Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-06-14

pny too deep 10 be daUined, too divine
to be understood-save in the school
where quite extinct the genus fool.
Footprints of st. Peter are pre-
served In cathedralsal over the world.
His Apostolic Successors aver he had
a finely formed foot, and show by sun
dry signs that his Shoe has come down
in regular line for more than eight
cen hundred years-a sort Of HEIR
loom into which the foot of no false
prophet can Oy any HeaRs cUDtc. ITtns
the toes as ye may, the Shoe will not
go on!
The sandal was adopted in all east
ern countries. Its name is not insig-
nifcant. protected from the burning
sands, yet was so lightly constructed
that it never became hcavy upon the
feet. 1t was alaoays taken off IN the
presence of royalty. The poet makes
happy allusion to this custom in the
hCDtcW . l.
"And always when felt Thee near,
My Shoes We're off my feet"
It is also called the Sacred Shoe, be-
cause, worn by the blessed Savior when
He went about doing good.
Persons who had suffered in any ex-
traordinary manner had the sign of the
cross under their sandals. This was
specially true of the Jews after the
! coming of the Romans and the over
throw of their cherished city. The
cross was to them, indeed, the sign of
suffering, shameand sorrow. In THE
Wandering Jew" wherever that mys-
terious man appears, there is seen in
sand, or snow, or yielding earth, the
imprint of the cross. ., symbol sweet
and sad of suffering souls and fainting
feetl We look through travels and
tears to the time when the pilgrim
shall put his sandals by, and put on
the crown!
Mercury, the messenger of mischief,
the Trainer of lies and stealer of char
acter, still flies with winged Shoes up
and down the earth, stirring up discord,
strife and death whose feet are
s,cift and lead to destruction"
Joab yet sheds the blood of war in
times ofpeace, and puts the blood ofwar
upon his girdle and in his Shoes that
are upon his feet"
Vulcan, the divine artist, is still at
the flaming forge making golden Shoes
with which we may tread the earth,
air or water, with the speed of wind or
thought!
Shoes pressed by the heavy feet of
sorrow! where are they not found ?
Said Richelieu-"I cut down with my
Cardinals cloak all that come in my
way" but for twenty years l have
heard the sound Of invisible feet. They
have orertakea and crushed me, and 1
am passive. Some sad souls lift up
their feet to perpetual desolation. Life
is all desert, without flowing fountain,
fragrant flower, or glimpse of green.
They sit signing, crying
The dreary day away.
But
"Cheerfulness, a nymph of healthiest hue,
Her bow across her shoulder flung,
| Her busSins gemmed with morning dew"
Hunts in most delightful measure,
Through fastening hours the passing
pleasure"
Shall we speak of the sentiment sug-
gested by Shoes? Many little thing
moves to mighty results. Hoods Song
of the Shirt, the very pathos of pas
sion, poverty and pain, sung by starU-
ing lips in the low alleys of London,
touched the great heart of the ma
ton, and was better regulator of
wages than all the terse essays on Po-
litical Economy and labor.
So Shoes have tricks of tenderness
for those tampering with temptationl
A child's Shoe-in saloon of one
of the most corrupt cities in America
gave an impetus to the cause of tenn
perance all other agents had failed to
do. 1t was an incident in the life of a
laboring man, who, the days work
over, had gone with his wages for a
drink. While he waited, for he was
only poor felloio, whose custom was
certain, and credit poor, two women
entered, one his own wife, the other
the wife of the liquor dealer. Each
carried child. A shadow of bitter
ness seemed to fall upon the man at
sight of the women and children
please, John, said the keepers wife
in flippant tone, baby wants some
Shoes, they cost only the price of q
drink and he is aoaiting to pay IT." 1t
was one of those moments the mem
ory of which lasts through all time.
The tears gathering in the eyes of the
woman whose life he had wasted, but
who would not see him scorned-those
little feet, bare and cold. purple and
pinched, could he ever forget their
dumb eloquence, their mute appeal !
No. SIR" said he, I'll buy those
Shoes for my o,cn child, and they shall
teach Temperance to all the weak
wretches who buy your poison!
So much for the classification of
Shoes-real and ideal, and the senti-
ment suggested.
What shall 1 say of the long row of
empty Shoes, sitting in the silent
chamber of memory9 All! they are
in nearly every household and anguish
ed thought flies back
To the time, we sat ,rdittng,
WiStfully tcditfng, for the feet
That neper came!
Fathers Shoes, mothers sisters ,
brothers. The time has been so long,
we may have forgotten how the dear
dead faces looked, but those Shoes
bring back the patient tread of I'M
firing feet, and set to divinest music
all the memories of undying love-
The mother cherishes the cast-off