Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-10-30

fr,,nn therocks, the only cheerful object In
ALI that region being these waters.
Now on this plain of Jericho the sun IS
setting. making the mountains look hKe
balustrades and battlements OF amber ana
maroon and gold: and the moon, Just
above the crestS. seems to be window OF
heaven through which immortals might
be looking down upon the scene. Ihree
Arabs as watchmen sit beside the camp
fire at the door of my tent, their low con-
versation in a strange language all nlght
long a soothing rather than an Interrupt
tion. | had a dream that night never 10
be forgotten, that dream amid the COM
nlete ruins of Jericho. Its past grandeur
returned. and | saw the city as 1t was
when Mark Antony gave it to Cleopatra
and Herod bought it from her. And
heard the hoofs of its swift steeds and the
rumbling of its charlots and the shouts OF
excited spectators in its amphitheatre.
And there was white marble amid green
groves of palm and balsam; cold stone
warmed with sculptured foliage: hard pill
lars cut into soft lace; Iliads and Odys-
seys in granite; basalt jet as the night
mounted by carbuncle flaming as the morn
ing; upholstery dyed as though dipped III
the blood of battle fields; robes encrnsted
with diamond; mosaics white as sea foam
flashed on by auroras; gayeties which the
sun saw by day rivaled by revels the moon
saw by night. blasphemy built against the
skv. ceilings stellar as the midnight heay-
ems: grandeurs turreted, archivoiteh ana
intercolumnar; wicSedness 50 appalling
that established vocabulary fails, and we
must make an adjective and call 1t He
"odic.
SOUNDING TUE TRUMPET FOR SALVATION.
The region round about the city walls
seemed to me white with cotton such as
Thenius describes as once growing there,
and sweet with sugar cane, aisi luscious
with orange and figs and pomegranates,
aud redolent with such flora as can only
grow where a tropical sun kisses the earth.
And the hour came back to me when III
tbe midst OF an that splendor llerod died,
commanding his sister Salome immediate
IL after his death 70 secure the assassina
, tion Of all the chief Jews whom he had
! brought 70 the city and shut up In circus
for that purpose, and the news came to the
audience in the theatre as some one tool
the stage and announced to the excited
multitude: "Herod Is deadl Herod 1
deaGw
Then in my dream all the pomp o
! Jericho vanished, aud gloom was added &
/ gloom. aud desolation 70 desolation, ant
woe TO woe, until, perhaps the ripplin!
: waters Of the Fountain Of Elisha suggest
= inr it-as sounds will Cometimes Civ
: direction 10 a DREAM Thought that tn
waters OF Christs salvation and tn
!. fountains "open for sin and uneleanness
= were rolling through that plain an'
4 across that continent, and rolling roun'
4 the earth, until on either side 0
J. their banks all the thorns 6ecam
4 flowers, and all the deserts gardens an
4 all the novels mansions aud all the ~
4 nerals bridal professions, and all the bloc
i Of war was turned into dahlias, and al
the groans became anthems, and Dante
!. Inferno became Dantes "Divina Con
y media and Paradise Lost w',s sui
! merged by Paradise Resained, aud tear
a became crystals and cruel swords cam
n out Of foundties glistening plowshare'
II and in my dream at the blast of a trumpt
i. the Frustrated walls OF jericho rose again
= And some one told me that as these wal
4 In Joshuas time at The sounding trumpet
~ of doom went down, now at the soundln
4 trumpet Of the gospel they come u
~ again. And thought man appeared I
- the door Of my tent, and | said, Who a.
i, Won and from whence have you comet
and he said II am the Samaritan 70
n heard Of at the tavern on the road fro
n Jerusalem TO Jericho as taking care Of u
i man who fell among thieves and hay
r. just come from healing the last wound
~ the last unfortunate mall the earth Al
" rose from my pillow in the tent 70 gre
~ him. and my dream broke and | realized
- was only dream but a dream which shu
10 become a glorious reality as surely as &c
~ i true and Christ's gospel is the world
ar Catbolicon. GLORY be 70 the Father al
he 10 the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as
~ was at the beginning, is now and ever sha
m be world without end. Amen