Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-09-13

The plainest mars life is an island be-
tween two eternities-eternity past rip
ping against his shoulders, eternity to
come touching his brow. The casual, the
accidental, that which merely happens so.
are part of a great plan and the rope that
lets the fugitive Apostle from the Damas-
Gus wall is the cable that holds to its moor
ings the ship of the church in the north
east storm of the centuries.
Again, notice unrecognized and unre-
corded services. Who spun the roper Who
tied it to the basket. Who steadied the
illustrious preacher as he stepped into it:
Who relaxed not a muscle of the arm or
dismissed an anxious look from his face
until the basket touched the ground and
discharged its magnificent cargo! Not
one of their names has come to us, but
there was no work done that day in Damas-
Gus or in all the earth compared with the
importance CT their work. What if they
had in their agitation tied knot
that could slip: What if the
sound of a mob at the door had led them
to say: ''Paul must take care of himself
and we will take care of ourselves" No,
no! They held the rope, and in doing SO
did more for the Christian Church than
any thousand of US will ever accomplish.
But God knows and has made eternal
record of their undertaking. And they
know. How exuitant they must have felt
when they read his letters to the Romans,
to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the
Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Col
ossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy,
to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews, and
when they heard how he walked out of
prison with the earthquake unlocking the
E. l.. 80 I<
Alexandrian corn-ship when the sailors
were nearly scared to death, and preached
a sermon that nearly shook Felix off his
judgment seat.
| hear the men and women who helped
him down through the window and over
the wall talking in private over the matter
and saying: '.How glad am that we eff
fected that rescue! In coming times 9TH
ers may get the glory of Paul's work, but
no one shall rob US of the satisfaction of
knowing that we held the rope" There
are said to be about 80 900 ministers of re-
ligion in this country. About $1,000, /
warrant, came from early homes which
had to struggle for the necessaries of life.
The sons of rich bankers and merchants
generally become bankers and merchants.
The most of those who become ministers
are the sons of those who had terrific
struggle to get their everyday bread. The
collegiate and theological education of
that son took every luxury from the pa
rental tabla for eight years. The other
children were more scantily appareled.
The son at college every little while got
bundle from home. In it were the socks
that mother had knit, sitting up late at
night, her sight not as good as it was.
And there also were some delicacies
from the sisters hand for the voracious
appetite of a hungry student. The father
swung the heavy cradle through the wheat,
the sweat rolling from his chin believing
every step of the way, and then sitting
down under the cherry tree at noon think
ing to himself: 81 am fearfully tired, but it
will pay if can once see that boy through
college, and il L can know that he will be
preaching the gospel after l am dead"
The younger children want to know why
they can't have this and that as others do,
and the mother says: ''Be patient, my
children, until your brother graduates, and
then you shall have more Injuries, but we
must see that boy through"
The years go by and the son has been
ordained and is preaching the glorious
Gospel, and a great revival comes, and
souls by scores and hundreds accept the
Gospel from the lips of that young preach
er, and father and mother, quite old now,
are visiting the son at the village parson-
age, and at the close of Sabbath of
mighty blessing father and mother retire
to their room, the son lighting the way
and asking them if he could do any thing
to make them more comfortable saying if
they want any thing in the night just to
knock on the wall. And then all
at once father and mother talk
over the gracious influences of the
day, and say: ''Well, it was worth
all we went through to educate that boy.
1t was hard pull, but we held on till the
work was done. The world may not know
it, but, mother, we held the rope, didn't
wei" And the voice, tremulous with joy
GUS emotion, responds: eyes, father; we
held the rope. I feel my work is done.
Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant de-
part in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation" ''Pshaw!" says the father, Il
never felt so much like living in my life as
now. l want to see what that fellow is
going on to do, he has begun so we'll"
Something occurs to me quite personal.
l was the youngest of large family of
children. My parents We're neither rich
nor poor; four of the sons wanted col
legiate education, and four obtained it. but
not without a great home struggle. We
never heard the old people say once that
they were denying themselves to effect
this, but l remember now that my parents
always looked tired. l don't think that
they ever got rested until they lay down
in the Summerville Cemetery. Mother
would sit down in the evening, and saw:
swell, don't know what makes me fee /
so tired" Father would fall Immediately
to sleep, seated by the evening stand, over
come with the days fatigue.
One of the four brothers after preaching
the Gospel for about fifty years entered
upon his heavenly rest. Another of the
four is now on the other side of the earth, a
missionary of the cross. Two of us are in
this land in the holy ministry, and think
all of us are willing to acknowledge our
obligation to the old folks at home. About
twenty-five years ago the one, and about
twenty-four years ago the other, put down
the burdens of this life, but they still hold
the rope.
y. men and women here assembled YOU
brag sometimes how YOU have fought
Your way in the world. but | think there
have been helpful influences that YOU have
never fully acknowledged. Has there not
been some influence in your early or PIES
ent home that the world can not see: Does
there not reach to you from among the
Canadian hills, or Western prairie. or from
Southern plantation. or from English or
Scottish or Irish home cord of influence
that has kept You right when YOU would
have gone astray, and which. after Won
had made q crooked trnck recalled vnrs