Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-06-01
Forgiveness.


beautiful Importance in the foundation
of true and spotless character, and
none more pleasing to the human
heart, than the spirit of forgivness. d.
ting it's birth far back into the mystic
ages of antiquity, it has marched on
with steady motion, and is, to-day,
the same as of old, a thing of beauty
and power.
The beauty of its nature is as visibly
portrayed among youth as among the
old-perhaps to a greater extent A
child, in a fit of anger, may deal his
companion a smarting blow, and, when
the fever of wrath il dispelled, may
feel sorry for the deed, and ask to be
forgiven. Then what lovely sight to
see Che injured one, with q smile more
akin to the heavenly, take the repent
ant by the hand, and, in earnestness
and truth, say, :" 1 forgive your
A person may exercise forgivness in
various ways. The tnoughtless blew
-an ill-spoken wOrd-slanderous re
ports circulated at an innocent ones
expense-are all things to be forgiven
by the injured one.
Yet there are some injuries person
finds, by nature, hard to forgive-some
acts to mOnstrous to admit an cary re-
paration. Prominent among this class
may be mentioned slander-1that terri
bic thorn to the guAtless heart. How
often, through the most polished cir
cles OF society, do we hear little re-
ports-small in words, but mighty IN
power-branding certain ones with
moral backsliding and infamy, with
having enacted some great evil, or,
last, but not least, falsely accusing
them OF being slaves to the siren wine
cup! How often such deplOrable fab
ricatiOns 20 the broad rounds of socie-
ty, and, CARRIED as they mostly are in
melliffluent logic, find speedy lodg-
ment in many a credulous heart! Even
at the present day, the prevalmcy Of
such reports is, perhaps, greater than
ever before.
| Yes such blows as these blows
from the tongne far worse,
than the blow from hnman hands-are
as We have said, hard to he forgiven
Many guile'less heart, simultaneously
bleeding, perchance, beneath the bur
!, dens of some great sorrow, has
through this vile influence, been i'm
PEELED to an untimely death. See yOn
: der grave; they say tits that ola drum
f kard-that he sank from the bite o
the serpent that haunts the sparkling
!. glass--though, could that moulderini
? form but speak the truth that lay bu
+ ried with him, his pitlia! story wonl'
3 be of his once bright position within
= the pales of society, and Of his suddel
: fall through the groundleSs lies tina
S finally crushed his heart. TLroug
e islander he fell-through Islander h
r died and God alone knows hO'
= many more are doomed to the sam
o sad end!
70 Yet the injured heart, If actuated b
D. spirit of Christianity, will forgiv
T. these trenchant blows and their oril
! inators and, when their vile inarl
tt ces have dispersed, truth will,
10 prompted by patience, begin to bloom
y and, at last, loom up triumphant
over all.
+. But forgiveness runs still high'
', than this, and assumes more beautif'
a proportions. In the grand final da
al when all things shall fade, and the n
.e tions of the earth be gathered togeth
as at the footstool of the Almighty Primo
lie what nlore welcome sound TO our wal
a ing spirits then the voice of forgivene
as a. then There the slanderer and sla
IN. dered shall stand side bS side-t
of forgiven and forgiven of eafth--awa
ne ing the proclamation of their destini
- from the Fount of all wisdom.
And oh! what better wish could
OF express in conclusion, than that, win
~ arreigned before the bar of EterT
of Justice, we may all hear that joyo
he sentence pronounced upon eur spiFi
iy -"Well done, thou good and faitli
We servant! Thy sins are all forgive
les. Then shall we rise up triumphantiy
1t. to the city OF gold, and, floating
we renely away through the fields OF
p l. n