Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-11-04

the eanu. n parable OF the prOulgal son,
apicture; parable of the sower, who went
forth to SOW, a picture; parable OF the
unmerciful servant, a picture; parable OF
the ten virgins, a picture; parable of the
talents, a picture. The world wants
pictures, and the appetite begins with the
child, who consents TO 60 early to bed If
the mother will sit beside him and re-
hearse a story, which is only a picture.
When we see how much has been accom-
plished in secular directions by pictures
-Shakespeare'S tragedies a picture, Vic
tor Hugo's writings all pictures, John
Ruskin's and Tennyson's and Longfellow's
works all pictures-why not enlist, as
far as possible, for our churches and
schools and relormatory work and evan
gelistic endeayor, the power of thought
that can he put into word pictures. il
not pictures in color? Yea, why not al!
Young men draw for themselves on paper,
with pen or pencil, their coming career, of
virtue if they prefer that, of vice if they
prefer that. After making the picture,
put it on the wall or paste it ON the fly
leaf Of some lavOrite book, HAT you may
have it before YOU. | read the other day
of a man who had been executed for
murder, and the jailer found afterward
a picture made on the wall of the cell by
the assassin's own hand, a picture Of a
flight of stairs. On the lowest step he
had written: ''Disobedience of ~parents;''
on the second: Sabbath breaking;" on
the third: drunkenness and gambling"
on the fourth: Murder" and on the
fifth and top step: "A gallows." II that
man had made that picture before he
took the first step, he never would have
taken any Of them. Oh, man, make an
other picture, a bright picture, an evan
gelical picture, and ! will help you make
it! ! suggest six steps for this flight
Of stairs. On the first step write the
words, "a nature changed by the Holy
Ghost and washed in the blood of the
Lamb" on the second step, Industry
and good companionship;' or the third
step. IN Christian home with a family
altar" N the fourth step, Ever widen
ing usefulneSs:" on the fifth step. "a
glorious departure from this world" on
the sixth step, Heaven! heaven!
heaven!' Write it three times. and let
the letters Of the one word be made up Of
banners, the second of coronets and the
third of thrones! Promise me that you
will do that, and will promise to meet
you On the sixth step, if the Lord will
through his pardoning grace bring me
there too
And here | am going to say q word Of
cheer to people who have never had a
word of consolation on that subject.
There are men and women in this world
by hundreds of thousands, and some Of
them are here today, who have "a fine
natural taste, and yet all their lives that
taste has been suppressed, and although
they could appreciate the galleries Of
Dresden and Vienna and Naples far more
than nine hundred and ninety-nine out
Of one thousand who visit them, they
never may go, for they must support
their households, and bread and school
ing for their children are Of more im-
p~ortance than pictures. Though fond of
music, they are compelled to live amid
discord, and though fond Of architecture,
they dwell in clumsy abodes, and though
a%ppreciative of all that ~engravings and
paintings can do, they are in perpet-
ual deprivation. You are going, after
you get on the sixth step of chat
stairs just spoken Of, 10 find
yourselves in the royal gallery of the uni
verse the concentered splendors Of all
worlds before your transported vision.
In some way all the thrilling scenes
through which we and the church of God
have passed in our earthly state will be
pictured or brought to mind. At the CYCLIC
rama Of Gettysburg, which we had in
Brooklyn, n day a blind man, who lost
his sight in that battle, was with his
child heard talking while standing before
that picture. The blind man said to the
daughter: Are there at the right Of
the picture some regiments march
ing up a hill?n 'Yes," she said.
SWELL" said the blind man, lis there
a general on horseback leading
them onI" ''Yes," she said. 'NWell, is
there rushing down on these men a cav
airy charged YES" was the reply.
''And do there seem TO be many dying
and deadl" yes" was the answe
swell, now, do you see a shell from the
woods bursting near the wheel of a can
nonY'' 'Yes," she said. ''Stop right
therel' said the blind man." That is the
last thing | ever saw on earth! What a
time it was, Jenny, when | lost my eye
sight" But when you, who have found
life a hard battle, a very Gettysburg,
shall stand I'm the royal gallery OF
heaven, and with your new vision begin
to see and understand that which in your
earthly blindness you could not see at
all, you will point out to your celes-
tial comrades, perhaps to your own
dear children who have gone before,
the scenes Of the earthly conflicts in
which you participated, saying: There
from that hill of prosperity | vas driven
back in that valley of humiliation ! was
wounded. There | lost my cyesight.
That was the way the world looked when
| last saw it. But what a grand thing
to get celestial vision, and stand here be-
fore the cyclorama Of all worlds while
the Rider on the white horse goes on
'%conquering and TO conquer" the moon
under his feet and the stars Of heaven