Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-06-06


sons, among the blind, the deaf and tn
dumb, the most thorough acquaintance witt
Gods word. Shut out from all other source
of information, no sooner does their hant
touch the raised letter than they gather
prayer. Without eyes they look off upor
the kindoms of GODS love. Without hear
ing, they catch the minstrelsy of the skies
Dumb, yet with pencil, or with irradiateo
countenance, they declare the g!ory OF God
A large audience assembled in New York
on the anniversary of the Deaf and Dumt
Asylum, and one of the visitors with chalk
on the blackboard wrote this question to
the pupils: "Do you not find it very hard
to be deaf and dumb ?' And one of the
pupils took the chalk and wrote on the
blackboard this sublime sentence in answer.
"When the song of the angels shall burst
upon our enraptured ear, we will scarce re-
| gret that our ears were never marred with
earthly sound" Oh the brightest eyes in
Heaven will be those that never saw on
earth. The ears most alert in Heaven will
be those that in the world heard neither
voice of friend, nor thrum of harp, nor carol
of bird, nor doxology of congregations.
A lad who had been blind from infancy
was cured. The oculist operated upon the
lad, and then put very heavy bandage
over the eyes, and after few weeks had
gone by the bandage was removed, and the
mother said to her child: willie, can you
see ?" He said: ooh! mamma, is this
heaven?" The contrast between the dark
ness before and the brightness afterward
was overwhelming. And I tell you the
glories of heaven will be thousandfold
brighter for those who never saw anything
on earth. While many with good vision
closed their eyes in night, and many who
had good, artistic and cultured ear went
down into discord. these afflicted ones cried
unto the Lord in their trouble, and He made
| their SORROWS their advantage, and SO "the
lame took the prey"
In the seventh century there was legend
of st. Modobert. 1t was said that his moth
er was blind, and one day while looking at
his mother he felt so sympathetic for her
blindness that he rushed forward and kiss
ed her blind eyes, and, the legend says, her
| vision came immediately. That was only
legend, but it is truth, glorious truth,
that kiss of Gods eternal love has brought
to many blind eye eternal illumination
A step further: There are those in all
communities who toll nightly for liveli-
hood. They have scant wages. Perhaps
they are diseased, or have physical infirmi-
ties, so they are hindered from doing con-
tinuous days work. A city missionary finds
them up the dark alley, with no fire, with
thin clothing, with very coarse bread. They
never ride in the street car; they cannot af-
ford the five cents. They never see any
pictures save those 10 the snow-window on
the street, from which they are often jostled,
and looked at by some one who seems to
say in the look: "Move on ! what are you
doing here looking at pictures?'
oc ntosr Of
TRANSPORTATION. At their rough table He
They talk often of the good times that are
coming. This world has no charm for
them, but Heaven entrances their spirits.
They often divide their scant crust with
some forlorn wretch who knocks at their
door at night, aud on the blast of the night
wind, as the door opens to let them 10, is
heard the voice OF Him who said: 81 was
hungry and ye fed me.' No cohort of
Heaven will be too bright to transport
them. By Coos help they have yauquish-
ed the Assyrian host. They have divided
among them the spoils. Lame, lame, yet
they took the prey.
was riding along the country road one
day, and | saw man on crutches. l over
took him. He was very old. He was 60
ing very slowly. At that rate, it would
have taken him two hours to go mile. 1
said; "Wouldn't you like to ride?'' lie
said: "Thank you, would. God bless
you." When he sat beside me, he said:
"You see, am very lame and very old, but
the Lord has been good Lord to me.
have buried all my children. The Lord
gave them, and the Lord had right to
take them away Blessed be His name. 1
was very sick, and had no money, and my
neighbors came ia and took care of me, and
l wanted nothing, I suffer a great deal
with pain, but then have so many mercies
left. The Lord has been good Lord to
me.' And before we had got far, was in
doubt whether | was giving him a ride or
he was giving me ride! He said: "Now,
if you please, I'll get out here. Just hslp
me down on my crutches, if you please.
God bless you. Thank You, sir. Good
morning. Good morning. You have been
feet to the lame, sir, you have. Good morn
lng." Swarthy men had gone the road that
day. I Go not know where they came out,
but every hobbls Of that old man was to-
ward the shining gate With his old crutch
he had struck down many Sennacherib of
temptation which has mastered you and
me. Lame, SO fearfully lame, so awfully
lame; but he took the prey.
A step further: Thefe are in all commu-
mites many orphans. During our last war
and in the years immediately following,
how many children we heard say: ooh!
my father was killed in the war" Have
you ever noticed-I fear you have not-how
well those children have turned out7 Start
ing under the greatest disadvantage, no
orphan asylum could do for them what
their father would have done had he lived.
The skirmisher sat one night, by the light
of fagots, iu the swamp, writing letter
home, when sharpshooter's bullet ended
posted, and never read.
Those children came up under great dis
advantage. No father to fight their way
for them. Perhaps there was in the old
family Bible an old yellow letter pasted
fast, which told the story of that fathers
long march, and how he suffered in the
hospital; but they looked still further on in
the Bible,an they came to the story of how
God is the Father of the fatherless, and
the widows portion, and they soon took
their fathers place in that household. They
battled the way for their mother. They
came on up, and many Of them have in the
years since tue war taken positions in
Church and State. While many of those
who suffered nothing during those times
have had sons 60 out into lives of Incidence
and vagabondage, these who started under
so many disadvantages because they were
SO early bersft, these are the lame who
took the prey.
A step further: There are those who
would like to do good. They say: "Oh, if
l only had wealth, or if had eloquence, or
if 1 had high social position, how much
would accomplish for God and the Churchp
l stand here today to tell you that you have
great opportunities for usefulness.
Who built the Pyramids? The king who
ordered them built? No; the plain work
men who added stone after stone and stone
after stone. Who built the dikes of HQl-
land? The Government that ordered the
enterprise? No; the plain workmen who
carried the earth and rung their t1owel on
the wall. Who are those who have built
these vast cities? The capitalists? No;
the carpenters, the masons, the plumbers,
the plasterers, the timers, the roofers, de-
pendent on days wages for livelihood.
And SO in the great work of assuaging hu-
man suffering and enlightening human
ignorance and halting human iniquity. In
that great work the chief part is to bs done
by ordinary men, with ordinary speech, in
an ordinary manner, and by ordinary
means. The trouble is that in the army of
Christ we all want to be captains and