Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-10-29

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scenes and incidents ever transporting
along the journey of the railway carriage,
as along the journey of life, itself-thc
glad greetings of those who meet; the
farewells of the parting the cordial
grasp of friendship; the warmer embrace
Of affection the eager look of expec-
fancy the dcspairing look of disappoint-
mcnt; the bright smile of love the
boding frown of hate the merry laugh
of pleasure the tears of regrct--amid
all these odd sentences, paragraphs, and
chapters that help to make up the strange,
unwrtten history of humanty-these,
the rents and crcviccs in the timc-worn
curtain of life's tragic stage, through
which the imagination peers, and per-
ceives much that is otherwise unseen,
and unsupported, amid these ever
hanging phases of travel, doubt not
that, by many at least, the little incident,
of which l have spoken, was soon forgot
ten, but many times in the years, since
that day, have my thoughts required to
that poor lunatic, disappointed and
hopeless as he appeared, because his
trusted ticket secured not his admittance
into heaven.
Many time since then, have | be-
thought me of the question whether
there may not be others, others, too,
whom the world calls sane, who base all
their hope of participation in the joys of
that imagined Paradise, on foundations
quite frivolous as were those of that poor
mailman? Often does that thought come
back to me, and, looking with not I'M
thoughtful eyes upon the world about
him, one cannot well avoid its frequent
recurrence to his mind.
Whenever he sees eager avarice hoard
ing up in private, the hard-earned
pennies of weary, and too often illy-paid
toll, often clutching, with unsoiled
glove, the last farthing from the skinny
palm of pleading hunger itself, to be
expended again in munifiicent sums, and
heralded with grand public display, I'M
der the far-sounding name of philan
thropy, while modest charity stands II
silent, sorrowing witness of the scene,
he can but think again of poor crazy
Absalom Allgood.
Whenever he beholds Hypocrisy, as
suming the i'll fitting garb of piety, sleek
and sanctimonious. praying like a saint,
in public, on the Sabbath, and prcying
like vultrure, privately, upon the
world, during the rest of the week, his
thoughts will again rccur to unhappy
Absalom.
Whenever he beholds pride, clad in
the sacred guIse of Christianity, cxpcnd-
ing, in her cherished name, vast treas
urcs that might, in more useful ways,
be given in her aid--buildng magnificent
structures, and embcllishing them with
all the ornament that extravagant fancy
can suggest, or skillful art execute
rearing pround domes and spires, higher
toward that heaven, whose favor they
thus seek to win, than the real cxpecta-
tons of the blinded devotees, who
worship there. can hope to ascend, while
the feet of Gods lowly ones. shrink
timidly away from the very thresholds
thereof, not daring to polute such tenn
plies Of pomp and vanity, with presence
so unseemingly, as would be that of
humanity and truth, he is reminded once
more of sense-forsaken Absalom.
Whenever, or wherever, he sees vice
and cupidity disguised as virtue and be-
nevolence, travelling about the land.
proclaiming their own good works and
worthy intentions, begging Of ever
trustful charity, token in the name Of
God, to be used for pride, and the devils
bencfit--in word, whenever or where
ever he sees deception Of any kind, false
hood asserting itself to be truth, igno-
rance aping the airs Of knowledge, guilt
feigning to be innocence wrong pre-
tending to be right, pride assuming to
be humility, tyranny proclaining libcr-
ty-or, whenever he hears men preach
ing what they do not practice, or in any
manner, trying to palm themselves upon
their fellow for that which they are not,
or seeking, in any manner, to conciliate
high Heaven, by tricky and DISSEMINATION.
then, there comes wildly to his mind
again, that incident in the railway car
riage, and once more, he betbinks him
Of the question How many Allgood's
are there in the world How many
tickets that will not pass
n L