The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-04-17

life, and L want you to draw the plan
for church, cOmmodiOus, beautiful,
well ventilated, and with plenty of
windows to let i'll the light; [ want
you to get right ut work in making
out plans for such building, for,
though am well now, life is uncer-
tain, and before [ leave the world /
want to see something done that will
be an appropriate acknowledgment
OF the goodness of God to me and mine;
now wnen can L hear from you?"
Who would attempt to write the
obituary of the dead lions or com
merce, the dead lions of law, tue
dead lions of medicine, the dead lions
of social influence? Vast capacity
had they, and mighty range, and 9th
er men i'll their presence were as
powerless rs the antelope or heifer
OF giraffe when from the Jungle ANU
indian lion springs upon it's prey.
But they got through with life They
lay down i'll their magnificent lair.
They have made their last sharp
bargain. They have spoken their
last hard word. They committed
then last mean act. When tawny i'll
hnbltant Of the desert rolls over help
less, the llOncSs and whclpS ill the
an with shrieks and howls, and lash
themselves into lamentatiOn, and it is
genuine grief for the poor things.
But when this dead lion of monStrous
usclcssness expires, there is nothing
but dramatized woe, for "Bcttcr is a
living dog than u dead lion
My text also means that an ODpOr-
tunity OF the living present is better
than q great opportunity passed.
| We spend much OF our time in say
ing: IF [ only had We can all
look back and see some occasion
where we might have done Il great
deed, or might have effected an I'M
portant rescue, or we might have
dealt n stroke that would have ac-
compliShed Il vast result. Through
stupidity OF lack of appreciation of
the crisis, through procrastination,
we let the chance goby. How much
time We have wasted in thinking OF
what we might have said or might
have done! We spend hours and
days and years III walking around
that dead lion. We cannot resusci-
tate it. 1t will never open its eyes
again. There will never be another
spring in itSpaw. Dcadas any feline
terror of South Africa, through
whose heart thirty years ago Gordon
give any more time to tne dcploring
of the dead past. There are other
opportunities remaining. They may
not be as great, but they are worth
our attention. Small opportunities
all around, opportunities for the say
ing OF kind words and doing of kind
deeds. HelpleSSneSS to be helped.
Dishcartcled ones to be encouraged.
Lost ones to be found. Though the
present may be insignificant as COM
pared with thcpast, Better is aliving
dog than dead lion"
The most useless and painful feeling
is the one of regret. Repent of lost
opportunities we must, and get par
don we may.but regrets weaken, dis
hearten, and cripple further work.
lf sea captain who once had charge
of Il White Star steamer across the
Atlantic ocean, one foggy night runs
on Il rock Off Newfoundland, and pas
SengcrH and ship perish, shall he re
fuse to take command of small
boat up the North river and say, Il
never will go on the water again un-
less [ can run on the White Star
line" Shall the engineer of light
ming express, who at station mis-
read the telegram Of Il train dispatch
cr and went into collision, and for
that has been put down to the work
of engineering Il freight train, say, Il
will never again mount an engine I'M
less L can run Il VcStibulc cXDrcSS?"
Take what you have of opportunity
left. Do your best with what re
mains. Your shortest winter day is
worth more to YOU than can be the
longest day of II previous summer
| Your opportunity now, as compared
with previous opportunities, may be
small rs a rat-tcrliCr compared with
the lion which at NIatabosa, fatally
wounded by the gun of David Living
StOn. i'll It's death agony lcNpcd upon
the missionary explorer, and with it's
jaws crushed the bone Of his arm to
splintcrs, and then rolled over and
expired, but, "Bettcris a living dog
than dead lion.
My text also means that the con-
dition of the most wrctchcd man
alive is better than that of the most
fovorcd of sinners departed. The
chance Of these last is gone. Where
they are they cannot make any earth
ly assets available. After Charlie
imagine WAS dead he WAS set in an
Onam"mtcd scpulchrc on q golden
throne, and n crown WAS put on his
cold brow, and n Sccptrc in his stiff
hand, but that gave him no dominion
in the next world. One Of the most
Intensely interesting things I saw
last winter in Egypt was Pharaoh of
Oldcn times, the very Pharaoh who
opposed the Israclitcs. The imscrip-
tiOns on his Sarcophagus. and the
writing ON his mummy bandagcs,
prove beyond controversy that he
WAS the Pharaoh of Bible times. All
the EGyptClogists and the cXplora-
hons agree that tits the old scounClrcl
! himself. Visible are the very teeth
With which he gnashcd against the
ISraclitish brick-nIakcrs. There are
tic sockets Of the mcrcilcss eyes
with which he looked upon the over
bWdcncd people Of God. There is
the hair that flOat"d in the breeze Of
lI