sight and inner
voices that are for the pure in heart. Yes,
they sre about our daily paths. smoothing
and aking them howery when they may
but oftener piling up distractions and
making them rough and thorny.
"Rough and thorny Plling up OBJ
structions!" we hear from the lips ofsome
life-weary sufferer. "ls this a work for
angels?"
Beautiful the way seemed before you,
in the bright morning of early woman
hood, heart-siCk and lifc-weary once; and
as your eyes weut far onward, how many
lovely vistss opened, showing blessed ar
cadias in the smiling distance 10 gain
them you felt was hea7en; and onward
you pressed with eager footsteps. You
did not gain them For a while the path
was even, and the fragrance Of hundred
blossoms delighted your senses, But al
at once your feet were wounded-there
were sharp distractions in the way, ther
thick clouds and darkness were before
you, hiding the lovely Eden. Sill, you
| sought to pass onward, though the waJ
was rough, and the sunny vistas, open
ing to the land of promise, hidden from
your straining visions. Then amountair
arose suddenly whose rocky sleeps yov
could not climb. Despair was in you
heart; and in the bitterness Of your dis
| appointment you called youlselt on
$ mocked of God.
= Itwas not so. precious immoral! No
so, pilgrim to better land than the ar
cadia Of your maiden dreams! At the yer!
foo, of that inaccessible mountain. mai
row path at length became visible; anc
> though il looked rough and had no greel
margin, beautiful with flowers, there WA
u an emotion Of lhankfunoss in your hear
for even this way Of escape, for already
mortal dread had siezed upon your spirits
With hurrying footsteps yon entered thi
new way, and the hope that it woul
!, quickly lead around the mountain, all
}. bring the sunny land again in view, re
- pressed the fear that else had been para
e lyzing.
II 1t was the hand Of an angel which /
D. you into that new way and kept you
" heart from sa.nling. Narrow, rough an
a aowerless though it proved, it was be
lr ter way than that along which you wei
passing with such buoyaut st9ps-for
IL bent hcavonward. And think life wcal
ID ono!-do you not feel that you are neert
a heaven now, than when the sun of tn
world shone from an unclouded sky abov
o, the path Of pleasure and prosperity
Think, and answer to yourself the que
tion.
Id A heart.stricken mother sat grieving f
re the loss of her youngest born, the swee
r est and lovelost Of her precious flock
grieving and refusing to be cOmfortcd..
a There had been loving sympathy, gent
rsmonstrauces, ard pions teaching fro
the lips of the minister who had We
% before touched the forehead Of her ba
le with the waters Of baptism, but all avai
60 ed uot-the fountain of tears stayed IL
v. its waters, nor was the murmuring vol
hushed in her rebelhous spirit. At leng
q one came to her who had known Ii
Ia. sorrow, and whose heart had. even III
hers been bowed into the very dust
Ia. She took into her own soft hand the pa