The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-11-14

a picture. The world wants pictures, and the
Appetite begins with the child, who consents to
20 early 70 bed if the mother will sit beside
him and rehearse story, whicn ID only O
picture. When we see how much has been
accomplished in secular directions by pictures
Shakespeares tragedies picture, Victor
Hugo's writings all pictures, John Ruskins
and Tennyson's and Longfellows
works all pictures-why not enlist, as
far as possible, for our churches and schools
and reformatory work and evangelstic en-
deavor, the power Of thought that can be
put into word pictures, ii not pictures in
colora Yea, why not all young men draw
for themselves on paper, with pen or pencil
their coming career, Of virtue II they
prefer that. of vice if they prefer that.
After making the picture. put it on the wall,
or paste it on the tiy leaf of some fayorite
book, that you may have it before you. l
read the other day Of man who had been
executed for murder, and the jailor found
afterward apicture made on the wa OF the
cell by the assassin's own hard, pict.
ure Of flight of stairs. On the lowest
step he had written "Disobedience
of PARENTS" on the second: Sabbath break
ing" on the third: drunkenness and gam
bling" on the fourth: Murder" and 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 another picture, O
bright picture, an evangelical picture; 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 aud washed in the blood of the Lamb "a
on the second step: Industry and good
companionshlp;;" on the third step: "a Christ
ian home with family altar" on the fourth
step: "Ever widening usefulness" on the fifth
step: "a glorious departure from this
world; on the sixth step: "Heavenl heaven!
heaven!" Write it three times, and let the
letters of the one word be made up of ban
ners 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 a 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 to-
day, who have fine natural taste, and yet
all their lives that taste has been sup
pressed, and although they could appreciate
the galleries Of Dresden and Vienna and
Naples for more than nine hundred and
ninety.nine out of one thousand who visit
them, they never may 60, for they must sup.
port their households, and bread and school
ing for their children are of more Importance
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 appreciative Of all that
engravings and paintings can do, they are
in perpetual 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 universe, the con-
centered 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 earth
ly state will be pictured or brought to mind.
At the cyclorama Of Gettysburg, which we
had in 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
HHYes,S She she SAID. well" said the Blind
man, sis there a General on horseback
leading them on!" "Yes," she said.
We'll, is there rushing down on these
men cavalry charger "Yes," was
dying and deadW "Yes," was the answer.
"Well, now, do you see a shell from the
woods bursting near the wheel Of cannon!"
"Yes," she said. "Stop right therer' said
the blind man. "That is the last thing
I ever saw on earthl What time
it was, Jenny, when I lost my !eye.sight"'
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 celestial comrades nerhans
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 1 was
wounded. There 1 lost my eyesght. That
was the way the world looked when
last saw it. But what grand thing to get
celestial vision, and stand here before the
cyclorama of all worlds while tho Rider on
the white horse goes on "conquering and to
conquer" the moon under His feet and the
stars of Heaven for his tiara!