The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-12-24
SITS A YEAR


st. Matthew: And at midnight there
was a.cry made, Behold the bride
groom cometh; go ye out to meet
him."
The speaker said she would try to
lead the thoughts of her hearers in \
simple way TO consider the matters
she would present, and succeeded adj
inirably in holding hersclfto her prom
Use. : 1t is great misfortune" ;" sLo
said, in entering upon tile discussion
Of her--chosen subject, that We are
soyfamiliar with the souue! that we
understand but little Of the sense Of
many headti'ul tSuths taught us in
the Bible. Words and expressions
from Holy Writ become dull ike
cons III constant use, that after n
while lose their weight and are no
longer worth the price stamped upon
their face. The pictures in Christ's
mind were ali real and it is pity that
they arc not always reproduced with
closer attention. paid to their purity
OF form and naturalncss of coloring.
"Of the ten virgins who took lambs
and went cut to meet the bridegroom.
one. half were wise. This proportion
is larger than we should have the
right 10 expect in our DAY. How
very few Of us have the oil Of wisdom
with us while we wait for the bride
groom Z The oil of the parable was
wasted just as cur natural powers
waste without cultivation, and when
the sudden call for the exercise OF
these powers comes to US how few Of
US are ready. Our trials nearly al
ways come suddenly and give us but
littlt time for preparation. 1t he
hooref-us, then, to be always ready,
to h@ve oil in cur lamps and to have
item trimmed and cit for use"
Mrs. Howe spoke eloquently an,i
touchingly Of the coming of the an
f9f 9i 9f 5a# dI Tt htp hs s de9Ssaod deafl 81 qPR he
flock. "Titis losing is death Itself.
Ii is the tearing away Of the very
heart-strings. But there will lie az
eternity cf happiness when all the,
loved ones Will meet at the side Gf
the throne Of God and never, never
part again" The Spes-ker recalled
her visit tn Westminster Abbey
There arc the tombs Of kings and
queens and great warriors aud poets
and statesmen; but never think Of
it that ! do no5 call to mind the rude
bUt suggestive sculpture on family
tomb, representing father, mothcc,
daughters and SONS in long process
sion, telling in homely way Of ,le
neyer-ending march OF the bleat ,-.-
fore the Almighty, when tie caf,1
and t-ials Of this life are ever and the
dear ones axe all gathered tosetLa.'
IN heaven.
"0ur great trials come 10 rs sons,,
times in Il form Of terrible tempta-
tions. and what can be more Sudden
tban t'iese2 And what is there that
demands more careful preparation 10
withstand? When we think Of it,
very iittlu wrong is done by preme-.
itation. If YOU are asked whethtl
YOU will do mean and coHardly act
ora brave and magnanimous one, YOU
answer a brave one, and at the tiInG
you really mean what you say and in
your heart you intend TO act bravely.
| But the temptation comes when you
least expect it. 1t comes with the
suddenuess of lash. You are un-
prepared. Your better nature il
asleep, and yc1 yield and are lost.
Think how frightful are the results
OF some Of these visitstions. Look
at the French revolution, that era Of
national chaos which mas not vet gi5-
ell place to order. Take our owl,
late war, which was foretold years
ago by De Tocqueville. We winked
at the corrGptions that were sapp'ng
The foundations of our liberties.
Great and good men lifted up their
voices and cried to us; BE prepared,n
but we slumbered and slept, and tileiG
came the dreadful hoiir OF slaughter.
| We had no oil in our lamps, and this
great, foolish nation was taken and
shaken and made to look God in the
face. Then we were forced to learn
that cotton was not king, that money
was not king, that policy WAS not
king, but that truth, justice aud God
demanded our allegiance. Then
there was rushing to the market
place to buy the wisdom that we had