The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-24

a single grave. How glad parents are n
holiday times to gather their children home
again. But Ihave noticed that there is al
most always son or daughter absent-ab-
sent from home, perhaps absent from the
country, perhaps absent from the world. Oh,
how glad our heavenly Father will be when
he gets all his children home with him in
heaven. And how delightful it will be for
brothers and sisters to meet after long sepa-
ration. Once they are parted at the door Of
the tomb; now they meet at the door Of i'm
mortality. Once they saw only through
glass darkly; now 1t is face to face; corrup-
tion, interruption: mortality, immortality.
Where are now all heir sins and sorrows
and troubles7 Overwhelmed in the Red Sea
Of Death while they passed through dry
shod.
Gates of pearl, capstones Of AMETHYST,
thrones Of dominion do not stir my soul so
much as the thought Of home. Once there
let earthly sorrows howl like storms
and roll like seas. Homel Let thrones 1ss
world die in earthquake struggle and be
buried amid procession of planets and dirge
of spheres. Home! Let everlasting ages roll
In irresistible sweep. Homel No sorrow,
no CRYING, no tears. no death. But home,
sweet home, beautiful home, everlasting home,
home with each other, ..home with angels,
home with God.
One night living on my Eounge when very
tired, my children all around about me in
full romp and hilarity and laughter-on the
lounge, half awake and half asleep dreamed
this dream: I was in far country. 1t was
not Persia, although more than oriental luxu-
rance crowned the cities. 1t was not tn,
tropics although more than tropical fruitful
ness filed the gardens 1t was not Italy, al
though more than italian softness filed the
air. And I wandered around looking for
thorns and nettles, but I found that none Of
them grew there and Isaw the sun rise and
watched to SEQ it set but it sank
not And saw the people in holiday attire
and said: "When will they put off this and
put on workmen's garb and again delve in
the mine OF swelter at the forgeH But they
never put OFF the holiday attire And !
wandered in the suburbs Of the city to find
the place where the dead sleep, and looked
all along the line Of the beautiful hills. the
place where the dead might most blissfully
sleep, and saw towers and castles, but not
mausoleum or monument or white SLAP
could see And I went into the chapel OF
the great town and said: "Where do the
poor worship, and where are the hard benches
on which they sitp' And the answer was
made me, "We have no poor in this coun-
try" And then wandered out to find the
novels of the destitute and I found mansions
Of amber and ivory and gold, but not q
tear could I see, not sigh could
I hear, and I was bew1ldered, ana
1 sat down under the branches
of a great tree and said: "Where am II And
whence comes all this scene?' And then out
from among the leaves and up the fowery
paths and across the bright streams there
came a beautiful group thronging all about
me, and as Isaw them come thought knew
their step, and as they shouted thought l
knew their voices, but then they were so
gloriously arrayed in apparel such as never
before witnessed, that bowed as stranger to
stranger. But, when again, they clapped!
their hands and shouted 'welcomel welcomel'
the mystery all vanished, and found that
time had gone and eternity had come, and we
were all together again in our new home IN
heaven, and looked around, @ and ! ! s. said; 4;
generations responded: 'all here!" And
While tears Of gladness were raining. down
our cheeks, and the branches Of the Leban9n s 70
towers Of the great City were Ginning their
welcome we ali together began to leap and
shout and sing. "Home! home! home! homer