Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1867-08-29
winding line of these busy little

WlIuil.S AAO " shOo~ b"Sy
insects? With what precision
they advance-no tagging behind.
no skulking, still on and on they
come, one continued unbrolken
band, all fastening to the distant
goal. What think you, should one
of them forsake the beaten track,
would not the whole line be turn
ed aside and thus defeat the OBJ
.ject of their toil2 And thus dc
aoe fall naturally and easily into
the train of those about us-jusi
as these little insect subjects fol.
low the leading ones in their train,
just so do we initiate and pattern
after our fellow-comrades in the
march of life. Do they go brave
ly on the shining path of truth
and self-denial, we will fall in
their footsteps and together hand
in hand and heart to heart we'll
reach the blissfal goaI-yea, bless
ed, thrice blessed will have been
such companionship, such holy
healthful influence! But should
they wander off in by-paths, afar
from the only true and happy
way, there, too, will we follow and
down, down, step by step, we de-
scend with them to the gloomy
wildernesses of sin and disobe.
dience. Oh! when the fatal in.
fatuation is gone and we lie crush.
ed and irit-broken in the dreary
solieudes how, in all the hopeless
desolation of a misspent life, we'll
deplore such companionship, how
plainly will shine the blood-spots
Of SIM upon our tattered robes,
and how earnestly we'll plead for
a beacon light to guide US back to
the paths of peace and purity!
Oh, happy, thrice happy, they to
whom this awakening comes not
too late, but woe to him who has
led some confding one astray-
woe to him who not only himself
descendeth but drags another i'm
mortal soul down to the baleful
morasses of woe and ruin! How
all important then that we should
study well the paths we tread,
that each should feel he is in the
right, since there may be some
struggling spirit striving earnestly
yet all unaided, in the course Of
truth and right, clinging perchance
to our robes and going whittier
soever we go. Let us not make
wrong footprints to lead them as
tray, but let us rather flash light
across their paths and extend to
them a helping hand-let us throw
a kindly arm of protection around
them and with our own kerchiefs
wipe away the drops Of suffering,
the salt tears of. grief and disap-
pointment. Aye-"Let each for
each beacon be-" "Who knows
what earth needs from earth
lowest creature" and who knows
but each and every one Of us, hum
BILE though we be, might prove an
instrument of good, a blessing
and a light to some poor pilgrim
more humble, more travelworn
than we. Yea, who knows but
with our strength, feeble though
/ it be, we may lift up and support
| some faint comrade, some sick
and suffering soldier who has
given out on the march, has ground
| ed his arms and is trailing his life
banner in the dust. Verify there S
a work of mercy for the lowliest
child of earth to perform. The
wide, wide world is full Of mourn
ers and surely where there are
mourners there is need of com
forter. In every station In life
we find them, these weary ones
who sigh for the coming Of the
end which bringeth the calm and
the peace. In your pathway per-
hap5 there is some darkened sim
defeated spirit whose hands have
fallen powerless at his side and
who stands silently watching the
Amalekites of ruin bearing down
upon him, while perchance in my
way there may be another grief
stricken mourner watching with
fixed eyes and a face cold and tear
less the hand of destiny slowly
writing in blood-red letters the
"Mene, meme tekel' of his cloud
ed life! Oh, what Q blessed thing
if we could stay up those weary
hands and turn the tide Of battle,
what a blessed thing if we could