The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-11-01

houses, one on the rock and the other on
the sand The parable of the prodigal son,
a picture; parable of the sower, who went
forth to sow, picture; parable of the
unmerciful servant, a picture; parable OF
the ten virgins, picture; parable of the
talents, picture. The world wants
pictures, and the appetite begins with the
child, who consents to go early to bed if
the mother will sit beside him and re-
hearse story, which is only a picture.
When we see how much has been accom-
p.ished in secular directions by pictures
-Shakespeare's tragedies 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 reformatory work and evan
gelistic endeavor, the power of thought
that can be put into word pictures, if
not pictures in color? Yea, why not all
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 OF paste it on the fly
fcaf of sonie favorite book, that you may
hive It before you. read the other day
Of 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: .sDisobedience of PARENTS
on the second: Sabbath breaking;'' on
the third: Drunkenness and gambling;n
On the fourth: sMursier,v ard on the
fifth and top step: "A gallows.'' If 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, bright picture, an evan
gelical picture, and ! will help you make
it! Il suggest six steps for this flight
of stairs. On the first step write the
words, GA nature changed by the Holy
Ghost and washed in the blood of the
Lamb" on the second step, Industry
and good companion:hip; ON the third
step, "a Christian home with family
altar;' on the fourth step, ever widen
ing usefulness;" on the fifth step, "a
glorious departure from this world" on
the sixth step, ''Heaveni 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 thronesl 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 word of
cheer to people who have never had a
word of consolation on that subject.
Hho,a nn1
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 i'm
portance 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
oppreciative 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 that
stairs just spoken of, to 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 il.
Brooklyn, one day 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 hill?'' Yes" she said.
"Well," said the blind man, lis there
general on horseback leading
them on?" s.Yes," she said. ''Well, is
there rushing down on these men cav
airy charge9' EYES," was the reply.
"And do there seem to be many dying
and dead2" ''Yes," was the answer.
"Weli, now, do you see shell from the
woods bursting pear the wheel of can
non?" YES" she said s.Stop right
theror' said the blind man." That is the
last thing ever saw ON earth! What a
time it was, Jenny, when l lost my eye
sightr' But when you, who have found
life a hard battle, very Gettysburg.
shall stand in 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 was driven
back; in that valley of humiliation was
wounded. There / lost my eyesight.
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
for his tiara!