The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-24
The Worlds Best Thoughts.

Who are you. man uI Vlii''ii' AO4
whom this prayer has not Old, sweet as
sociations: who hearing It's words near
not too. the memory bells ringing up
from the golden days Of your childhood,
and feel not the soft gale5from the morn
ing land of your life sweeping over your
soul.
You may be a man ROW. IN the pride
and strength Of your years; you may
have carved out for yourself an honor
able name and destiny in this world
mavhap YOU are the owner Of broad
lands and proud homes, and your heart
has grown cold in its battle with the
world.
But stop a moment and listen to this
little verse-so simple that the merest
babe who learns to lisp the words can
comprehend them. and 50 grand inits
sublime significance and faith, and the
wisest shall only have learned fully the
true lessons Of life when the soul utterS
them as it did in its infancy.
Let us see. how many years ago was
it? twenty, thirty: no matter, at the old
sound of ''Now | lay me- they have
rolled their massive doors and you go
down through them to the old red one
story house. where your life first took
its morning. You see the little window
Oh the right side. close under the rafters:
ah! YOU slept a somder slumber. and
dreamed sweeter dreams i'll that old
garnet than you ever did in your lofty
chamber, with the gIded ceiling and
snowy draperies; and what matter II
your bed was a straw one. and your Gov
ering made of red and yellow patches,
of calico. you never Struggled down 50
contentedly under your spring mattraS-
ses and Marseilles counterpanes.
''Now l lay me" how softly sleep
would come and weigh down your eye
lids, as you repeat the words after her;
alb! you can hear her very tones now
stealing across your heart, though 1t IS
so many years since death silenced them;
YOU feel the soft touch Of her hand on
your pillow, and the tender lingering OF
her kiss on your lipS-you break down
here, proud man as you are-the mem
Dry of your mother is more than you can
bear. If she had only lived, you would
not have been what you are now; but
thanks be to God she left you some
thing holy and beyond all meaning:
something that cannot grow old and
dim: not even in the "mspeakable
brightness beyond the shining gates
the memory of a loving, praying chris
tan mother.
Reader, it may be many years since
you repeated this prayer, or, alas. it may
be that in the din and struggle Of life
you may have forgotten to pray at all,
and night after night you have lain
down on your pillow, never thinking OF
the shining ranks OF angels that Gods
mercy stationed around, or thank him
for the day or night.
But come back. we beSeech you, to
the old prayer of your childhood. You
cannot have outgrown that-no matter
if your hair is frosted with the SHOW of
hfe's December. and if your years are
three score and ten-kneel down by
your bedside, and uttering these words,
see if something Of the old peace and
faith of your childhood does not come
back to you; if something of its dew and
blessing fall not upon your slumber.
And remember that sooner or later,
you must lie down to sleep, when this
prayer will be all your soul can take
all that will avail OF your rank, or
wealth, or fame, whatsoever you most
prize in this world, which is but the
shadow of eternity. All. we shall soon
pass the
screen threshold Of our copmon graves
but the little prayer, the first, itmay be,
that we took upon our childish lips,
shall follow us as we sail out under the
solemn arches of the River of Death
follow us a sweet, faint, tender ali, from
the shores, and when we shall cast an
Choir
1.-THE Lord orr soul shall take
Young man let me whisper word in
your ear. 1t is all very well to dress
finely, and to look respectfully. 1t is a
grand thing to possess a handsome face,
and a faultless physical frame and form.
Further, it is good to have gained a bril-
liant education, and, better still to have
gathered up system of moral and re-
ligiOus principles. But above all this, as
you come TO mingle with the world, and
assume your share Of responsibility in
the every day affairs of life. how is the
man to be weighed and estimated by his
fellows: How is it to be with the down
right work of real life? What sort of a
soldier is he to be in the great battle?
VIII he be one who his companies will
always be ready to place on quad with
entire confidence?
/ saw man start out from his home
once upon time-and the time is not
long gone-to make trip among his
friends on business. lie had numerous