The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-12-05

that there are no perils In woman's path
way. Gods grace alone can make an
Isabella Graham, or a Christine Alsop.
or Fidella Fiske. or Catherine Of ST.
ena. Temptations Turk about the bright
est domestic circles. 1t was no unmean-
ing thing when God set up amidst the
splendors of His word the character of
the infamous Delilah.
Again, this strange story of the text
leads me to consider some of the ways
in which strong men get their locks
shorn. God, for some reason best
known to Himself, made the strength Of
Samson to depend on the length of his
hair; when the shears clipped it his
strength was gone. The strength of man
IS Variosly distributed. Sometimes il
lies in physical development, sometimes
IN intellectual attachments, sometimes il
heart force, sometimes in social position
sometimes in financial accumulation;
and there is always a sharp shears ready
to destroy it. Every day there are
Samsons ungianted 1 saw a young
man start in life under the
most cheering advantages. His
acute mind was at home in all
only all rugged attainments, but by deli
cate appreciation he could catch the
tlnge of the cloud and the sparkle of the
wave and the diapason of the thu nders.
He walked forth in life head and shout :
ders above others in mental stature. He
could wrestle with giants in opposing
systems of philosophy, and carry off the
gates Of opposing schools, an smite the
enemies of truth hip and thigh with
great slaughter. But he began to tamper
with brilliant free thinking. Modern
theories of the soul threw over him their
Establishments. Skepticism was the
Delllah that shore his locks off, and all
the Philistines of doubt, and darkness
and despair were upon him. He died in
a very prison of unbelief, his eyes out
Far back in the country districts-just
where l purposeiy omit to say-there
was born one whose fame will last as
long as American institutions. His
name was terror to all enemies of free
government. He stood the admired of
millions; the Nation uncovered in his
presence, and when he spoke senates sat
GREATNESS under the spell. The plot
ters against good government attempted
to bind him with green withes and weave
his locks in a web, yet he walked forth
from the enthrallment, not knowing he
had burst bond. But from the wine cup
there arose destroying spirit that came
forth to capture his soul. He drank until
his eyes grew dim and his knees knocked
together and his strength failed. Ex-
hausted with life long designations, lie
went home to die. Ministers pronounced
eloquent eulogiums, and poets sung, and
painters sketched, and scuiptors chiseled
the majestic form into marble, and the
world wept; but everywhere it was known
that it was strong drink that came like
the infamous Delilah, and his locks were
shorn.
From the Island of Corsica there start
ed forth nature charged with uuparal-
leled energies to make thrones tremble
and coRvulse the earth. Piedmont Ma
pies, Bavaria, Germany, Italy, Austria
and England rose up to crush the rising
man. At the plunge of his bayonets
bastiles burst open. The earth groaned
with the agOnies of Rivoli, Austerlitz
Saragossa and Eylau. Five million men
slain in his wars. Crowns were showered
at his feet. and kingdoms hoisted tri-
umphal arches to let him pass nnder,
$500 A~NAOPO was ll9ubbu uD at
the confagratiou Of consuming cities.
he could almost have made q cause
way of human bones between Lis
bon and Moscow, No power short Of
Omn1potent God could arrest him. But
ont OF the ocean of human blood there
arose spirit in which the conqueror
found more than a match. The very am
billion that rocked the world was now to
be his destroyer. It grasped for 100
much, and in its effort lost all. He
reached up after the scepter Of universal
dominion, but slipped and fell back into
iesolation and Punishment. The Amer
can ship, damaged of the storm, to-day
puts up in st. Helena, and the crew goup
20 see the spot where the French ex ls
expired in loneliness and disgrace, the
nightiest of all Sans ons shorn of his
ocks by ambition, that most merciless
If all Delilahs.
D. L stand before a man to day, the
ocks of whose strength are being toyed
With, let me tell you to escape lest the
hears of destruction take your moral
md your spiritual integrity. Do you not
ZEE your sandals beginning to curl on
hat red-hot path? This day, in the name |
# Almighty God, 1 tear off the beautify- |
ng vail and the embroidered mantle of |
his old bag of iniquity, and 1 show you
he ulcers and the bloody ichor and the |
;ancered lip and the parting Joints, and |
he macerated limbs, and the wriggling
and cry out: Oh, horror
# horrors! In the stiffness of this Sab
'ath hour lift warning. Remember it
$ easier to form bad habits than to get
lear of them; in one minute of time you |
nay get into a sin from which all eterni-
y can not get you out.
Oh, that the voice of Gods truth might
rown the voice of Delilah. Come into
he ways of pIeasantness and the paths of
leace, and by the grace of pardoning
Tod start for thrones of honor and do.
linion 1pon which you may reign, rather
han travel the road to dungeon where
he destroyed grind in the mills of de-
pair, their locks shorn and their eyes
ut.
REMOVING PAINT.